Chapter 5: A Midsummer Day's Confusion

Harmon, the northernmost city in the Kingdom of Estassa and the gateway into the Southern Kingdoms, was a fortress. Throughout history, an Imperial Legion, several goblyn clans, and a necromancer's undead horde have broken their backs upon it.

Inside the ten-meter tall outer walls that surrounded the city were orchards, farms, stables, and closer to the city gates, the many residences of the working-class poor of Harmon. On the other side of the next, higher and thicker walls were guildhalls, shops, warehouses, and the home of the many tradesmen and their families.

As you went deeper into the city, you passed through another gate. Inside the third wall, you would find shrines to the gods, higher-end shops, and homes of the wealthy. In the center of it all was Castle Donha.

"Reminds me of Carcassonne," I commented to my apprentice as we got a better view of the city.

Iona was currently studying my Arcane Lance spell. Although it did significantly less damage than its elemental cousins, the mana cost was not as high. After a little testing, I came to the conclusion that her mana pool had grown since we first met, or perhaps her ability to draw more mana from the environment.

Either way, my apprentice was ready to progress to the next level of spells. Mage William, however, could make no sense of the incantation, but I did leave a copy for him to look over, which he was very grateful.

"Is that a city in your Kingdom?" Iona looked up from her work.

It's not even in my country but close enough, although I think the French government would object to being called a Kingdom.

I smiled and nodded in reply as I watched Rosalyn approach.

"Lady Eleanor, did you wish to change?" She asked.

We were still about thirty minutes away from docking, but she did have a point, no need to walk around the city fully armored. Sometime yesterday, we actually passed a point where the river became less dangerous. The crew, however, didn’t seem too upset that we hadn’t changed out of our adventuring gear.

"Probably a good idea to get out of the way of the crew anyway."

I motioned to Iona to remain and continue her work as Rosalyn, and I made our way to the stern of the ship.

Although there were places to sleep, a kitchen, and the Captain's cabin, no one wanted to spend any amount of time in the rear of the barge. It was too hot, even at night. The heat didn’t really bother me, it was rather nice, but the crew and the rest of our group spent the night on the deck under a large awning.

I noticed with some amusement that my Lady's Maid seemed to be wilting under the heat of the cabin. "You know Rosalyn, as much as I appreciate your help, I can do this by myself if you're too hot."

The Captain insisted I be given one of the nicer cabins. The owner of the Vittoria had a storeroom converted into a duel-purposed room for himself and his wife, which they used while traveling. Not that it was large, my bedroom closet at home was bigger, but for a two-day boat trip, it was cozy.

Smiling, she shook her head, "I'm fine, my lady, although if you can do your magical change of outfit spell, it will speed up the process. I can then make sure everything fits right."

Laughing, I nodded, then looked through my inventory, hmm, how about the green and white dress. As soon as I auto-equip the outfit, Rosalyn's eyes opened wide, obviously surprised at something.

"Lady Eleanor."

Oh, I forget that the green dress was part of the Midsummer's Event unique armor set. On the first day of the weeklong event, a series of rather fun games determined who would preside as either King or Queen of Midsummer. That one lucky player would also receive either the Oberon's or Tatiana's outfit. Of course, members of my guild went out of the way so to make sure that I ended up winning.

Reaching up, I removed the corolla, or I guess you could also call it a diadem from my brow and ran a finger over the beautiful silver flowers and leaves. The way it was designed made it look like a wreath, which went with the whole forest theme of the armor set.

"Is, as in mockery," I whispered. "Set, the spring, the summer, the childing autumn, and the angry winter,"

Placing the corolla back into my inventory, but leaving the rest of the forest-inspired jewelry on, I motioned to Rosalyn, who stepped behind me and started to loosen and tighten things. Immediately I could tell the difference. It's not that it was uncomfortable before this was just better.

"Iona, if you need the room, it's available," I said as we exited the stern.

Smiling, she waved to her sister, who grabbed her girlfriend before the three of them went to change. Moments later, Karin joined them.

"So this is the only one over the river," I asked as we traveled under an archway of a stone bridge some twenty minutes later. Its appearance reminded me a little of a drawing of the old London Bridge.

