The Wood Knot Warrior Pt. 02

Author's Notes:

The Wood Knot Warrior Part 2 is my contribution to the second Tales of Leinyere Story Event.

Continuing the story of Dell du Krane, Eryllis Harrowane, and Kharza.

All characters engaging in sexual relationships or activities are 18 years old or older.

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Tales of Leinyere - The Wood Knot Warrior Part 2

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Chapter 1

The Wood Knot Inn had undergone significant renovations in the five years since Eryllis and Kharza moved in with Dell and his father, Karter.

Business was booming for the restaurant and the increased revenue paid for a grand double-size dining hall in a new wing they added to the main building. The kitchen was able to expand to absorb some of the space the old dining room once used, and the bar/main meeting hall took the rest.

This also meant they saved their precious porch seating area for relaxing late spring/summer/early fall evenings.

A second story on the new wing contained a few extra guest rooms and storage.

To support the increased business the restaurant was receiving, Karter extended the basement under the main building into the foundation of the new wing. This allowed them to greatly expand the enchanted cold cellar under the main structure. Storage for non-perishable items moved into the new basement area.

Dell was thrilled by how much more room he had to preserve the ingredients he could prepare for larger dinner events.

The final and most important change they made to the inn (in Eryllis and Kharza's opinions) was adding a third story above the main building for bedrooms and a large playroom for their children.

Eryllis and Dell now had three: their son Johon, who just turned four, their first daughter Jahara, who was three, and their second daughter Jessa, who was eighteen months.

Kharza and Dell's son, Ket, was almost two.

They'd been blessed with well-behaved, happy children who got along and seemed to enjoy each other's company.

This was good, as the Inn was a bit of a distance away from the nearest city, Grennesh, where their closest neighbors lived.

A week before they broke ground for the new wing, Karter received a visitor bearing sad news.

Nearly forty years earlier, when Karter was a much younger man, he and his new bride had come to the inn, fleeing the scorn and persecution of her people and his. They were welcomed by the owner at the time, a dwarf by the name of Krommin Grobrir, who sympathized with their plight.

He'd fallen in love with Maevria Stormguard, a female from a rival family, and left the mines of his family estate to be with her.

They built the inn and established it as neutral territory for the settling of disputes. The leaders of Grennesh and the Mistveil Wood Elves immediately approved of the establishment and made good use of it for many years. Seeing the love between Karter and Sharlyn, the gentle dwarf offered them a place to live and work. Karter showed skill in management and immediately became Krommin's assistant.

Barely two years later, Krommin's father and brother died in a mining accident, and he was called back to head up the family mining operation. He signed over ownership of the inn to Karter with a single stipulation. Should anything happen to him, Maevria would always be welcome at the inn.

Krommin's recent peaceful passing in his sleep signaled Maevria's welcome at the Grobrir mines was at an end, so she packed her goods and set out from the estate deep in the central region of the Dragon's Spine mountains and headed north toward Grennesh. It was a long journey, but she found welcome and a new home on her arrival.

While she marveled at their plans and was flattered by the offer of a room in the new addition, she admitted she preferred the solidity of rock around her. As the Inn's property stretched a good distance back from the road, it included a natural outcropping of the Dragon's Spine just inside the forest. She chose to build her own home by carving one out of the solid rock. She had her own tools and managed to convince a Dwarf crew of excavators from Grennesh to assist her with the initial stage of digging out the entrance foyer, the airshafts, and the main chamber. While she would spend her nights there, it was just a two-minute walk to the inn, so she would take her meals with them.

Eryllis and Kharza asked if she might be interested in nanny duties on the occasions when they were on the road. She'd left her own daughters at the mine as they had futures there, so she was very touched by the trust they'd placed in her. She accepted.

Once the construction was finally completed and the dust settled, their lives returned to their comfortable patterns, albeit with more hustle and bustle at the inn.

-=-

"I'm just suggesting it might be an excellent time to have another beef pot pie dinner event," Karter said in his most reasonable tone as he watched his son's face.

