The Nattas household,

  Relatives & ‘known’ associates

  Appended

  Governor of Novesium, Storm Nattas* (Businessman, Bureaucrat, politician, with ties to many criminal elements. One would suggest, ‘a criminal unto himself.’ Numerous smaller and bigger positions in Regia’s court. Former Master of Secrets for King Alistair Alden, former Shield of the Queen Regent for Miranda Alden, Cupbearer for Queen Vacia ‘Davenport’ Alden etc.)

  Maja ‘Nattas’ Veturius (Storm’s ‘daughter’ took her husband’s name after Bianca was born.)

  Sirio Veturius (Ex-LID scribe, Historian and polymath. Also a Cartagen official working in the Academy’s Library splitting his time between Cartagen, Novesium and Moon’s Haven.)

  Silvio Nattas (Storm’s secret son with Queen Miranda. He was taken as Storm’s own son per Lorian custom and named his heir.)**

  Bianca ‘Nattas’ Veturius (born in the spring of 196NC, Sirio’s real daughter with Maja.)

  Calvin ‘Uncle Vinnie’ Vinicius Nattas (Third cousin, a Lesia failed leather merchant & gambler.)

  Petty Baron of Moon’s Haven, Parkor Nattas (nephew, Jenny’s son.)

  Jenny Nattas (Storm’s sister, deceased in 186? NC from ‘white fever’.)

  Sudi ‘Lotus’ (Right hand man, licensed merchant, suspected murderer & torturer, ships owner and second in command of the ‘Business’.)

  Titus Balbus (former pirate, soldier of fortune, years deceased by now.)

  Captain Gerwig Cornerblum (Retired Alden City Guard officer, took a lucrative position as Novesium Guards Commander in 195NC.)

  Moore (Half-Nord enforcer, leader of the ‘Reformed’ company out of Moon’s Haven. A private army unit.)

  Bryce (Nord suspected murderer and enforcer under Sudi.)

  ‘Grin’ (Former gang member, enforcer under Sudi.)

  Utnas (Cofol enforcer, lost on Eplas and last seen in Rida)

  Grogan ‘Rogan’ (Cartaport convicted smuggler, ship Captain, presumed dead.)***

  Socrates Casola (Wanted smuggler, ex-pirate, flotilla captain, operating from Turtle Isles to Wetull –specifically the port of Mussel.)

  Libanius (Business associate operating in Mussel)

  Aedile Yanus (Business associate operating in Turtle Isles and local official)

  Mayor Dignus Reganus (Former Mayor of Moon’s Haven. Local captain turned politician. 1st Legion’s Centurion Reganus cousin. The Centurion had been sent to Sabretooth Castle Military School to study by Mayor Dignus.)

  Dottore Numerius Baro, (a Cartagen physician, pupil of Marcus Epolonius working for Nattas.)

  Plotia Malla, (Numerius’ fiancé. Also a student of medicine and medic.)

  Characters mentioned

  Academy of Senses

  In order introduced to the series

  Augusta Flavia (Valeria, born Flavia Juliana Vidrix. Asturia-migrated Lorian family.)*

  1st Idole Drusilla (Valeria, unknown mother, probably one of the priestesses)

  Temple Custodian Hermione (Valeria, low-born local family)

  3rd Idole Priestess Saena (Valeria, low-born local family)

  2nd Idole Priestess Erato (Lesia, born Ariadne Lina Crassus, a family out of Andatelia.)*

  Priestess Birgite (Flavia’s 2nd protégé, after Drusilla. Also called ‘daughters’.)

  Acqer Crug

  Bear Crug

  Laila (Laila and the brothers Crug worked as the temple’s assassins/enforcers.)

  Servant Priest Faustus Abito (Oras Temple)

  Virginia Lina Lucretia (Married away to Cartagen into the Lucretia family of merchants but originally from a local Novesium family, the Lina, who had familial ties with Lesia.)

  *The Lorian peoples (Regia and Lesia) strong ties with Valeria Isle never wavered through the centuries despite occasional problems. Many old prominent Lorian families immigrated to the island and slowly took over control of the local Academy (Temple) expanding and finishing several public works and projects there, but while they favored the Lorian Kingdoms, the Naossis faithful always placed the island goddess first. Some religious families continued to send select daughters to take the vows and serve Naossis even well after antiquity, like the Crassus family who had many members in both Tyeus’ and Naossis’ priesthood.

  Storm Nattas

  ‘Abominable Cripple’

  ‘Principal of Secrets’.