"The only one this far north, Lady Eleanor," Mage William explained. "Another day and a half by river south of here is the bridge at Black Hallow Castle."

"Most of the time, you have to cross the river by boat, my lady." One of the lightermen added.

"So it splits the Barony in half," I murmured. Too wide to ford, and the closest points were heavily defended. Wyndemere, unfortunately, was located on the wrong side of the river.

As we passed numerous taverns, warehouses, and homes of the dockworkers on the eastern bank, the lighterman added, "Keep a hand on your dagger and another on your coin purse if you decide to visit the taverns at night, my lady."

"So, most of the south going caravans pass through there?"

"Yes, my lady," Mage William answered, and then asked, "You plan on a bit of traveling?"

"Perhaps," I said, and then pointed to the other side of the river. "And if you take that road beyond Harmon?"

"It will take you to the Barony of Redwater."

As we drew closer to our destination, the Captain once again started to shout orders to the crew. It seems the owners had their own section of the docks, so we didn't have to wait long.

"The carriage is for me?"

Standing at the foot of the gangplank, I watched as it came to a stop right in front of me. Although I had no comment on its decorations, it appeared somewhat comfortable, and at least the cobblestones would make it a reasonably smooth ride. Just not something, I was expecting.

"Does it not..." the man standing beside me fretted. Introduced as Master Theodore, he was the eldest son of the owner of several river barges, including the Vittoria.

I waved off his concern, "No, its fine, Master Theodore, it's very much appreciated, thank you."

I had expected to walk to wherever we were going, but as usual, people had other ideas.

He beamed at the compliment, "Your Lady's Maid has informed me that you plan on staying at the Grande."

"That is correct, Master Theodore."

The young man nodded and walked towards my waiting transportation, speaking to the driver.

"We will be going as well, Lady Eleanor," Leo said as he and his wife set down their baggage. "I need to check on our school and make a report to the guild. Myra and Katilia would also be traveling with us."

"I will inform the Guildmaster where you will be staying." Karin smiled then wrapped her arms around her youngest niece. "You be good, Iona."

"Yes, Auntie," she replied a little tearfully.

"Sorry that you're going to have to leave Blake behind, little sister?" Myra grinned.

"Please don’t start." Iona sighed. "He was so annoying."

"Most teenage-boys are my dear," joked Karin.

It then surprised me when Leo bowed, and four women made a deep curtsey, which caused several people on the docks to turn to look at what was going on.

"Thank you once again for your help Lady Eleanor; we are all alive only because of your assistance. We will never forget that," Leo said.

"It was my pleasure." I smiled at the group. "Although this is hardly farewell, I imagine that we will be seeing one another fairly soon."

That got a small laugh from everyone. We had spoken about the Pale Hills Labyrinth over the last two days and knew that the repercussions were going to be enormous. All of them half expected that I would receive an invitation from the throne, which reminded me that I still needed to send my reply to the Baroness.

"Master Theodore," I called out.

"Yes, my lady." He hurriedly came to my side.

"Do you know of a way I can get a message to Castle Donha?"

"I do. Let me get the Captain of the Docks." He immediately ran off again.

"Excitable fellow," Leo chuckled.

I sighed and gave him a look, which made him chuckle even more. "You know you don’t have to stay."

He just smiled, then it faltered a bit when he spotted the group of people approaching. Huh, I only wanted to borrow a runner or something.

"Lady Eleanor of House Reine?" A lightly armored soldier stepped forward, followed by four other similar armored guards. Behind them, Theodore looked on nervously, obviously curious at whatever problems he might just have caused.

I smiled at the woman and nodded, "Yes, you must be the Captain of the Docks?"

"Yes, my lady." She didn’t return the smile, but all five of them bowed. "My name is Captain Adeline, and I was informed that you might be arriving, but we were not sure of the day."

"Oh, I see, well, I imagine that Baroness Sabena and Guildmaster Stephen were not aware of our early departure from Wyndemere. Master Theodore mentioned that you might be able to deliver a message for me to Castle Donha?"