Dell sent him a frown as he was busy experimenting with another dish he was considering. It was a blending of his beloved chicken stew and a new ingredient, a wheat-based product called noodles. He'd purchased them from a traveling merchant he met at the market in Grennesh. He'd bought the recipe and the equipment for producing his own. Topped with buttery breadcrumbs and melted cheese, then baked, he thought it certainly looked and smelled appetizing. He also knew he could make serving-sized portions of the casserole in mass quantities, but he wasn't sure if it would be popular enough to warrant the effort.

Maggie entered the kitchen with Hildy and Beverly at her elbows, listening intently to the latest news from Grennesh's upper society.

"First, he's pushed down some stairs, and when that didn't kill him, they tried poison!" Maggie exclaimed.

Karter was distracted from his campaign and looked over to the woman. "Are you talking about Devlin Warrick?"

Maggie nodded with an excited look in her eye. "My neighbor works in the mansion and overheard two family members saying one of the night nurses was caught substituting his pain medication with poison. The old man had already been given a partial dose, but he's clinging to life. It didn't kill him, but he must be on his deathbed now."

Dell snorted scornfully. "The high families of Grennesh act like rats trapped in a cage."

His father looked over at him with a raised eyebrow, so Dell explained. "I don't understand how they can call themselves a family and live together in those enormous mansions yet hate each other so much!"

Karter nodded. "What do the high families have in common?"

Dell frowned. "Uh, wealth? Those enormous homes? Too much idle time on their hands?"

"Servants!" Hildy offered, getting a grin but a headshake from Karter.

He looked back at Dell. "What else?"

Dell knew he was close as he could see it in his father's eyes. Then it came to him.

"Power."

That gave Karter a satisfied expression. "Exactly, but only the patriarch of the family, or matriarch in rare instances, gets to wield it. This makes the younger generations hunger for it." He turned his gaze back to Maggie. "I wouldn't be so quick to write the old man off. Seven years ago in Portoa, the Thaneblood patriarch also suffered a series of unfortunate accidents. His were not so blatant attempts on his life. He miraculously recovered and rules his family and the city council with an iron fist to this day. Devlin Warrick is a miserable old man, but he lives for the influence he has over the city and his family. He won't go easy."

"I still don't understand how these families remain together if they all hate each other," Dell insisted.

Karter smiled. "It's generational. Each generation has peers amongst the other families, contemporaries they can plot against or with, but they generally don't trust the next generations. Each new generation sees the failures of the one before and believes they can do better. They stick around as they want their turn." He shared a look with Maggie. "Sometimes they take steps to speed that transition along."

Dell turned back to his casserole and scooped out a spoonful. He offered it to Hildy, who was closest, and she smiled in delight. She blew gently on the spoon before accepting it. The other ladies watched her expression as she chewed and then cheered when she began to nod vigorously with wide eyes.

"That's so good!" she gushed after she managed to swallow.

Dell looked at his father. "You don't have to worry about me ever attempting to take over the inn... as long as you leave the culinary decisions to me."

Karter raised his hands in surrender as he watched his son nodding to himself, working out the logistics of mass-producing this delicious new dish. Maggie, Cecily, and Beverly also gushed happily after they sampled it.

It looked like the inn was going to get another dinner event after all.

A win is a win, the du Krane patriarch mused to himself with a satisfied smile as he returned to his office to make his own preparations.

Chapter 2

Rohann Blest, chief of security for Devlin Warrick, sat stewing in the outer sitting room of his master's private bed chamber. Inside the next room was the old man and the representative Magus Thaneblood of Portoa sent to deliver a message. Rohann's ears still burned with the humiliation of his master's bitter scolding, sending him from the chamber so he wouldn't overhear the private conversation.

Thaneblood's man was an assassin! The cranky bastard trusted an assassin over his own chief of security?

While he was not a young man, Rohann ensured he kept in peak condition with vigilant training. But compared to Harris Kess, the Master Assassin, he was a doughy mess. Thaneblood's killer was a lean but muscular man with unhealthily pale skin, cold grey eyes, and a rictus smile. There couldn't have been any fat on the man's body at all, and he was completely hairless. It sent shivers down Rohann's back to look at him, which he supposed was part of the man's arsenal.