  Governor of Novesium,

  Lord of Moon’s Haven,

  Ruler of Turtle Isles

  Keeper of the Golden Forest

  The King’s Missive

  Part I

  -Absent fucking reason-

  20th of Lorian Month Tertius 196 NC

  Provincia* Nova Sium of Greater Regia

  The south Lorian Coast city-port of Novesium

  

  *Provincia/Eparchy: Urban Province ruled by a Military Governor (or a Legatus Pro Praetore –translated ‘an envoy of the monarch’), usually an officer or a senior civilian appointed by the King. Novesium was a Barony initially part of Cartagen Principality, then briefly a Duchy under Ursus, before Lucius turned it into a Governor-controlled province under the Quadrumvirs and specifically Consul Galio Veturius in order to keep a foothold in Regia’s south coast.

  “VIRTUOUS GOVERNOR!” A good citizen yelled and Storm Nattas paused briefly on his cane to eye the flushed young man waving at him. Then with a grimace of fake interest Storm raised his hand to greet the small group gathered before the slowly restored Palace Gates. The best spot to watch the working crews repaving that part of the road after finishing the repairs on the gates itself. Which was what Nattas had intended to do initially, but upon seeing the growing crowd had decided to pass right through them absent another route, cut east into the merchant neighborhood and follow the interconnecting road towards the Merchant’s Guild nearer to the city’s center.

  He had no job to do there, but the citizens didn’t know that.

  “THE GOVERNOR!” Another shouted forgoing any endearment, after garnering courage from Storm’s ‘friendly’ response, and several more started waving and calling at the small procession led by Bryce through them, getting straight to the point as well.

  Sons of fleece goats!

  “WHEN WILL THE MARKET OPEN AGAIN?” one of the many queries asked at the once again moving slowly Nattas, who had to be extra careful now that the ‘escaping corridor’ had shrunk, despite Bryce’s and Grin’s best efforts to shove back the concerned citizens.

  Utnas was so good at hurling people away and out of my path, Storm reminisced pensively. The latter feeling came because while Utnas could have made it out of —or even if he did in the end escape— Rida’s siege, the big Cofol intended to head towards Eikenport next, but never made it there so Storm had written him off.

  Overseas employees cost twice as much to maintain and were up there as far as expenses went with improving a city’s infrastructure.

  “Very soon!” An inwardly livid Storm barked, almost hurting his jaw in the attempt to force a friendly smile on his face. “Everything is progressing well, citizens of Novesium!”

  Fuck sake, he cursed silently, get these motherfuckers out of my way!

  “There’s Cornerblum!” Bryce yelled. “He’s dressing up a patrol!”

  “So what? Just call him here! I got nothing to offer if these knaves press the blasted matter!” Storm low-key growled in response, always maintaining the strained smile while he tried to hobble on his cane with one hand, wave in a friendly manner with the other, through the crowd.

  “Governor Nattas, a word if you please?” A woman’s voice was heard amidst all the shouting, cheering and pushing, whilst Grin’s shoulder kept digging into Storm’s and slowly directed Novesium’s top official towards a nearby brick wall.

  Hollowed and rugged cement, over cracked bricks from Sula’s shelling.

  Meat heading for the meat-grinder.

  Abrakas takes him!

  “He can’t,” Bryce barked, elbowing a citizen in the face to make room, while Storm used his head to pry Grin away from him afore it was too-late.

  “But he promised!” the woman protested and an alarmed Storm tried to see who it was, not an easy thing to pull off with the arriving men of Cornerblum causing even more chaos to erupt in the usually spacious street and sending more citizens to squash Nattas entourage.

  “Dispersed accursed insurgents!” The Captain barked spotting the snarling Governor, never one to fully grasp what was going on, read a room or heavens forbid, a plaguing street! A trait that made him excellent for his job under Nattas, but also rather useless in his real duties. The oxymoron plaguing Storm’s half-legal half-illegal operations for years. You need good people to handle one part of the job, criminals to take care of the other and it wasn’t easy for the two to mix.

  “Is she mad? The lass? Angry?” A worried Storm asked Bryce, trying to locate the aggrieved woman. “Do you know her?”

  “Virginia Lina?” Bryce grunted, a citizen shoving a hand in his mouth and distorting his words, which forced the violent in character lackey to bit down almost severing the howling man’s fingers.

  “Who is she?” Nattas hissed, mind drawing a blank about the name, whilst stumbling on the raised pavement and almost going down. “Rotten tentacles and sickly cunts!” He cursed and planted his cane down to avoid cracking his skull on the hard stone tiles.

