TRC - Lord of the Glass Desert Ch. 20

"Just when things started to sound interesting," said Karm. Looking over Kal's group, he smirked. "But this could prove interesting as well."

Kal didn't appreciate the look the man gave Kashka and Tarah. "Before you get any ideas, both women sleep in my tent." The man didn't need to know only one shared his bed.

The guard they had been speaking to belted Karm in the shoulder. "Eyes in your head, soldier. You're still on duty. Save it for the brothel when you get back to town."

Karm grumbled for a moment, then dipped his head toward Kal. "My apologies. I should have held my tongue."

Kal placed a hand on Kashka's shoulder, stalling her snapping response. "No harm done, you wouldn't be the first I've warned that grabby hands could cost fingers," he said as Kashka pushed one side of her cloak behind her dagger.

"You arm your slaves?" the first guard asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I arm my companions. Despite the collar, she isn't a slave."

"But her accent is Fazalan."

"And that's where he freed me. But I am his servant by choice," she said, tapping the collar, "not a slave."

"Interesting, but unless you have trade goods to declare or other business, I suggest you be on your way. It's still another two days travel to the city," he said, then stepped to the side for them to pass.

Karm stopped at the barracks to collect his things, which were already packed in saddlebags, then whistled into the distance while looking out over the pasture behind the sleeping quarters. A few seconds later, a horse galloped up and easily jumped over the fence before trotting over to be saddled.

The next few days were blissfully uneventful other than Karm occasionally staring at Tarah's breasts and bottom. Kal said something to the man as they made camp the first night.

"Your commanding officer told you to keep your eyes to yourself."

The guard frowned. "He's not here, and I'm not hurting anyone by just looking."

"You're making her uncomfortable, and the girl has been through enough--"

"Then cover her up like you do the cat," Karm snapped.

"No," Kal growled, getting in the man's face. "She already wears men's clothes to avoid male attention. I'm not punishing her because you insist on acting like an ass."

The guard glanced around the camp at the other men, then the cat-girl. The feline didn't appear to be paying attention to their exchange as she chatted with the human woman, but he also noted her cloak flipped back and wrists resting on her daggers' pommels. Something about the cat-girl bothered him. Karm's lips pursed into a thin line before saying, "As you wish," through gritted teeth.

To Kal's surprise, the tension between them didn't last through supper and by the time they turned in for the night. Kal figured his magical tent with a fire pit for everyone to cook their food, and Ria producing a variety of food to cook, might have influenced Karm's attitude.

---

When they crested a hill on the morning of the third day, the view beyond stopped Kal and Kashka in their tracks. Neither had ever seen such an expanse of water so large it turned the horizon into a flat line. After living her entire life in a savannah then the desert city of Fazal, Kashka had a hard time just comprehending how much water they were looking at.

Calfera rivaled Lantaris in size. Because of the port, buildings by the docks were tall and tightly packed. The outer city consisted of loosely situated residences for those who worked the seaport. Karm pointed out a large estate on the southern side of the city.

"That is the estate of Lord Boordus," he said.

"As in, the Boordus Jungle?" asked Kal.

Karm nodded. "Named after one of his ancestors. Calfera has a council for managing the city's affairs, but he's the closest thing we have to a king. If Lord Boordus wants something, the council gives it to him. If you see him or any of his kin on your travels, watch your step. To the Boordus family, the rest of us are little more than maggots crawling through the streets."

"Sounds like there's a story there," said Kal.

"Not one I care to tell."

"How did one man become so powerful in a city ruled by a council?" Kashka asked.

Karm tapped the insignia on his arm. "Just under a century ago, a nation to the north attacked Calfera. We won, but it decimated our standing army. Even then, the Boordus family was powerful, and the Lord Boordus of the time offered up his personal security detail to bolster the remaining City Guard and Nightwatch. As Calfera tried to shore up its numbers, Boordus offered better pay than what the city could afford and snapped up all the men needed to fill the army's ranks. Eventually, his men became the city's military. He then bought up the lands immediately surrounding the city. The entire outer half of what you see is owned by the Boordus family. He builds the houses and stays wealthy off the rent of more than half the city. If you can't pay up, then he has us at his disposal to forcibly evict the tenants."