They'd been talking for over an hour in there, and Rohann was growing nervous. He didn't seriously believe Kess was here to kill the old man, but this mysterious message sent his imagination to dark places.

Devlin had been tripped down a flight of stairs and poisoned on Rohann's watch, but in both cases, the old man's refusal to listen to his security chief's advice led to the opportunities.

He knew Devlin's oldest son Lucien was ambitious and impatient. He also had a far more extensive spy network than his father, who was too cheap to build an effective one of his own. Lucien had almost reached his fortieth year, and every year he grew hungrier for his father's power.

While not a physically impressive man, Lucien was moderately handsome and reasonably fit. His true strength was that he played the game well. He fit into the High Family social scene perfectly. He saw and was seen with the right people, wore the latest fashions, tracked the trends, and was intimately aware of the power shifts within each family. Rohann assessed him as a dangerous man.

His thoughts were interrupted by the bedroom door opening. Kess smiled at him, and once more, a shiver slipped down his back.

"Rohann, get in here!" the old man shouted from inside. There was a surprising amount of force in his voice, so he quickly moved to the side of his master's bed.

"Get my clerk in here and fetch my seal," Devlin barked with a gleam in his eye.

With a nod, Rohann left the room and moments later returned to watch Devlin dictate a letter to the clerk, who wrote quickly.

It was a note for the bank to deliver a sizable amount of money into Kess' possession for services to be rendered. There was no description of what these services were or when they'd be delivered. When Rohann looked at the assassin, the man just kept that enigmatic smile on his lips.

The security chief signed as a witness, Devlin added his signature, then applied his seal.

Kess accepted the scroll from Devlin's hand, and the two men shared a knowing smile before the assassin turned and left without another word. The clerk followed, and the old man gestured grumpily for Rohann to go as well.

Once more, he was left in the outer sitting room with only his thoughts.

What service had the old man purchased with that small fortune?

-=-

Lucien was burning with curiosity when his father's visitor left the mansion the day before. It would have been unsightly for him to have investigated too quickly, so he bided his time and found an opportunity to casually cross paths with his father's security man.

"Good day to you, Rohann," he said, using the assumed familiarity of the man's given name to imply friendly intent.

Rohann turned to face him, a slight wariness in his body language. "Good day, Mr. Warrick."

Lucien let the gentle snub slide as he moved to his next stage. "How is father doing today?"

Blest locked eyes with Lucien for a moment. "While I'm not his physician, I'd say he isn't out of danger yet."

Lucien smiled at what he took as an implied accusation and once more let it slide. He affected a thoughtful expression as he nodded.

"You've served father for many years, and you've done a splendid job... under the circumstances," Lucien suggested

His phrasing raised Rohann's eyebrow. "Circumstances?"

Lucien flashed his most charming smile. "Father can be most difficult to deal with. He's infamously resistant to taking advice and would shave coppers given the chance."

He didn't expect the man to comment, so he moved on.

"In the unfortunate situation where Father doesn't rebound from his current condition, what are your plans?"

The man paused and considered the question.

"I suppose retirement," Rohann finally admitted.

Lucien knew that would have to be his response, as failing your last master, regardless of fault, does not present well in your work history. "I hope father ensured your retirement would be a comfortable one. He has been known for being cheap."

Rohann frowned, then amended his answer. "I suppose I'll probably freelance for a time... to keep my skills sharp."

Lucien nodded thoughtfully. "I know the years you've put in, and I do appreciate how well you've protected the family's interests over the years. On top of anything Father might have prepared, I've put aside a retirement fund for you. The money is in the bank when that day eventually comes. To spare you any questions, the source of the funds is identified as the Warrick Estate. Just to say, someone appreciates you."

Before Rohann could respond, Lucien smiled, nodded, and moved on, leaving the security man staring at his departing back.

The seed was planted. All he needed now was his cheap bastard of a father to show how little regard he had for Blest.

That wouldn't take long.

-=-

Rohann was left in a contemplative mood for hours after he met with Lucien. When he reported to Devlin later that day, he informed his master that his son was fishing for a health status update. Devlin cackled slightly at that and settled into a more comfortable position.