  “The widow?” Bryce growled as the crowd finally opened up some to give them breathing room with the arrival of Cornerblum’s guards. “She looks concerned?”

  She should take it to her bloody husband then!

  “I’m concerned for my safety too!” Nattas snapped irate, breathing heavy from the exertion. “Get me the fuck out of here!”

  The Governor’s entourage reached the King’s Road and after briefly debating whether to return to the Palace, Storm decided to visit the Mayor instead. They reached Reganus’ villa half an hour later with Storm fuming for not taking a carriage initially. Given the short distance to the Palace Gates and that side of the city’s walls, Nattas had decided to walk the distance, but they ended up walking half the city instead.

  “Give me a moment,” Storm grunted stopping before Reganus’ entrance. “Every breath is a torture right now.”

  “People might gather again,” Bryce noted, cleaning some of the blood from his mouth with his fingers and then spitting down. “I think I swallowed a fucking fingernail!”

  “Be thankful the man hadn’t wiped his arse afore,” Storm grunted. “And shoved the turd he’d saved in yer fucking mouth!”

  “Governor!” Grin yelled to warn them as a carriage stopped very near the pavement, splashing some of the pooling water towards them.

  The carriage’s small door cracked open, just as Storm was about to unleash on its driver and a veiled woman’s head appeared first. Then a heeled leg hanged out from under the door, but it retreated seeing the muddy water under the carriage’s wheels.

  “Lord Nattas?” The woman asked in a sultry accent and Storm thought it was one of the rich harlots working the nearby brothels who had almost run them over, which would have been hilarious in retrospect, but then Nattas remembered where he’d heard this particular enunciation before.

  Priestess Saena and above all Flavia.

  The twitching in his pants cock remembered first that is, and it wasn’t that far off from his initial assessment.

  Alas, the initial illusion shattered when Abito’s ugly face popped out of the opening as well to gaze at Nattas. The priest of Oras was seated across the priestess inside the carriage.

  “Aye, it’s him,” the priest declared and sat back on his seat.

  “Abito,” Storm grunted, tapping at the tiled pavement with the tip of his cane. “Doesn’t Oras preach abstention from earthly pleasures and amenities?”

  “That’s Uher,” the priest replied stooping at the opening again and the comely priestess chuckled heartily touching Abito’s knee over the dark robes. “We deal with death, what happens afore it doesn’t really concern the god at all.”

  “No wonder such a gloomy deity has nevertheless kept such a decent following,” Nattas commented wryly. “I too don’t give a shite what’ll happen after I’m gone.”

  The statement wasn’t completely truthful, but also not completely false either.

  “Lord Nattas can I speak to you on a sensitive matter?” The unknown priestess asked. A Lorian face under the thin veil, big blue eyes and dirty-blond hair. A daring cut splitting her thin robes upper part in order to better air a large portion of a pair of perfectly fine although pale-in-color breasts.

  The soft and still cool northeastern breeze turning the skin pinkish at spots.

  Ah, the blood is pumping through the engorged phallus freely, Storm thought clenching his jaw, and the stress of the near escape from the demanding crowd, turned to arousal. Then Abito stooped forward again to gaze his way and the Governor’s libido took a hit.

  Fuck.

  “I was thinking about paying a visit to the Mayor,” Nattas rustled. “Unless you wish to share word in the middle of the street?”

  “I’ve rented the carriage for the whole day,” the priestess expounded. “I could return you to the palace.”

  A whole day eh?

  This right there is how you tackle low temple attendance during slow weekdays.

  You roll the brothel out on fucking wheels!

  “Make room,” Nattas grunted to the grimacing Faustus Abito, and reached to grab the door’s edge in order to climb inside the carriage.

  “Fair Goddess be with you, Lord Nattas,” the priestess prayed taking his hands in hers in order to place them on her warm bosom. “All noisy hours of the day and all veiled hours of the night. I’m Priestess Erato. 2nd Idole in the Academy.”

  “A Vidrix?” Nattas asked and thought to resist her as she pushed his grabby hands away from her chest. The priestess then fashioned an imaginary ring around her head with both hands and then lowered them. Erato’s gesture meant Storm had come close to the truth, but not close enough. “The accent was a bit too-refined there. I made calculated guess,” Nattas added.