"He sounds more like a tyrant than a king," said Ria from Kal's shoulder.

"It's not really as bad as it sounds. He keeps the houses in good repair and neighborhoods looking nice. But aside from that, the Boordus family is all about making money, and rent is kept reasonable to keep that money flowing. One of Lord Boordus's ancestors got power-hungry and nearly choked the city to death by raising rent beyond what people could afford. They learned their lesson and now keep to the high side of reasonable."

"What happens if people can't pay rent? What are their options?" Kashka asked.

"You could move to the slums on the northern side of Docktown, that's the area right around the port, you could leave the city, or you could join the military. We get significant discounts on our housing, which is a huge draw to join."

"You don't stay in a barracks?"

"No. Unless stationed at an outpost, I stay at my house in the new city. Only those trying to save their coin or in some kind of trouble stay at the barracks." Karm looked down at Kal. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but some people may not be happy about your spider friend doing whatever it is she did to the Reavers. With the road through the jungle closed, people were turning their investments toward ports north of here."

"It seems like a city this size should have had no trouble dealing with the Reavers. Why didn't Calfera do something about them?" Kal asked. "I heard that you lost some men to traps attempting to take out Gaboh's encampment, but only a few of those we disarmed would have been challenged a moderately skilled thief."

"That happened before I joined," said Karm. "From what I heard, the deaths of his guards at the council's orders sent Lord Boordus into a rage. Especially since several guards left his employ and formed a small town guard under the Council's direct leadership after the failure. He told them to let Lassedo deal with the bandits since they were closer. Calfera has been losing people to the north for a few years now, yet he hasn't shown any interest in reopening the forest road. Some suspect he may be one of those investing in the northern ports."

"Are you saying I may have made an enemy of the most powerful man in Calfera before I even arrived?"

The look Karm gave Kal from astride his horse was all the answer the mage needed.

---

Debriefing with the Guard Captain went relatively quickly. The man sent a rider out with a message to the council after taking custody of Tarah and the men from the Reaver camp. Kal instructed the captain to split the reward for taking out Gaboh and the Reavers between the refugees to help them rebuild their lives. Many were merchants and hoped to return to their former lives despite their ordeal.

After many goodbyes and thank yous, Karm led Kal and Kashka to the large, circular council building.

"I wish you luck," said the guard with a bow. "Now, if you'll excuse me, it's been a few months since my last furlough, and traveling with a couple of women, even mostly covered women, has me randy enough I may take one of the brothel girls home for the night."

"They're allowed to come home with you?" Kal asked

Karm grinned. "Another benefit of working for Lord Boordus. Woe be the soldier who mistreats one of the madam's whores. I like the benefits that come with my job, even if the man I work for considers me scum. Slapping around a whore who doesn't enjoy that kind of thing is a quick way to lose it. Farewell, Lord Kal and Lady Kashka."

Kashka stared after the retreating man for a moment. "Lady Kashka? I don't think anyone's called me that before, have they? I kind of liked it."

"Come on," said Kal leading her inside the building. "Let's get this over with."

---

The Council's Chambers were located in a large, round building with a domed roof. Immediately upon entering, hallways extend in either direction, which led to the various departments required to manage a city and the councilmen's personal offices. A short walk past the hallways led into a roughly semi-circular auditorium. Rows of curved seating for the general public ran along the near wall while comfortable-looking chairs took up the steep stepped area behind the council's bench.

Kal and Kashka claimed a place in the line of people presenting grievances to the council. Some people were immediately and forcefully dismissed as soon as they opened their mouths. Other citizens prompted lengthy discussions, which occasionally involved the council's staff, who entered through a door in the back of the auditorium, for clarification on a matter.

A smattering of people occupied the public seats. Most looked bored and took little note of Kal. Nobody noticed Kashka, thanks to her cloak. These onlookers appeared to be waiting for friends or family in line and often left after a particular person's chance to speak. However, a few stayed, listening intently and jotting down notes they sent out with the messengers that arrived periodically. Later, they learned these messengers disseminated the council's discussions and decisions among various criers about the docks, usually posted near pubs, markets, and official buildings.

