“It is a trap,” Rekk’ar said, lowering the invitation to the Hawkwood’s dinner down to the meeting table. “Obviously.”
“I concur,” Olatt’an said.
“The fact that your missives were delivered by a Swiftwing harpy should have been evidence enough of that,” Zullie said, adjusting her rectangular glasses. “They’re reserved for use by the Duke only, for correspondence with important people. The King or the Ecclesiarch. Not random mercenary leaders.”
“Forgive me, Master. I also find it suspicious that you fend off the inquisitors and then suddenly receive an invitation to their last known location.”
Arkk tapped his finger against the table a few times. None of them were saying anything that he hadn’t already thought.
“You aren’t seriously considering going?” Rekk’ar asked, tone somewhat resigned.
“I am. Not just for a meeting with Hawkwood—assuming this isn’t a trap. Right now, Company Al-Mir is not in any way sanctioned. I’m not either. I don’t know how long that will last and there are other reasons to visit Cliff. Doing so would be much easier as a free man.”
“What reasons?” Rekk’ar leaned forward, hand clapping flat against the table. “What could be worth stepping into the inquisitor’s net?”
“Two things. First,” Arkk paused, glancing at Vezta. “I want us to investigate the magic academy.”
Vezta tilted her head to one side, violet-hued hair dangling over her shoulder. “Master, I believe I have informed you that I am incapable of casting traditional magic.”
“Not for the magic. If you remember, I thought the academy might be another fortress. I’d like confirmation.”
“Ah. Understood.”
Arkk nodded his head. Little more needed to be said. If it was another fortress and it was possible to claim it, that would change things drastically. It would bring Cliff under his sphere of influence, allowing him free teleportation as well as a foothold that would be difficult to oust him from. Having a fortress in the center of the city of his enemies was less than ideal but the possible benefits would be great.
“Secondly,” he started, glancing at Ilya at his side. Reaching into his jacket, he withdrew a piece of fine parchment, folded over three times. Placing it down on the table, he pulled back and waited.
“What’s that?” Ilya asked.
“Invitations to the Duke’s next party. We can bring four people in.”
Ilya’s eyes went wide as she snatched up the invitation. At the same time, Rekk’ar let out a loud huff.
“Now they’re just being obvious.”
“Too obvious,” Olatt’an said with a frown. “Or… the Duke did not send you this invitation, did he?”
Arkk shook his head. “Originally, it was addressed to Baron Doble of Moonshine Burg. I… felt sorry for how much paperwork the man had and decided to lend a helping hand in reducing that work.”
“You stole this?” Ilya snapped, eyes narrowing as she glared up at him. “But… it has your name on it.”
“It does. Although grudgingly, Lexa pointed me in the direction of Edvin for help with that. Whatever other problems people have with him, he seems to be a competent forger.”
“Whatever other problems?” Edvin said, aghast as he spoke for the first time this meeting. “What people have problems with me?”
“Anyone who has met you?” Lexa said with a joyless smile.
“You can’t think this will actually work,” Ilya said, rubbing her temple. “Believe me, nobody wants to get into the Duke’s manor more than me. A chance to talk to my…” Shaking her head, Ilya held up the invitation. “The Duke isn’t going to let someone in who he doesn’t remember sending an invitation to just because they have one.”
“I don’t think the Duke sent these invitations out,” Arkk said, pointing out the differences between the handwriting of the Duke Levi Woldair’s signature and the rest of the letter. “Besides that, I highly doubt the Duke will be manning the door. It will be some servant. Probably also not the person who wrote the invitations.”
“Then what? We get in and just act like we belong?”
“Exactly! We’re not there to engage with the Duke. We’re there to speak with Alya. Get her out of there or just hire her so that we might get her out sometime in the future.”
Ilya’s open mouth shut with a slight clack as her eyes drifted back to the letter. She was mulling it over now. The possibility of meeting with her mother would entice her. In ten minutes, she would be arguing to go as well.
Arkk… although things had been different upon first finding Fortress Al-Mir, wasn’t sure how much he actually wanted to meet with Alya. There were just things about the situation with her that didn’t quite add up. Especially not after hearing what Ilya had to say regarding her little spying campaign on the Duke’s manor during their last visit to the city.
He was more interested in the academy. The possibility of a fortress being there was… too great to ignore. He didn’t exactly know how having a second [HEART] would work but it had to be better than just one, vulnerable, stationary [HEART]. A backup for if things went wrong. Its location left much to be desired but he already wanted to get rid of the Duke simply for his crimes against the people of the Duchy. Either it would be a good staging ground for an assault or it could be claimed afterward, after making the city safe.
Although… he had no idea how to go about getting rid of the Duke without making enemies of the entire kingdom. That bit of the plan might not be possible in the near future. Not with how much of a failure their recruitment attempts had gone in Moonshine Burg.