  She didn’t really have an accent, but her cut and mannerisms were fully Lorian.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “I was born Ariadne Crassus,” Erato revealed with a sweet smile. She had taken the name of a Muse after saying her vows, which was common with priestesses. An Andatelia family, very old, equally rich, and hailing from a faraway place on Jelin. The Lorians beyond the Andalus River were so remote, some rightly believed they still lived in the Bronze Age and perhaps they did in some of their customs.

  “Too-many girls in the family?” Nattas probed resting his back on the couch while the carriage, now driven by Bryce who had taken the reins from the driver, moved north on the King’s Road towards the Palace Grounds.

  “The second girl,” Erato replied and stretched her legs out, the robes parting to showcase her adorned with colorful beads sandals, the leather straps ending over her toned calf. Abito grinned appreciating the better view of the half-parted legs as he was seated across from the priestess inside the small cabin.

  “Well, if Flavia steps down you could be the lead… ehem… lass, in the Academy of Senses,” Nattas offered clearing his throat and casting a glare at the unperturbed priest of Oras.

  “Drusilla is next in line,” Erato replied, turning her eyes on him. Storm’s grin was downright lecherous.

  “You want help with that?” He probed. “Because I can give helping hand, to increase your chances of a success.”

  And have your mouth filled with my cock whenever I plaguing visit!

  “Haha, thank you, Governor,” Erato chuckled politely. “But I want a different favor. Lesser in size.”

  “Even lesser favors,” the aroused Nattas argued with a half-sneer and raised his cane to tap at the priestess’ left breast over the thin fabric. “Can be mildly demanding, though more easily accomplished.”

  Erato moved the cane away carefully. She did it holding the tip with two fingers and looking into the Governor’s eyes. “I wish you could satisfy Virginia Lina’s demands and lessen her burden, if the damage can’t be restored or fully explained.”

  Storm’s face slowly changed from a half-sneer to a thoughtful pursed-lips gaze.

  “The widow lost her family in the epidemic,” the Governor said with a side-glance at Abito, but the priest was thoroughly invested in the spectacle Erato’s parted thighs offered him. “Everyone perished, alas, and their family villa burned down.”

  “She had lost her husband before that,” Erato added, and while Storm tried hard, he couldn’t really care at all, but gave a sober nod of understanding. “Rufus Lucretius left her a villa in Cartagen, Virginia sold and decided to move back to her father’s home here. Help the family invest the coin into a more profitable business. Alas, as you rightly stated, upon her arrival she realized her father was dead, as all her close kin and with them, Virginia lost her family house.”

  Nattas sighed and then pushed back on the couch in order to better perceive the now only mildly-pleasant priestess.

  “Why?”

  Do you fucking care? Was his meaning.

  “My middle name, is Lina. While her family matters not, Virginia is still a Crassus even to a tiny percent and I’m obligated to offer assistance equal to her blood’s worth. Plus she wrote to the temple and it will reflect badly on me if I look the other way.”

  The possibility of snatching the future Augusta’s position out of Drusilla’s hands not yet abandoned.

  Well, fuck you Virginia.

  Storm puffed out again. “What can I do?”

  “She wants to know what happened to her family.”

  You heard the ogling priest over there! Oras doesn’t give a crap about what ye did afore buying yourself a farm and she shouldn’t either!

  “They are fucking dead,” Nattas grimaced and then added in a more civil manner. “They moved to a nearby villa after the fire broke out and we found them there. They had caught the Typhus already is the theory and moving just saved them from the fire. We have shown Abito the bodies,” the priest of Oras glanced his way perturbed.

  “I told you their names?” Nattas grunted. “Plucked them out of the ruins and then… carefully placed them in the funeral pyres?”

  “She hired a man to dig in her property,” Erato insisted. “Inside the cellar, he discovered two partially destroyed bodies. A man and a boy. The investigator told her they were murdered.”

  Storm’s shocked reaction was worthy of a plaque and great applause inside a packed theater, especially since he turned his anger against Virginia’s persistent efforts to find out what had happened into inspiration and fake surprise.

  “Good heavens!” The Governor cursed and snapped his head towards the frowned Abito. “Didn’t you bless them all? For god’s sake Faustus!”

  “It was you who named them, when your man stood tongue-tied,” Abito retorted and Nattas nodded in frustration, briefly considering killing both priests inside the carriage and burry them in the palace yard.

  The whole place had suffered from Sula’s soldiers and was in the process of a rebuild anyway. It was almost too-tempting not to just do it, but then they needed to get rid of Virginia also, and Novesium had already run out of good places to stuff fresh corpses in.

