Chapter 79: The Duchess' Plans

The young Duchess delayed the conversation. She waited for the first dinner course to be brought before talking with Castile. A large bowl of split pea soup was placed in front of everyone. "Looks like vomit," commented Mateo from down the table. Brutus slapped the back of his head. Mateo added quickly, "But I bet it tastes good."

I was not sure of formal protocols with a First Citizen or a Duchess, so I waited for Castile. Castile waited till the Duchess took her spoon before doing likewise. I took my spoon and tasted the soup. It was cold but definitely pea soup. A little salty but good. It was so good that an eruption of slurping started down the table. Most of the company were conscripts and never had any etiquette training. Felix even picked up his bowl and used it as a cup. He finished his bowl, turned around, and asked a young servant boy for seconds. The boy ran to the kitchens and returned with a full bowl to the happy Felix. Across from me, Delmar and Adrian ate methodically with just the spoon. I mirrored them, showing manners.

Castile took a few spoonfuls and put down the spoon. "Duchess, why are we here?" She asked patiently again.

The young First Citizen Duchess nodded, "I do need you to complete the survey markers for my lands. I have a white marble quarry on my lands and have contracted two thousand stones to be quarried from it to serve as the markers. I expect you to be occupied on my lands for the next five or six months."

Castile frowned, "Will there be an Imperial Surveyor with us?"

Duchess Veronica pushed away her barely touched soup, and a servant rushed forward to remove it from the table. "There will be an agent from the Imperial Surveyor's office, an apprentice. He will mark and record each stone as you bury the white marble marker every hundred twenty yards." She took her wine in hand and asked casually, "Did you travel down the old road?"

Castile shifted in her seat at the question, "We did. Torrential rains forced our barge ashore. It broke loose overnight. We were forced to come on foot and did take the old road," Castile admitted.

Duchess smiled, "You have been traveling, so you are unaware, but the weather has been askew the last few days everywhere. The Bartiradian weather mages have cast major disruption across the Empire by releasing greater elementals across the realm. A blizzard in the capital, tornadoes across the plains, heavy rains flattening crop fields, and tsunamis along the coast." The whole table was suddenly quiet at the pronouncement of the natural disasters.

Adrian broke the silence, "Why?"

The Duchess smirked, "Revenge for Macha. Duke Tiberius tore down the city walls around their army. They had heavy losses, and only a few hundred made it out alive. Now the Emperor has committed another ten thousand men to Duke Tiberius to push into the Bartiradian Kingdom lands." The Duchess sipped some wine, hiding a small smile, "Although this is mainly to cover for the expedition to excavate Atlantium. But you already know about that." Castile looked at me, and I pretended to enjoy my soup.

Delmar asked hotly, "What damage has been dealt to the Empire from the elementals?"

The Duchess waved it off, "Not much. From what I heard from message sendings, all the cities are fine as mages successfully held off the most intense weather. The most significant damage was to crops. It will affect market prices for the next year or two, and we will have to import more from the south, possibly open trade with Bouton orcs."

The table got loud as men talked to each other about the implications until Castile silenced them by looking at Adiran, who barked an order for quiet. Castile asked, "Why do you need a mage company to do your survey work? It is allowed since it is an Imperial Survey, but why?"

The Duchess ate a blue cracker daintily while explaining, "The survey will serve two purposes. One is to cement the borders of my new province. The second is to keep you and your company occupied for five months so Duke Octavian can cool down. I asked if you took the road because it had not been used for five years. Every merchant risking it has disappeared, to my knowledge."

Castile took her wine and sampled it for the first time. We were waiting for Castile to answer the Duchess and reveal what she wanted of our adventures. I was unsure what game was being played and was happy to enjoy my soup. "We encountered dire wolves and a wraith," Castile admitted to the Duchess.

Further down the table, Konstantin added, "And a gnoll war party." Castile nodded at the addition.

The Duchess frowned, "You escaped a wraith? And dire wolves? I had hoped for you to subdue the lands along the road." She folded her hands in front of her, "The lands north are part of the Imperial Province. The Emperor was willing to transfer them to me if I successfully reopened the trade road." She rapidly tapped her index finger on her arm in an apparent habit.

Delmar barked a laugh, "You want our company to clear the wilds and patrol the most dangerous road in the Empire?"

Castile admonished Delmar, "I can handle this negotiation, Delmar." Delmar looked irate as he pushed his soup away to show his anger. Of course, the bowl was already empty.

Veronica nodded, "Not the most dangerous road, but definitely dangerous. Was the wraith from the ruins of Caelora?"

"No, we were dozens of miles past the elven ruins—but it might have pursued us from the city. Wraiths are not tied to a single place like specters," Castile said uncertainly. I looked down at Konstantin, who was focused on using half a loaf of bread to clean his soup bowl.

The young Duchess considered, "I know there are wraiths and specters within the ruined city walls. But was not aware they ever left the city."

Castile had a quick response, "We are not certain the wraith was from the city, but it did have elven features—so was an elf in life. But either way, I am not interested in accepting a mission to kill dire wolves and specters for you. If you want the wolves handled, request the Hounds. If you want the city cleared of undead, petition the Emperor, but I know such missions have failed prior. I took the survey request as a thank you for your help at the Tribunal." Delmar nodded, satisfied with Castile's rebuke of the Duchess' expectations of us.