“Recruitment at Moonshine was a failure,” Arkk said, looking around the table. In the month and a half they spent at the burg, they had gained Edvin, Lexa, and three more orcs who, as far as Arkk could tell, thought that Company Al-Mir was an orc-run company. “We need more people.”
“You intend to do that at Cliff?” Rekk’ar asked, shaking his head. “Jump into a trap and then what? Ask the locals to get you out?”
“Not exactly.” Arkk turned back to Edvin and Lexa. “When I was there last time, I noticed a significant number of demihumans and beastmen who weren’t… exactly well off. Some could fight.” He thought back to the group that had harassed Dakka. He hadn’t personally seen them fight and her review of their capabilities hadn’t been a glowing one. Still, people could be trained. “I doubt any are all too thrilled with living in the Duke’s shadow. A new place to live with proper food and pay would be something many would consider, right?”
“Uh…” Edvin glanced to his side, frowning at Lexa before looking to his other side where Khan was wrapped around a warm rock, only half paying attention to the meeting. “Why are you looking at me?”
“Because you and Lexa are going to be my recruiters.”
“Wait. Wait a moment. Hold on. I don’t know about this. My mother always said not to get between an inquisitor and the ones they’re after. She also said never to walk into obvious traps. ‘Edvin, my little pointed sword, don’t you plant your foot in the waiting maw of a beast,’ she said. You didn’t forget that this is a trap, right? Because this is the most obvious trap I’ve ever seen and I have seen a few.”
“Don’t worry. Nobody will know that you’re working with us. You’re new. Brand new. Nobody will know you’re part of Company Al-Mir. And that is the whole point.”
“That’s only going to last until we start handing out flyers for recruiting.”
“Edvin, please,” Arkk said, moving around the table. He clapped a hand on Edvin’s shoulder, smiling. “You’re cleverer than that.”
“I am?” The man cleared his throat and then nodded to himself. “I mean. Yes. I am. But why not explain your thoughts for the orcs? They don’t look like they’ve quite caught on to your equally clever plan.”
Rekk’ar curled his lip, growling from the back of his throat.
“You aren’t going to be shouting Company Al-Mir’s praises. You’re going to be spreading rumors. ‘Oh, Lexa? Fancy meeting you here at this incredibly crowded tavern. Heard about that new free company?’”
Lexa blinked as Arkk turned to her but she quickly grinned. “‘The one with loads of gold they’re paying people with?’”
“‘That’s the one! Heard they’re recruiting. I’d apply myself but seems like they’re interested in demihumans and beastmen.’”
“‘Oh… I don’t know about that. Probably will come up with excuses not to pay us.’”
“’Not true! Practically the entire company is made up of non-humans. Their second in command is even an elf. A beautiful elf at that with the most shapely—”
“Arkk…” Ilya said, tone flat.
“‘A gold coin per month is the going rate for recruits,’” Arkk continued ignoring Ilya. “‘And free living space and food!’”
Lexa’s eyes danced as she looked back and forth between Ilya and Arkk. Her grin showed off just a few more teeth before she managed to get a hold of herself. “‘Wow! A whole gold coin? Where do I sign up?’”
Arkk let the placid smile drop from his face as he looked down at Edvin. “Well?”
Rekk’ar snorted, drawing the attention of the table. “You should quit the mercenary business and take up a career in the arts.”
“Really?” Edvin said with a serious frown. “I was going to say not to quit his day job. Mind if I… adjust some of that dialog?”
“Have at it,” Arkk said, releasing the man’s shoulder as he continued to make his way around the meeting table. “Zullie…”
“Ah. No,” Zullie said. “Nope. If you’re forming a wandering theater troupe, I quit.”
Arkk shook his head with a small chuckle. Crossing his arms, he looked down at her. This was the main reason he wanted to go to Cliff. Alya… was more of a side project. Important to Ilya, of course, and thus important to Arkk as well. But…
The Cliff Magical Academy, even beyond the possible fortress it held, had things he both wanted and likely needed.
“Zullie, how close are you and Savren to finishing the modifications on the ritual?”
Zullie’s lips squished together, making her look like someone who ate a particularly rancid piece of fruit. “If he wasn’t such—”
“No complaints, just timeframe.”
She drew in a deep breath through her nose. “A few weeks? Maybe months if he keeps… He keeps trying to insert minor nodes that I am pretty sure will destabilize a planar array but that he claims will recycle magic. There is some merit to the idea, doubly so given we’re not exactly sure about your magical output—”
Arkk held up a hand, stalling the witch before she could launch into a full dissertation. A few weeks was too long for the Duke’s party or Hawkwood’s invitation. He would have to proceed without any support from alternate planes of existence.
Or rather, he would have to proceed to ensure the ritual was a success.