  “Virginia fears some kind of foul play—” Erato tried to say but Nattas stopped her raising his cane, this time in a threatening manner.

  “There was no god darn foul play!” the Governor grunted with difficulty, fighting through righteous indignation seemingly. “A lecherous investigator took advantage of a grieving widow here. It is clear as fucking day!”

  “Fine. Clear the air then Governor,” Erato insisted civilly. “Speak with Lady Lina.”

  Sudi stared in Nattas’ face unsure. The loyal lackey and associate still carrying the scars of Maja’s poison many years after the almost fatal incident, though through a lot of coin and sheer determination, Sudi had managed to repair most of the damage and had teeth to show for it now.

  Fake teeth, but teeth nonetheless.

  “Virginia is coming here?” Sudi finally asked, still in a state of mild shock after Bryce had departed to locate the aggrieved widow.

  “She hired a man to dig in the ruined villa. Homeless woman with no kids and a small fortune available, is bound to cause misfit if left to her own devices,” Storm explained and had a sip of his re-labeled Eplas wine. The new vintage under the Governor’s label was a special bottle offered at double the price to a select cadre of clients. Even better than Flauegran at half the price for him, it had poured serious coin into the Governor’s coffers and even improved his own, locally produced, and of much poorer-quality initially wine. “Found her paps stabbed or something, her sister’s boy also.”

  “Moore slit their throats,” Sudi reminded the now bristling Storm who hacked at him from across the table to prevent him from uttering another word. The lithe lackey dodged and the cane smacked the table sending glasses, bottles and a couple of plates flying, before they shattered on the hall’s floor.

  “Your memory is shot. All that poison did ye in, aye. I keep you around out of pity and in honor of our longtime friendship,” Nattas grunted, breathing heavy and glared at Sudi over the mess he’d created on the table. “For this isn’t what happened at all! This is but the tale that knave is trying to sell her.”

  “Aye, boss,” Sudi murmured and stood up to gather some of the broken glass from the floor.

  “Leave it for the servants!”

  “Did you hire any?”

  He hadn’t. Storm was living alone inside the burned down palace, in two of the repaired rooms. The hall they stood being one of them.

  “What will you say?” Sudi asked getting back to gathering the broken plates from the floor and depositing everything on the table.

  “Let me handle this,” Nattas grunted. “Just play along,” he added just as Calvin burst inside the hall dressed in a striking doublet, too-small a size for him, he had borrowed from Storm’s wardrobe.

  “Cousin!” Calvin said with a broad smile, a man two years older than Storm and closing fifty, but with naught a white hair on his black mane since Calvin hadn’t worked a day in his life. Legitimate work that is. “There’s a fine lass waiting outside,” Uncle Vinnie -as Silvio called him, informed them with a wink.

  “Didn’t I ask you to inspect the east wall?” Storm grunted and stood up.

  “It’s a wall,” Calvin retorted and furrowed his brows at the mess of broken stuff piled on the table. Then with a shrug he located an untouched goblet first, then a bottle of good red wine, which he uncorked using his teeth. “I took a glance and called it.”

  Storm licked his dry lips in numb silence, glanced at the grinning Sudi and then sat back down with a deep sigh. “Bring her in,” the Governor murmured.

  Virginia was around thirty summers, with light brown hair and a classic Lorian nose, centering two light-green eyes. The widow was not particularly tall, dressed in a fashionable Cartagen long chiton, and a light overcoat made out of soft wool painted green that matched her eyes.

  Lady Lina was an attractive woman of means.

  “The priestess returned and waits outside,” Bryce informed the Governor who signed for him to wait outside with her. Grin opened the door for his colleague and glanced inside the hall briefly before closing it again.

  Virginia walked near the table where Storm, Calvin and Sudi were sitting and bowed her head showing proper respect. “Gratitude for the audience Lord Governor,” she told Storm who stooped forward as if he was much invested in the matter.

  “Please, take a seat, Lady Lina. Calvin you can stand,” Storm ordered his cousin, who leaped to his feet and offered his chair to Virginia.

  “Thank you,” the woman said.

  “Calvin Nattas,” his kin introduced himself. “You wish for a cup of wine—?”

  “The moment I heard of your predicament,” Storm interrupted Calvin’s shameless flirting. “I ordered my men to assist you, Lady Virginia. It came of course as a surprise, given that we had talked of the matter in the summer.”

  “Erato told me you are aware we have found two bodies buried in the rubble?” Virginia queried.