She looked confused for a moment. "We can, of course, my lady, but if I am not mistaken, the Baroness is already expecting you." She then motioned me towards the carriage as the guard moved forward. "We will be happy to escort you to the Castle, my lady."

"Oh, I see, thank you, Captain." Considering the importance of the information, I guess time was of the essence. Still, why does it feel like I am being kidnapped?

Smiling at my nervous-looking companions, I said, "We will see each other soon. Rosalyn, Iona shall we depart."

--0—

With all that had happened to me in the last month, traveling by horse-drawn carriage seemed the most surreal. The two armored escorts riding to our front and the two to the rear allowed us to pass right through the gates, but we did attract quite a bit of attention.

"So, you live around here, Iona?" I asked but couldn’t help but smile while watching her look out the window. She was practically vibrating with excitement and nervousness at the same time.

"Yes, that’s where my friend Elios lives with her parents. Her father's a Scrivener for the courts."

A lawyer, huh, well, I guess you can find them in every world.

"And the bakery we just passed, that's Mistress Leigh's. She is an old friend of my mothers," she grinned then pointed to the other side of the street. "We live in that direction beyond Harpers' Hall near Master Ribald shop. He's a bladesmith."

"Oh, are there many shops like that in Harmon?" A weapons store sounded like something I would find in Magic-Life.

Iona sat back, thinking. "I guess, although most adventurers buy their weapons and gear through the guild. Master Ribald's swords are better made, though. At least that's what Aunt Karin says."

"You will find more shops like Master Ribald in Harmon than in other cities, Lady Eleanor," Rosalyn said.

Iona perked up. "That’s true. There are a lot of ancient ruins to the west of the Southbourne River. Plus, the town leaders of Kilby, Feywood, and Rivermoore, and of course, Wyndemere, are always posting jobs."

"Like the job of cleaning out rats under the inns of Harmon."

"That too," Iona beamed.

After we passed through another gate, the ride had become considerably smoother; the houses around more expensive, and along the side of the street, I could see what appeared to be street lamps. The district reminded me more of 19th century New York than a medieval city.

"Are those gas lamps?" I asked.

"Gas? Oh, no, my lady, those are mage lights," Rosalyn replied.

This world was not mine, and I didn’t know its history or its inventions. I was surprised how often the technology around me seemed modern. The homes and shops on this side of the wall had magical stoves, indoor heating, and lighting.

Talking about the magic items in the neighborhood, I wasn’t surprised when Iona brought up my share of the treasure again.

"Are you sure you don’t want any of the mana stones, Lady Eleanor?" she asked as we continued our way through Harmon. "I mean, Uncle Leo's probably keeping a few. He'll just take the cost for them out of his share."

Oh, that’s interesting. "I assumed we were required to turn most of them in. I still possess the basilisk's core because you all insisted I keep it, but the rest we would have to sell to the guild."

Iona shook her head. "It's against the law to sell them to anyone but the Adventurers Guild. Although from what I have been told, you're not supposed to give mana stones away either but people do it anyway."

"The kingdom needs to collect its taxes, Iona," Rosalyn commented with a smile.

"That’s what Uncle Leo said. If you sell them, you could be fined or even imprisoned if you're caught."

I wondered how they policed it, though. There had to be some sort of black-market them. Maybe it's like the days of prohibition where you would buy a mug from a local tavern, and they would give you a mana stone instead of alcohol for free.

"Only those merchants with a license from the crown can sell mana stones, my lady," Rosalyn explained. "So, for example, if you have a magic item that requires them, you can get a contract through the crafter or the guild."

My apprentice was still making a face.

Apparently, the mana stones we found in the Pale Hills were of a much higher quality than those typically found in ancient ruins, which was always the case with living labyrinths. Between the undead, the giant insects, and yes, even the ratkins, we collected quite a few.

Now, humans, beastmen, and even goblyns do not own heart cores. The ratkins, however, were the exception. These monsters were created by magic, or some scholars believed normal rats corrupted by it.

Iona's first adventure was an essential job for young adventurers, not just because no one likes rats, but they might eventually turn into ratkins. Even though it's never been a real problem, the monsters usually only inhabited ancient ruins and living labyrinths, but no one wanted to take the risk.