“When we left Cliff the first time around,” Arkk said, “we left in a hurry, leaving behind some of your books. Would grabbing those help? Or any other material at the Cliff Academy?”
Zullie’s eyes shifted over to Edvin for just a moment before flicking back to Arkk. “I’m not sure that I’m all that interested in getting in the way of the inquisitors either. Especially because they know me. I know I said I have experience dodging them but this is a bit of a different level than what I’ve seen in the past.”
“I won’t be able to figure out what you might need on my own,” Arkk said just as a thought occurred to him. “But Savren was able to disguise himself as a gorgon for an extended period. Could that be used just to look like someone else?”
“You want to take him with you? Oh please! I’d get so much more work done.”
“No! No… I don’t think I could stand the snide sneering and snippy snarks. He would be dead before we leave the fortress. But you are brilliant.”
“Thank you.”
“Brilliant enough to learn his spells?”
Zullie’s eyes found the ceiling where they stayed for a long few seconds before slowly dropping back down. “There are a few tomes that might be worth investigating. Restricted stuff, not books from my office. We could double-check our work with anathema. The few surviving scraps of ancient spellcasters who actually practiced planar magics… Yes… That might be valuable enough to risk it.”
Those were the words Arkk wanted to hear. “Excellent. Having definitive resources on hand will hopefully prevent you two from changing the designs at the last minute again.”
“The original designs would have worked,” Zullie huffed, crossing her arms. “Just a little too well.”
Arkk just shook his head, already moving on. “Khan.”
The gorgon looked up, glaze receding from his eyes. He opened his mouth in a yawn wide enough to swallow Lexa whole, showing off his fangs and tongue at the same time. While Arkk somewhat expected those present to stay awake for the duration of the meetings, he honestly didn’t know what contribution Khan could make. He was here mostly as a courtesy, keeping the gorgon looped into the goings on of Fortress Al-Mir.
“Unfortunately, based on my previous visit to the city, they tolerate non-humans more than accept them. In your case, I’m not sure you would get that much. I’m afraid you won’t be going.”
“Undersstood,” Khan said. “Zharja might be dissappointed. No other will care.”
Arkk nodded and moved around the table to the next seat over. Another member of the table who had yet to speak. She was the reason Khan had a warm rock that was putting him to sleep. “Agnete, how much danger is there in you visiting Cliff?”
The purifier hummed, black lips parting toward the end of the tone. “Our excursion to the slaver encampment was… different than usual. Flames call to me and I cannot reject that call. Yet, I cannot quite explain the oddity of it. There was next to no desire to incinerate anyone beyond the slavers. It was a… curious experience. I believe I will have no trouble remaining in control.”
Arkk stared a long moment, wondering how close they had all been to suffering a fiery demise. He felt disturbingly aware of the sudden shift in the room’s air. Everyone, including Khan, stared. “I meant… danger from the inquisitors.”
“Ah.” A gloved finger scratched a scarred chin. “My appearance is distinct. The others will become aware of me as soon as we arrive. If they have not acquired an additional Binding Agent, they will likely leave me alone. Depending on the threat they have ascribed to you and the horror,” Agnete said with a nod toward him and Vezta, “they may well steer clear entirely or decide we are too great a prize to pass up. I cannot guess either way.”
“I see… I think… I’ll have you come, if you don’t mind.”
“My duties?”
“Toss fire at the inquisitors if they do anything other than have a nice chat.”
“Understood.”
Rekk’ar drew in a heavy breath, groaning as he shifted where he sat. “So we are doing this. I don’t know why I bother.”
“I hope you will continue to bother,” Arkk said, offering the orc a smile. “The time I take your advice will likely be the time it saves my life.”
The orc rolled his eyes. “My point exactly,” he said, though Arkk was pleased to note a lack of hostility in his mildly resigned tone.
“I would like a list of the least notorious of the orcs who are willing to venture to the city. Make sure they know the possible dangers—though with Vezta and I present, I imagine they will be ignored in favor of us. I’ll need the list soon as I intend for our tailor to make up uniforms for all of us.”
“I’ll set Dakka on it.”
“This is a trap,” Olatt’an said, the final member of the table. “You have not forgotten that, correct.”
“I have not. But, as I said, this is likely our last chance to walk into the city as free people. We might not be walking out of the city as free people…”
“You won’t be walking out of the city at all if the inquisitors have their way.”
Arkk nodded his head. “True.”
“When springing a trap, it is generally best to have a way out.”
“Also true. I presume the inquisitors will be focused on me, Vezta, and Agnete,” he said, nodding to each as he continued to make his way back around the table. “We can handle ourselves for the most part.” Taking a seat in his chair, he looked over the assembled group. His trusted advisors and Edvin. “I have a few ideas but I would like to hear from all of you. First, Agnete, if you wouldn’t mind going over everything you know of methods the inquisitors use to incarcerate captives…”