Zaleph Arctura sat on his horse by the side of the courtyard, watching as the other warlords and their hangers-on entered the palace. Most were regarded with indifference, but one, a hooded female figure, got his attention. Was that her, the one he'd come looking for? He'd tried many times to get a spy into Lord Cyprus' court, but Cyprus was rich, powerful and ruthless. His own followers were loyal, some loyal to the death, but few were willing to risk crossing Cyprus, nor would he ask it of them. Recruiting strangers was risky- whatever he could afford to pay, Cyprus could more than triple it. But if that girl was what he thought she was, perhaps he'd finally found a way in. There was something she needed more than money, something he could supply.
Zaleph was a tall man with a tanned skin, piercing green eyes and a short, bright red hair. He was completely covered from neck to toes in dark brown leather and thick, deep-red cloth, with worn metal plates attached to his vest and gloves. The end of a scar was visible on one side of his neck, just over the high collar of his shirt. He had a sword attached to one side of his belt and a pistol at the other. A bright red gem hung from one ear. Other than the earring, he wore no ornaments at all, and his horse's regalia was similarly simplistic.
Another man rode up to meet him. This man was more scruffy-looking, with chin-length dark hair and a few days' worth of stubble. He wore a tunic bearing the Arctura crest over a shirt of chain-mail. It was Zaleph's lieutenant, Andell.
"Sorry for the wait, boss," said Andell, "Federico was paranoid about being seen."
"Did he have what I asked for?" asked Zaleph.
Andell reached into a pocket and produced a small glass vial, filled with a shimmering gold liquid, which he handed to Zaleph. "He had four of those. I sent the other three back with the men. Federico said he could have twice that in a month. He was quite eager to do it, too. Would you mind telling me just what you did to have an underground chemist owing you this big a favor?"
Zaleph took the vial and looked at it, approvingly, before hiding it in a pocket. "Perhaps later. I'd better get inside."
The two headed for the palace door, but Andell stopped. "Wait, boss," said Andell, "Better check..."
Zaleph nodded and turned toward his second. The other man stared at him for a few seconds, scrutinizing his eyes, before nodding. "Still green. You're fine."
Zaleph left his horse with Andell and went in the palace. As he took his seat, he couldn't help but notice a few eyes on him. That was to be expected- he was the newcomer of the group. Not long ago, there had only been six warlords. The territory he now controlled was one considered by many to be cursed. In the last ten or fifteen years, its castle had sat empty more than it had been occupied. The area was riddled with demon nests. Few seemed to want it, and the ones who did never manage to hold it more than a couple of years before demon raids drove them out, or worse. He'd been there just over three years. He was sure that every warlord in this room wanted to know his secret- and was equally sure that they'd shoot him on sight if they knew what that secret was.
He could hardly suppress a smile when the king mentioned the attack on the northern border. What would these men think if they knew that not all the "demon" attacks were actually demons? This recent attack, like a few others, had been his work, meant to look like an ordinary demon raid. The attack on the northern border had been a calculated gamble. He'd hoped that an attack that close to the king's castle would cause him to call a summit- and give Zaleph a chance to approach Lord Cyprus' new asset.
At last, Cyprus presented the strange woman. Yes, that was her. He could [I ]smell it. "Smell" wasn't the right word, but he'd never been able to think of a better one to describe it. This new sense was one of the more useful side-effects left by an... incident... several years before. He'd never quite gotten used to being able to "smell" magic and creatures like this. The etheric weapons favored by many of the armies left an electric-like smell behind that was almost disorienting. The rotten stench of the demon nests had made parts of his territory unbearable until he and his followers had destroyed them. But the girl's smell was different, almost like... something growing, but stunted? It was hard to describe. He fingered the vial in his pocket, impatiently.
He stood up with the others as the king and Cyprus left. That was a bit of luck. With Cyprus otherwise occupied, perhaps he'd have a chance to feel this girl out, see just what her loyalty to the other lord was, before making his offer. If she were tied to Cyprus by something more than just self-interest, that would make the job harder- but not impossible. Everyone had a weakness, everyone had something to exploit. He thought he knew what this girl's was, but it would be better to make sure.
He followed her to the balcony. "What it brings, at least for now, is a break from court monotony, and possibly a royal feast," he said in answer to her question, "although I'd imagine feasts are all too common in the court of Lord Cyprus."
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