The longer discussions led to over an hour passing before the middle of the five men sitting behind the dark, wooden stand tapped his gavel and called Kal forward to introduce himself.

"We received reports earlier that the Reaver menace is no more, and we have you to thank. Please, tell us how this came about," said the chairman.

As Kal began telling his version of the events in Anika's ruins. Two guards dressed like Karm approached those in line behind him and marked down their names before dismissing them to the audience's seats in anticipation of a lengthy story and follow-up questioning.

Karm was right when he said not everyone would be happy about eradicating the Reavers.

Lord Boordus stormed in through the staff's entrance partway through the council's questions. Livid, he stomped around behind the councilmen while painting Kal as a liar and thief, claiming he was trying to steal the reward money for Gaboh's death.

After letting him rant for a few minutes, a councilman finally spoke up. "The Guard Captain's letter was clear, Lord Boordus. All of the refugees with this young man corroborate his story that Gaboh and his successor are dead. And you can hardly call him a thief when he didn't take any reward money for himself."

"Then these so-called refugees are in on it as well," Boordus snapped.

"Can you offer any proof of this?" the chairman asked. "We have the word of this adventurer plus those of more than a dozen souls he rescued from the Reavers. You will need to offer solid proof if you want us to ignore this development."

"I don't care about your proof," seethed Boordus. "Those are my soldiers. Guards, arrest that man!"

As the guards manning the door stepped forward, Kashka leapt straight upward and landed on one of the room's exposed rafters. Kal anchored his feet to the stone floor as the guards seized the mage's arms and attempted to drag him away. With the aid of his strength rune, Kal didn't budge.

The council and Lord Boordus looked on with surprise as the two men jerked and strained, trying to remove, or even move, the stranger. Their eyes widened further when Kal calmly apologized to the guards before wrenching his arms free. Grabbing both men by their armor's breastplate, he effortlessly tossed the guards across the room. Their metal armor rang and shrieked as it scraped across the floor until they bumped into the front of the council's stand.

"The man's a monster," one of the councilmen muttered, rising up from his seat and staring in shock.

"I'm as human as you are," the mage answered. "But weaklings don't take on an entire bandit encampment and live to tell the tale." Kal blinked, and a few of the men drew back in their seats from the shining blue glow from his eyes. "I'd rather not show you what else I can do, but I will if people continue calling me a liar," he said, glaring at Lord Boordus.

The two guards scrambled to their feet as Kal spoke and drew their swords before cautiously advancing toward him. These men were calm and steady, telling the mage they were well trained but still little threat to him and Kashka. These were mere footsoldiers, not knights with skills on par with Galen.

A loud crack echoed through the chamber, followed by the sound of splintering wood as the chairman brought his gavel down hard enough to break it.

"Stand down!" he bellowed as the mallet's head bounced across the floor and came to rest by Kal's feet. "These chambers are not a battleground, and this man has committed no crime!" turning around, he waved the headless gavel at the man standing behind them. "Lord Boordus, explain yourself!"

"Take a look at his holdings in the northern ports taking your business," Kal interrupted, keeping an even tone but amplifying his voice with magic. "The rumors going around Lassedo are that he's abandoning Calfera, which is why he refused to send men to deal with the Reaver problem. If Calfera becomes a viable port-of-call again, he stands to lose on those investments. He's leaving you here to rot."

"Bold claims, young man," said the councilman. "Do you offer any proof?"

"No. Nor should you expect any. I plainly stated these were rumors. But rumors that reach that far often have a touch of truth behind them, and they appear to be backed up by Lord Boordus's inaction concerning the Reavers and here today."

Kal shrugged. "To be honest, I'm just passing through and don't really care what happens between you and your self-appointed 'Lord.' If you look into my claims, then good for you, and if you don't, it doesn't matter to me anyway. I'm here to catch a ship, nothing more. If you don't have any further questions about the Reavers or the trading post my spider friend is founding, then I'll be on my way."