  “She did, and I was aware,” Storm replied and took a deep breath. He stared at a point beyond his goblet as if deep in thought to buy himself some time and save the woman’s life.

  “He had my father’s clothes on,” Virginia started sounding troubled at the memory. “The corpse was very… it was horrible and the smell… Oras guide him.”

  “I lost my wife to the Typhus,” Storm lied to distract her. It was his sister Jenny that had actually perished of a different fever, the tragedy well over a decade in the past by now.

  Parkor’s mother.

  “My condolences for your loss. I wasn’t aware you were married, Governor,” Virginia replied. “Of course you do have children so it was perhaps a wrong assessment on my part.”

  “It can happen,” Nattas replied. “People make mistakes all the time about one another. In this case, the marriage was over years ago, but men of my station can’t afford a public scandal.”

  “Of course,” Virginia agreed.

  “Still, the mother of my… daughter, held place in my heart,” Storm continued, thinking of Miranda. It was actually a very moving thought. He missed the Queen’s presence and Novesium had taken much of his time. “Nowhere near as big as your husband’s, who I had the fortune to know from my days in office.”

  “I appreciate the kind words, Governor,” Virginia replied. “Rufus had mentioned it.”

  “I wager he wasn’t fond of me,” Storm jested.

  “Rufus wasn’t particularly fond of people outside his family,” Virginia answered politely and Nattas grimaced.

  Didn’t like him either. Good-fucking riddance, he thought, but smiled warmly to the late Rufus’ widow. “Which brings me to the point I wanted to make,” Nattas told Virginia who furrowed her brows. “There is no way those bodies are your late father and nephew. Priest Abito was present in the cremation along myself and we afforded them a proper funeral given the unfortunate and dire circumstances. These were probably homeless people that entered the house at a later time. The fire burned for three days.”

  “Governor, the boy had his throat cut, even if—”

  Storm stopped her raising his finger. He then directed that same finger towards the grim-faced Sudi, who blinked once, his scarred face –the left side of it- marred by a severe spasm, afore he managed to croak. “Falling debris.”

  Nice one, Mister Lotus.

  “Excuse me, sir?” Virginia demanded.

  “From the collapsing upper floor. Pieces of timber, iron supports and rods turned to javelins,” Nattas expounded on Sudi’s brilliant idea. “Can shatter, mutilate or even open up gashes in human bodies. These injuries are gruesome, frequently mistaken for blade cuts or wounds when they are not.”

  “Gruesome,” Sudi agreed, looking paler than before. “Big gaping wounds. Like slashes.”

  That’s enough sauce damn it!

  A sickened Virginia stood back on her seat troubled. “My man… Mister Clarus assured me…”

  “Mitch? Hah. The man’s is a gravedigger,” Nattas cut her off and then sobered up. “Lady Lina, it is unfortunate, but contractors in this specific field habitually take advantage of one’s grief to make coin. Let me finish my thought, if you please,” he told Virginia who attempted to protest. “You came upon money and a rather significant fortune in damaged property. This is a small city.” It wasn’t that small really, but this was beside the point. Nattas breathed out and assumed a paternal expression, with a glance at his cousin who sipped at his wine indifferent to their discussion, but with both eyes glued on the widow’s decent figure. “You can either move forward to grasp the god’s gift with both hands, or you’ll look to the past and lose valuable time searching the ruins for answers that aren’t there. The epidemic was a calamity. It affected many people, but very few have the opportunity to start over like you.”

  “I have nowhere to live,” Virginia said pursing her mouth. “Not enough coin to build a new house or start a business. You are aware the guilds charge a woman twice to offer their services?”

  Come on, you get forty percent above prize and that’s it. Nobody trusts a woman with money not to lose them all, unless they are Cofols.

  “Calvin has a two-floored house in Moon’s Haven,” Storm offered and Calvin almost dropped his goblet not expecting to hear his name mentioned. “He’s looking to sell it since he’s moving to a new role and the place is too big for a bachelor, but he may agree to turn the lower floor into a shop or exchange the burned property in Novesium for the beach house outright.”

  “Eh,” Calvin grimaced and stared at his cousin confused.

  “Mister Nattas?” Virginia asked and stared at Uncle Vinnie.

  “He’s running for Mayor in Moon’s Haven, under Baron Parkor,” Storm replied before Calvin could utter a single word. “It is looking very good for him actually.”

  “There’s an election?” Virginia asked now interested at the prospect.

  Both the man and the business.

  “A land-owners vote. Just finished,” Storm retorted and glared at Sudi, who cleared his throat and stood up with the help of Nattas’ old cane.