He was still showing bruises from his tumble down the stairs, and his leg was healing from the break. The pain medication made him a little glassy-eyed and prone to muttering to himself as if he thought he was alone.

Devlin grinned with a wicked gleam in his eye as he turned them toward the window. "I can cling to life for the two months it'll take to deliver my immortality."

As quickly as he slipped into that odd little moment, Devlin came back to himself, scowling at what he might have let slip. "I'm tired. Leave me."

Rohann nodded to his master and left the suite. His mind was stuck on one significant word.

Immortality.

He went back to Kess' visit to consider this new information. He knew Kess' master Magus had miraculously healed from terrible injuries and lived beyond everyone's expectations, as it was said he'd been close to a natural death even before the assassination attempt.

Now Magus was reaching out to Devlin, who'd experienced similar events. If Devlin received the same miracle health potion Magus had, Rohann might find himself in Devlin's service forever. Retirement, even a poor one, would never be an option. That thought gave him pause.

The next morning, Rohann stopped by his bank to check on his account and saw a promissory note attached from the Warrick Estate. It hadn't been there before.

Someone appreciated him.

Chapter 3

Harris Kess had ridden his horse hard to catch up with the men he'd sent ahead of him toward the Tanglewood, northeast of Portoa, across the expansive forested land. They'd been instructed to stay off the trade and secondary routes to avoid being seen by anyone.

His beast was nearly exhausted when he picked up their trail and determined they were just a day ahead of him. He eased his pace to allow the creature to survive the last part of its journey.

When Magus had requested this task of him, Harris understood that time would be the central enemy in achieving success. The recipient was not healthy and his ability to endure the time the expedition would require was questionable.

Of the task itself, Harris was confident as he'd performed it once before, the wizard's method worked, and Magus lived. He understood the logistics involved.

Magus knew Devlin would accept his terms and be willing to pay the exorbitant fee for the chance of more life. They immediately sent a team of five hardened mercenaries toward the Tanglewood while Kess headed to Grennesh at top speed. He sold the ruined horse, and after meeting with Devlin, he purchased a sturdy new one for his return trip. This was just part of the costs Devlin was paying for.

Tomorrow he would meet up with the team, and the real work would begin as the Tanglewood was less than a week away.

-=-

Kess listened to the distant sound of screams and altered his vector slightly to ensure he did not get picked up in the sweep of guards searching the woods.

His decoys were performing their tasks as required. Armed with silver-edged blades and silver-threaded armor, they were sufficiently protected to present a viable threat to the patrols in these dense woods. They would be treated as an invading force and might even manage to push the guards back... for a time.

He knew it was only a matter of time before the defending forces would pick them apart and dispatch them savagely, but the battle would allow him to slip past and complete the actual mission.

He went deeper into the forest until he could no longer hear the echoes of his men dying in agony on the spears of the defenders. They were serving their purpose.

Harris came upon a beautiful pond surrounded by flowers. There was a quaint little bench next to it with a single occupant. He froze as he hadn't expected to find a target quite so quickly. For one of this quality, he'd expected to have to slip much deeper into the core of the Tanglewood.

He took his time looking for traps, or watchers if she was bait, even though that was highly unlikely.

Finally, assured she was alone, he crept closer until he could launch his net around her. Made of the finest silver and silk threads and weighted with silver pellets, the mesh shot from his launcher to quickly tangle around the Pixie's body.

She'd been in her full-size body while she sat resting, but as expected, she tried to shrink down into her smallest form when she found herself contained by the net.

This was exactly what Harris wanted as the mesh automatically tightened until she was contained in a small soft orb of silver and silk. She hadn't had time to scream or cry out for help; now it was too late. The silver would weaken her until she was barely conscious.

After confirming they were still alone, Harris rose to his feet and stepped closer to his prey. He thought it was a shame she was too small for him to see her expression as he would have enjoyed her shock and terror at seeing mud come to life. Every inch of his naked body was covered in wet, dark-brown dirt. Only his pale eyes were visible. This camouflage made him invisible to the guard's senses and hers, too.