The head councilman turned to look at Boordus, "Do you have any... Lord Boordus?" he asked, seeing the man slumped in one of the chairs. Had they looked back a few seconds earlier, they would have seen Kashka jump down and retrieve the dart sticking out of the man's neck as she gently and quietly guided him into the floor.

"He's merely asleep," Kal called out. "I thought you might want to ask him some questions in private." As they turned back toward the mage, Kashka dropped from the rafters and plucked the tiny darts protruding from the two guard's necks, then walked over to stand next to Kal as the men collapsed to the floor.

Bowing, Kal turned on his heel and walked out with Kashka.

"What the hell just happened?" said one of the younger councilmembers.

"I think that young man just gave us a way out from under the Boordus family's thumb," the chairman replied.

"Do you think the boy is right about Lord Boordus abandoning us?"

"I believe there is enough to detain him while we investigate. Besides, it's not like I haven't heard similar rumors here in the city." Two of the other councilmen nodded in agreement. "Call up some of our Town Guard to take Lord Boordus away."

"We can't just arrest someone for no reason. Neither business dealings nor greed warrant imprisonment. What is his crime?" a councilman asked.

"He is suspected of working with another nation toward the economic downfall of Calfera. For now, we will hold him on conspiracy to commit treason until the investigation is complete."

"Do you think the city's people will accept that?"

The chairman looked at the people rushing out of the chambers, their eyes wide with what they just saw and learned about Calfera's most prominent citizen.

"Everyone knows Boordus treats those below him with contempt and disgust. I think if we wait a day or two to make the formal announcement of his arrest, the story of his plans to abandon us will have spread enough nobody will question it. The city already knows he doesn't care about them."

"What about his guards?" another councilman asked as a small detachment of the Town Guard arrived. "He essentially controls our military."

"While he has been paying to maintain our military, we have not. The coffers are full enough to keep his soldiers paid and happy through the course of the investigation and beyond. If the adventurer's allegations are true, we will have just cause to confiscate his holdings. Once Calfera owns his properties in the new city, we can continue paying the soldiers with the rent, just like he did. There can be no interruption in the soldier's pay, and if this transition happens, it needs to be as smooth as we can manage. If we handle things wisely, the council will finally have control of Calfera again." The head councilman frowned at Lord Boordus as the guardsmen carried him away.

"This doesn't feel right. There's a lot of 'if's in this plan, and it feels weak. IF our investigation turns up nothing, then we could end up on Boordus's chopping block."

"Maybe it isn't right, and maybe our reasons are weak," said the chairman. "But the young man's observations aren't new and haven't been for some time. I just haven't had the opportunity to act on them. Either way this goes, I'm sick of being a puppet in my own city."

---

"Those were some pretty bold claims," said Kashka as they exited the council's building. "Not bad for someone making all that up on the spot." Groups formed in the streets of curious citizens listening as those who witnessed the incident shouted the story to all who could hear.

The mage shrugged. "I didn't appreciate him calling us liars and trying to arrest us. Besides, I made clear what I said was based on rumor and supposition."

"From 'Lassedo.'" She teased.

"Karm ended up being a decent guy. I wasn't going to put his name out there for Boordus to latch onto. If Calfera's council acts on what I said and it falls through, it's on them. Oddly, I think what I said may have a ring of truth to it. If you were essentially the king of a city, why else would you let it die if you didn't have better prospects elsewhere?"

"From the look on his face when you talked about him abandoning Calfera, I think you may have been close to the truth. At least close enough, he looked ready to bolt when I put him to sleep."

"Maybe we did some good then. Let's go find the dockmaster."

---

"You're going to Azum then?" the dockmaster asked.

"Azum?"

"Azumbaho? The land across the Great River?"

"Yes... We're going to Azumbaho."

The man glanced at Kashka. "Bringin' her onto a ship is gonna cost you. Lotta sailors say having women on board is bad luck, even worse if it's a monster. The captains take out their extra work keeping their crew's superstitions in check by raising prices. Of course some captains may lower that price if you're willin' ta let your girl entertain the sailors on the trip."