"As I told your Aunt and Uncle, Iona, I have neither need of coin nor a need for mana stones. And, I also have no issues with him splitting my share and adding it to the rest of the group. Amice and Warin are starting a new life, and this way, Argus' family, will receive a little more money. But thank you."

Unfortunately, no one knew anything about Denis. If he had something set up with the guild, then Leo will add to it.

"I believe we are about to arrive, Lady Eleanor," Rosalyn said as she looked outside the window.

--0—

Sir Odo steward of House Donha grumbled as he passed through the halls of the Keep. He and his Baroness had been in a meeting all morning with one of her peers going over the new tax laws when they were told the news of Lady Eleanor's arrival.

What he did not expect was a beautiful woman standing in the middle of the great hall, wearing a green dress that would put most noblewomen's clothing to shame only to be accompanied by an apprentice and her Lady's Maid.

She also seemed to be politely ignoring the half dozen or so guards, which stood about the room for some reason. Considering the recent reports he had received about her, he wasn't surprised she didn’t seem concerned.

Bowing respectfully, he announced, "Lady Eleanor, my name is Sir Odo, Steward of House Donha. I apologize for not having someone to meet you, but we had not expected your arrival."

The young woman gave a small laugh and then nodded, "It's as I expected, Sir Odo. Your Captain of the Gate wasn't even sure to let my carriage pass. After overhearing the conversation between my escort and the other guardsmen, there must have been some sort of miscommunication."

She took note of the armored men in the room with a wave of her hand.

He frowned at them for a moment and then asked. "Did you just arrive in Harmon?"

"Yes, and as soon as we stepped off the boat, we were immediately escorted to the castle."

The knight tried not to cringe. What were they all thinking? Thankfully, the powerful adventurer didn’t look upset, he thought. You could never tell sometimes.

"I apologize for that, Lady Eleanor. Unfortunately, Baroness Sebena is currently unavailable."

"It's no problem, Sir Odo. If one of your soldiers could call for a carriage, I would be more than happy to find an inn for the night. Perhaps we can meet in the morning?"

Now that was refreshing; however, his Baroness would have his head if he let this noblewoman go.

"No, no," he objected, "I believe that the Baroness intends to speak with you as soon as possible. She would also want you to stay at Castle Donha during your time in Harmon."

"Are you sure?" She asked. "I wouldn’t want to be an imposition upon her household."

"It's no trouble, my lady," he insisted. "Considering the size of your retinue, we have plenty of room."

She once again gave a charming laugh. "Yes, well, it appears I have misplaced most of my companions. Well, thank you, Sir Odo, then I'll happily accept the Baroness hospitality."

--0—

"It's not funny, Stewart," The Baroness sat back on her chair, rubbing her eyes. "Could you have imagined if she was one of the empire's high born?"

"Sabena, please tell me if I am wrong, but doesn’t it sound like Lady Eleanor was literally dragged off the boat, tossed into a carriage, and brought to the castle," the Baron of Redwater took a sip from his glass trying not to grin.

"I don’t believe it was that bad, my lord," Sir Odo sighed. "But after speaking to one of the guardsmen who escorted her carriage from the docks, I don’t believe Captain Adeline gave her much of a choice."

"Lilia," the Baroness turned to a young catkin standing in the back of the room. "Please remind me to speak to Sir Eric about this situation. This is not the first time Captain Adeline has come to my attention."

"Yes, my lady."

"It doesn’t sound like she meant any harm, Sebena, maybe a bit over-zealous in her duties." Baron Stewart shrugged. "At least with this Lady Eleanor being an adventurer, the worst thing is that you insulted a member of some lower noble house."

"I'm not sure that is the case, my lord." Sir Odo frowned. "Even after twenty-five years of marriage, I am not well informed about woman's fashion, but Lady Eleanor's dress would not be out of place at High Court."

"Well, of course, she was dressing to meet a Baroness. It sounds like an adventure that recently came into some coin."

"Ahh, but it's not that Stewart, she didn’t expect to be coming to the castle today." Sabena had a small smile on her face as she tapped her finger on her lips. She then looked at her scheneshal and asked, "So only three in her entourage?"