The Duchess' finger increased in tempo on her arm, coming up with a response. She finally said, "Let me get to the point. I would like to take your legionaries into my service. I have two hundred guards and ten thousand citizens across my lands. I rule this city and two large towns. I am tasked with bringing prosperity back to this city." She made a wide gesture. "I have unhappy citizens and no exportable trade goods."

"What about your marble quarry?" Delmar asked. Plates with a thick steak with potato wedges underneath were brought out. The men followed the plates hungrily while Castile locked eyes with the Duchess.

The Duchess gestured emphatically, "There are twenty quarries in the Empire. Most have higher-quality marble and easier access to transportation. The last Count of this Citadel produced glass from sand. I cannot replicate that feat. After he died, the Emperor assigned Baron Jakob to Sobral City, who milked the people for every copper to line his own pockets. I need to restore order and gain the confidence of the people."

Duchess Veronica was passionate in her speech, but Castile did not seem swayed. Neither did Delmar or Adrian. Most of the company was too busy eating to be paying close attention now, the clatter of knives and forks covering the conversation at our end of the table. I was slowly cutting my meat but listening intently.

"You are trying to lure my legionaries away from me?" Castile asked with some hostility.

"Not really. I just ask that you take every request I send to the capital and work for me," the Duchess smiled with a grin.

Adrian swallowed a bit, "Company mages only work for the Emperor. You can only contract a mage after they finish their service. And you had Castile's service extended by ten years."

Castile answered for the Duchess, "Duchess Veronica lacks the funds to hire a mage. Instead, she wants me to work all her petitions to the Emperor that require a mage company."

I looked at the faces around me, and it felt like they were playing poker. I only vaguely understood the process. Assignments for mage companies were generated through the Legatus Legionis office. These assignments were generated by processing requests from First Citizens and other bureaucratic branches of the Empire. The mages in charge of the companies could then cherry-pick assignments. If a mage company was not busy, then it could have an assignment issued to them by the Legatus Legonis Office. Castile was never idle, always going from one job to the next. The Legatus Legonis had forced her to take the assignment to defend Macha through the machinations of Duke Octavius.

The young Duchess was calm, "With your funds being cut off, you need a sponsor Castile, or your legionaries will accumulate debt replacing equipment. I will support them," she offered magnanimously.

I probably should not have intervened in the negotiations, but I asked anyway, "How does Duke Octavian have his own legionaries? Are they part of a mage company, or did they finish their service and were hired by him?"

All eyes turned to me, and Adrian answered, "Only First Citizens can maintain their own force of legionaries. They are required to pay for their equipment and pay twice their salary to the Empire. The Empire then pays their regular salary to them. Just another way for the Empire to fill its coffers."

"So not only does the Empire not have to maintain them, but the Empire is paid their annual salary? Like a rental fee?" I confirmed.

Duchess Veronica interjected, "Yes. The legionnaire must voluntarily enter the service of First Citizen. For me, a legionnaire would be twenty gold a year paid to the Empire. They receive one gold a month from the Legion Hall."

Blaze, who was two seats, gasped, "Ten gold a year? That is twice what Castile pays us." Veronica smiled as it was clear she had intentionally spoken loud enough to be heard over the silverware.

"So this was all a setup to steal my men?" Castile said coldly.

"I want you to think of this as a partnership, Castile. I can not afford to steal your legionaries from you. My finances are such that just maintaining this Citadel takes all my resources. The two hundred soldiers on my land are poorly trained and poorly equipped. I need you just as much as you need me," the Duchess smiled placatingly.

Castile considered for a long moment and cut and ate a piece of her steak. She moved the steak aside and went for the potatoes, which appeared grilled. She seemed to like the potatoes and ate them one after another, thinking. She finally asked, "How will you make certain that your requests are accepted, and I can choose them?"

The Duchess smiled, seeing her fish almost caught, "I have a friend in the receiving office. When a message sending is received from me, she will expedite the request, generate an assignment, and attach your company to it at posting. All dukal-level requests that are made are always converted into assignments. I am not the only Duke who has used this loophole."

"What if the Emperor calls for war? Then all mage companies need to report for wartime assignments," Adrian asked, his plate empty. "With Macha and the weather elemental assault, things are escalating."

"I can not see into the future—Adrian," she apparently had done some research to know his name. I wondered if she knew mine. The Duchess continued, "But a Pronouncement of War is unlikely. Even if we invaded the Esenhem Kingdom of the elves, the Emperor would not formally declare war. The political ripples would be too much, and there are not enough citizens to draft without affecting production."

"Can you keep Duke Octavian from interfering in your scheme?" Castile queried seriously. I could sense Castile was weighing her options.

"Nothing is ever certain. But I believe my agent to be trustworthy," the Duchess was having trouble holding back her smile. It was obvious that Castile was strongly considering her offer.

Delmar broke into the discussion, "What kind of support are you offering? Potions?"

The Duchess shook her head no, "I can not afford potions. But I do have a healing mage in my city. An old man with a powerful healing spell form, just very little aether. He is contracted to me and will do all your healing without compensation required."

Castile seemed to consider, "Not good enough. You will need to hire an alchemist. We need at least lower-tier potions when we are out on assignment. I can not cast healing spells."

The Duchess winced, "Finding an alchemist to come here and set him up would cost hundreds of gold." Seeing this was a sticking point, the Duchess nodded, "A first-order alchemist then. Give me a month to procure his services, though. I will find the coin."

"I think we can come to an agreement then," Castile nodded as the next course—some type of fish—was brought out to the delight of the men. The two women began to cement their new partnership.