If I thought we drew attention before, it’s nothing compared to that garnered by our procession as we stomp toward the furthest end of the camp. Dame Elodie invited us to walk with her and the other two royal knights at the front of the group; on the surface, it looks like deference but I think it’s a ploy to keep us from speaking with the acolytes.
So, I ignore it.
Kierra seems fascinated with the lady knight and quickly strikes up conversation with her about her woodcarving hobby of all things. I think she wants to see how accommodating the woman is and the answer is very. She endures the conversation with endless grace and patience.
The other knights, who haven’t bothered to introduce themselves, another note of strangeness in this unsettling situation, are discreet with the way they watch me, but I notice it anyway. I wonder if they notice me trying not to react. Either way, they don’t interfere as I fall in-step alongside Miss Alyssa.
The redhead doesn’t give a single damn about subtly. A hand grabs my shoulder tightly. If I were a bit more fragile, she might have spun me around and forced me to face her.
“You need to take your group and get out of here,” the redhead hisses, glaring at the backs of the royal knights.
No pleasantries then. “They’re being civil. I prefer civil.”
“Oh, yeah. Real civil. They practically bludgeoned us with good manners.” She scoffs. “I would have preferred them throwing some curses around. As it is, we have to smile as they screw us over or we look like assholes.”
“What’s the problem?”
“The problem? You mean, the problems. But there’s only one that really matters. The Hall has taken on the burden of helping this city and its people. We’ve given the resources and we’re going to be here after this mess is sorted…or isn’t. We’ve been standing around with white-knuckles, dry eyes, and puckered asses protecting that field. Our acolytes have rolled up their sleeves and set down their books to cultivate it. But because of some arbitrary words, the crown just claimed the field representing the hopes of Quest. Ancestors know what they intend to do with it but they’ve already put a halt on all of our plans. We’re trying to feed children, for fuck’s sake!”
“Hold on. I’m not going to understand unless you explain from the beginning.”
“Not much to explain. The crown’s fixer showed up, took control, and shut us down. We’re here as her lackeys. The woman is throwing out royal writs like they’re as common as shit.”
“This fixer. Who is she?”
“How would I know? The north doesn’t care about titles. She calls herself the Butterfly and has gold orbs for eyes.”
“...what? Like, actual gold?”
“Yeah, all gold. Metal. But I’d be damned if she’s blind.”
Metal eyes. The only reasonable explanation that accounts for her being able to see is an artifact. A paired artifact. That and its complexity puts it well beyond anything that should be currently possible. Another treasure of humanity’s past? Whoever this woman is, she’s the real deal.
“Is she here?”
“She left for the city this morning.”
“The Hall?” Is the Harvest Hero going to be served with one of those writs?
“I don’t know a damn thing about what that woman is planning. She storms in here, throws around the royal crest, and then tells us to stop doing our jobs.”
“She wants you to stop feeding people?” I ask, confused.
“We can harvest the field and collect the seeds but no planting new ones and no expanding. We’re a week or so from being right back where we started!” She scowls and the expression promises vengeance. I have a feeling the next group to sabotage the camp might not be the rebels. “And right after she gave that order, she informed us that if Lady Tome or anyone from her merry band of misfits were to come knocking, we were to show them the utmost courtesy and agree to anything they asked short of murder.”
“...she called us misfits?”
I have the distinct feeling that she wants to roll her eyes as she gives me a droll look. “That isn’t the important part.”
“Obviously.” But I’m not so sure that there is anything sinister behind it. It seems this Butterfly is going above and beyond to keep relations with us friendly. That’s not something or someone I want to alienate. I feel for Miss Alyssa, no one would look kindly on someone practically ousting them from their position, but this doesn’t sound like a bad thing.
Many times, I’ve heard that I’m terrible at hiding my thoughts. It must be true, as the instructor shakes her head. “Mark my words, Lou. That woman is going to be trouble.”
“I’m not ignoring your warning. Actually, I’m surprised you’re giving it. Didn’t think you liked me too much.” Sёarᴄh the NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
“I don’t, brat,” she huffs with all the aggression of a snarling puppy. “...but I still owe you.”
“Thought you already paid that debt.”
“Oh, yeah. I did a real good job getting the hunters not to do something stupid.”