"Yes." Sir Odo nodded.

"And no luggage, correct? So the reports from Master Jeffrey and Captain Conrad sound more believable." The Baroness sat back, looking thoughtful.

"She must have left her gear with some of the other members of her band." Lord Stewart frowned. "Or I am missing something."

"I believe it is in the Baron's best interest to know what we know, my lady," Sir Odo opined.

"I agree, go ahead, and give him the reports to read, Odo."

Barony of Redwater frowned and set down his drink before picking up one of the reports of the Adventurers Guild. "Sweet Dinya, a living labyrinth in our Kingdom. Sebena, has the crown been notified?"

"Of course, Stewart, however, we only received the report from the guild four days ago. His Majesty would only now be receiving the report. I'd expect Archmage Phexidis to appear in Harmon immediately afterward if I didn’t know he hasn’t been seen since before the wedding."

The Baron nodded, "He still wasn’t in the capital two days later when I departed. His Majesty was less than pleased about it." Picking up another sheet of parchment, he then whispered, "Arcane bags, blood bonded weapons, and a spirit animal."

"So, what do you think?" Baroness Sabena asked.

"I think your Captain Adeline lucky to have her head still," he said sincerely. Setting down the report, he frowned. "I am going to assume these aren’t rumors; you know how adventurers tend to be braggarts."

"It's all been verified by multiple parties. Guildmaster Stephen talked to your Guildmaster in Kindale, and will offer her a ranked-A rating if she registers."

"That’s going to cause a ruckus," the Baron frowned. "Her Kingdom, this Avalon isn’t going to be happy about losing one of its defenders. Do you think they will send others to look for her?"

"According to Captain Conrad in Wyndemere, she had members of her band who can create portals."

"Not more than one?" The Baron looked shocked. "Surely, that Kingdom doesn’t have more than one Archmage."

"So, she says." Sabena shrugged. "However, there hasn’t been any reason not to believe her. Although suddenly appearing in the Godstones, I still don’t know what to think of that."

"I assume you spoke to Countess Orebella?"

The Baroness shook her head, "She hasn’t returned from the capital as of yet."

"So, there is no possibility of her being one of Emperor Naxos' pet adventurers?" Stewart asked.

"Can't say it isn’t a possibility, my lord," Sir Odo replied. "However, her coloring reminds me of those mercenaries the crown hired from Karlspang."

"Whale hunters, huh," he made a frown. "Well, they lived up to their ferocious reputation. Unfortunately, we know just as much about the White Wastes as we do about the lands beyond the Great Sea."

"Which is next to nothing," Baroness Sebena smiled. "Could you place her accent, Odo?"

"No, my lady, but she does speak well. I wouldn’t assume she came from the common class like most A-ranked adventures who were raised to the peerage."

"And how does she present herself?"

"No different from any woman of noble birth, my lord."

The Baron of Redwater then asked, "Would you like to hear my thoughts on this, Lady Eleanor, Sabena?"

"I always value your opinion, Stewart," she smiled.

"Most of the time," he grinned, motioning to the stack of parchments covering the new tax laws. "This report, the arcane bags, blood bonded weapons, and the rest, she's no simple adventurer."

"I agree, only the older noble families have blood bonded weapons, and even then, it's rare but not just that." She motioned for him to continue.

"Her Spirit Mount."

The Baroness nodded, "Go on."

"I think she's hiding behind the guise of an adventurer. Oh, she might even be one or had been at one time."

The Baroness nodded. "True, her martial prowess doesn’t have to come from being an adventurer, and she's a mage."

"And she's a mage," Stewart agreed.

"If she were a beastmen, I'd say she's a relation of Queen Clíodhna," Sir Odo commented.

The Baron of Redwater spun on his seat, almost in a panic. "But she not, right, Sir Odo. She's human," he insisted.

The knight's eyes opened wide; he then looked thoughtful and nodded. "Yes, my lord."

Baroness studied the painting of her husband for a moment then looked at her scheneshal, "I would like to meet with Lady Eleanor, Odo."

The Baron of Redwater stood up and said, "I would as well."