  “Calvin is well-ahead in the votes,” Sudi informed them and Storm slapped a hand on the table with fake enthusiasm.

  “I told you he can bring it home!” the Governor announced and stood up as well. “Good ole Vinicius. Vinnie, you did it! Now, tell Lady Lina what you told us earlier about how interested you are to help her out, in order to stand on her two feet. Don’t be shy now man, the cat is out of the blasted bag!”

  “Mister Nattas!” Virginia gasped and stared in his cousin’s face, but she could have directed her words at both of them.

  A grimacing Calvin finished off his wine and dropped the goblet on the table. “Lady Lina, would you like to come with me to Moon’s Haven?”

  “Mister Vinicius, this is too-sudden a proposition,” Virginia replied blushing.

  “Innocent attempt to showcase valuable property nicely shades hidden intent from gossiping ears,” Storm intervened using archaic language to demonstrate he would personally support the idea and the sweating under the pressure Calvin nodded eagerly. “And it isn’t just a proposition but more so an opportunity, Virginia,” Storm added and then allowed Calvin to bring it home in a sense.

  Nah.

  Literally.

  “Obviously, to check on the house, aye… it was implied,” his cousin smiled, starting poorly but quickly finding his footing, and then extended his folded arm to the standing up widow. “If you allow me, dear milady. We can take the Governor’s own carriage. It is a lovely trip across the bridge.”

  The Governor furrowed his brows not really wanting to part with his personal carriage since Calvin rarely returned the stuff he borrowed, but then Storm yielded with a sour nod, deciding it was a small price to pay.

  “Vinnie doesn’t have a house in Moon’s Haven,” Sudi noted pouring a second cup of wine after the couple had departed.

  “He still doesn’t, it’s Virginia’s now,” Storm replied and rapped his fingers on the table rather pleased with getting his cousin focused on a target other than the Governor himself and getting Virginia out of the city. “But he’d go after her with zeal.”

  “Calvin can’t run Moon’s Haven,” Sudi insisted.

  “Let Calvin scheme and Parkor prance about. Moore will run all important matters, as always,” Storm retorted. “See to fake an election that has just concluded and keep an eye on Virginia for a while. It might do Calvin good to have a decent woman next to him, eh?”

  “It did you no good,” Sudi pointed out and Nattas pursed his mouth annoyed.

  Late afternoon

  City Council ends

  Storm watched the battered for an hour Mayor Dignus Reganus stand up to leave the conference table, still pestered by the merchants and city officials’ complaints about his thus far turbulent reign.

  Nattas thought Reganus was doing decently given the unfortunate events that had plagued them, especially seeing how he had managed to absorb most of the blame and criticism. Which was of course his primary job.

  “We need to install a petty Mayor in Nova Sium village, or a loyal Aedile,” the Governor told Sudi while Reganus walked away surrounded by protesting council members. “Sula left a Demames captain behind, calls him commander of Salty River Bridge, but the man resides on the wrong side of the plaguing river!”

  “We can’t pry the bridge out of the Duke’s hands without a fight,” Sudi replied. “But perhaps a merchant could do the job of taking control of the village. Or a dottore, a towering academic?”

  “Baro? Nothing towering about him. The thing though is he’s looking to get married to Plotia Malla,” Storm grunted thinking out loud. “Hmm. We could offer wedding gift for our Dottore. A piece of property in Nova Sium, his coin-greedy wife will approve.”

  “A lot of Demames citizens within the local populace and they might see this for what it is,” Sudi pointed out, now not as warm to his own blasted suggestion! “A blatant attempt to rig another election and install a man loyal to Nattas and not the people.”

  And?

  “Sudi, the moment someone in power supports a politician without having something nefarious in mind or for plain old personal profit, is the moment elections will be banned,” Nattas hissed and followed Grin’s approach toward the now empty large conference table. The lackey held the leather strap of a post-office satchel hanging from on one shoulder, used the free hand to dig inside his tunic’s folds between the legs, probably to scratch at his genitals. “Have Grin dropped inside a bath barrel posthaste, his stench reached a critical point,” Nattas added, waggling his nose. “Typhus inflicted corpses smell better for crying out loud!”

  “Milord Governor,” Grin started after the Governor finished, fearful ogled eyes searching the table for anything edible. “Rogan arrived and wants an audience…”

  Storm raised his hand, keeping thumb, index and mid fingers loosely extended, to stop him. “Mister Grogan is dead. He perished inside Cartagen’s dungeons.”