“You tried. What happened…a lot of people are to blame but not you.”
“The north isn’t to blame for the titans but people die to them every year. Doesn’t make the loss any easier.”
“The two are hardly the same.”
“They’re not much different. People getting hurt for dumb reasons.” She sighs, shoulders slumping. I hesitate, but throw caution to the wind and lay a hand on her shoulder. She side-eyes me but doesn’t shrug it off. “What are you doing here?”
“Escorting my future sister-in-law. And now indulging my wife, I guess.”
“Not here, here. In Quest.”
“...am I not welcome?”
“Who’s going to throw you out?” She shakes her head. “That’s not it. I’m saying, you don’t belong here. I thought you might hole up in the Myriad Zone with the other pleasure hounds but what do you do? You take over a noble estate and go quiet. If not for the mess, your presence in the city would be perfectly mundane. It’s obvious you want to be left alone so, again, what are you doing here? The last place in the kingdom, ancestors, the world, you’re likely to find it.”
“...because it wouldn’t feel right, just walking away.”
Her eyes soften. She finally shrugs my hand off her shoulder but only to copy the gesture. “Glory. Honor. Debt. Ideals and stories that convince people that there are things in this world worth the lives of their children. It’s all a lie. Fucking ridiculous. If you’re hanging around, thinking you’re going to make up for the death and destruction, you’re kidding yourself. There’s nothing that can equal a life.”
Her words aren’t spoken harshly, but they carry a heavy weight. I remember that as an ex-Star, she marched in the north’s yearly campaigns. Dozens, sometimes hundreds, die in the snow, all for the idea of victory. Who knows how many she’s buried? If anyone has the right to say those words, it’s her and the other knights of the north that have abandoned the war. But…
“That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try.”
She claps my shoulder and we lapse into silence. I don’t mind. It’s comfortable and I can amuse myself listening to Kierra teasing the royal knight. Poor woman.
Eventually, we reach our destination. The earthen shelters fall away, replaced by tents and then nothing but green. The plants behind the tension in the air don’t look like anything special; I was expecting far more than stalks tall enough to reach my stomach with overlapping leaves the size of my head. With all the drama surrounding them, I wouldn’t have been surprised if they were made of gold and silver but the flowers at their tops are unassuming white balls. Planted in neat rows as far as most eyes can see, with just enough space for a harvester to move between them, they remind me of every other farm I’ve ever seen.
Yet, the tension in the air is suffocating. I’ve been noticing more and more acolytes the closer we got to the farm. Now that we’re here, there’s a veritable army of them milling about. All are watching us with clear reluctance. Despite that, no one makes a move as Kierra separates from the procession, ignoring the dirty looks aimed at her as she walks right up to one of the plants and practically fondles its leaves.
I can almost hear the butts clenching and teeth grinding as the acolytes watch her examine their most precious resource. Many times, they look toward the royal knights, who are still doing their impersonations of statues; Dame Elodie remains as unreadable as stone.
Kierra makes a thoughtful noise as her fingertips are covered in a soft green glow. “I see.”
Finally, the lady knight moves, stepping closer. “Have you discovered any insight, Miss D’Atainna?”
“That depends. I have a few questions.”
Dame Elodie gestures for Miss Alyssa to approach and I follow her. “We will endeavor to answer.”
“Have they been growing at a consistent rate?”
The knight turns to the redhead, who speaks through a frown. “Yeah, fast enough to piss off a weed.”
“Has there been any variation in the plant’s color? Particularly in the stem.”
“Actually, yeah.” Miss Alyssa crosses her arms, her frown easing as she leans forward the slightest amount. “We’ve been cataloguing every detail about these things. One of our people noticed that a few of the stems were growing lighter. Some of them even have white spots. We were concerned about sickness but they’ve proved benign.”
“They are. I assume these are the oldest plants?”
The instructor tenses. “...some of them.”
“You are correct.” Dame Elodie ignores Miss Alyssa’s glare. “Do not attempt to obfuscate any information.”
“You…fine. You’re in charge.”
Kierra chuckles. “One more question. Have the number of seeds the oldest plants produce started to vary? Either increasing or decreasing.”
Miss Alyssa’s narrowed eyes are answer enough.
“I see. Then you all have a problem.”
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!