  “Must have been another,” Grin retorted. “I was just talking to the man.”

  “Where is he?” Sudi asked and stood up.

  “Waits with the guards,” Grin pursed his mouth. “Also…”

  “We haven’t discussed Grogan’s matter yet,” Storm grunted and signed for Sudi to check whether they were being taken for a ride. “Why would we even bother ourselves with a convicted criminal at this point?”

  “He worked for ye Milord?” Grin offered.

  “It was a rhetoric query you stupid fuck,” Storm snapped angry. “And it still doesn’t offer sufficient reason for placing ourselves in such fucking compromising position, especially after I specified the plaguing timing!”

  “Ehem…” Grin breathed deeply and reached for Sudi’s half-filled goblet. He drunk some of it before noticing Nattas’ silent scrutiny and then clumsily put the goblet down where he had found it. “I have also a missive… it arrived with a bird…”

  “Obviously,” the Governor mocked the stuttering lackey. “Had the missive walked or gods forbid rode here on a camel’s back, it would have been quite the news, right?”

  Bryce opened the door and marched near them, while Grin pondered on what to answer the scowling Governor. “It’s our Rogan alright. Slippery fuck made it out,” he told them halting next to the grimacing Grin. “Did you tell the Governor about the King’s missive?” Bryce asked the pale-faced Grin, who broke down and had to be supported by his colleague. “Gods mate, just take a deep breath, will you?”

  The man’s earlier words finally registering with the watching Storm Nattas.

  “The… what? The King’s missive? Why in all of Abrakas bastards didn’t you start with that, ye cretinous imbecile!” The Governor grunted, brows knitted and snarling menacingly. “What is the context? Don’t just stand there like a wilting cock, get Sudi in here! Move! Wait… read it first. Eh… belay that, give it to me!” Storm growled whilst spitting fast orders out and Bryce gave him the folded scroll, fresh out of the wax tube. You had to crack the thin tube’s tip open to pull out the tightly folded scroll and the rather expensive packaging was used by the army, with the merchants opting for metal or leather reusable folders.

  “Where is Lucius?” Storm asked, but the answer was right there at the top of the small vellum page.

  

  Halt all other tasks and urgently investigate the raid at Cediorum’s port facilities and harbor. Immediately after, give detailed report on the number of pirate or other predilection’s military-capable ships operating out of Turtle Isles. Any other potential mooring spots in the immediate area or perhaps a hidden base of operations. Search especially for ships or local captains running supply contracts for the South Eplas Trading Company and any other Eplas-based entities in the last couple months.

  This is a time sensitive task, Governor, with priority over civilian concerns. I expect an answer within forty-eight hours. Lesia’s response expected to be imminent.

  Storm, this is a serious matter.

  A big fat number fifty waxed at the empty space under the missive, the number represented with the capital letter L in Lorian numerals, which of course was also the first letter in Lucius’ abbreviated name.

  Right to the inked dot after it.

  Storm stood up with the help of his cane and then pushed through the two men to limp towards the half-open door. The half-visible through the opening Sudi heard the cane’s tap on the tiles and turned to look at the frowned Nattas approaching. Sudi signed for the man he was talking with to pause and moved to intercept the troubled Governor.

  “What happened?” Sudi asked and Storm gave him the missive, halting near the door to take a breather and collect his thoughts.

  “Someone attacked Cediorum’s port,” Nattas murmured, trying to figure out whether they had anything to do with the matter themselves. “Stirred things up.”

  Sudi paused reading the scroll and stared in the Governor’s face.

  “The King is looking this way?”

  “Aye,” Storm replied, keeping his voice low. “And right when we got our affairs straightened out. How about that, eh? Fucking all-hells and all the accursed gods who reach from the heavens absent fucking reason, to shove veiny cock deep in arse! Message Miranda to stay in Cartagen and find out what Sirio knows. Who do we have in Lesia’s Admiralty?”

  “Captain Gareth Lennox?” Sudi probed and Storm nodded.

  “Send a bird right away. Ask for an answer before the sun sets. Notify Moore in Moon’s Haven also. We might have to go there ourselves to get a feel of what is going on inside the Gulf,” Nattas breathed out and then his eyes settled on the very much alive Grogan, the smuggler out of Cartaport. The experienced criminal smiled thinly and then bowed his shaved and marred with crisscrossing scars head.

  “Milord Nattas,” Grogan, or ‘Rogan’ for his friends, said. “I need your help to reach Mussel.”