Pantros looked at her, confused and curious.
Estephan ventured, his voice wavering, “Lady Sheillene, Are you saying you can afford such a Price?”
“Me?” Sheillene said, “No. I was speaking for Pan.” She tugged at the satchel by Pantros’s side. “Dump it on the table here.”
“You told me not to show my money,” Pantros said.
“When you’re buying something from a prince it’s okay to show your money,” Sheillene said. “And we’re in a very private carriage here. I think you’ll be safe.”
Pantros carefully dumped the bag onto the table. “I don’t have that much coin, Sheillene.”
“Don’t you know what the gems are worth?” Sheillene asked. She grabbed a rolled piece of felt and unraveled it and perused the gems.
“I actually don’t,” Pantros replied. He’d never had to fence any of his gems. He knew they could be worth a few gold each and they were lighter than gold.
“Where is it,” Sheillene said, unrolling several other of his gem protecting felts. She sorted through the gems. “I saw it at the Backwards Trout.” She pulled out a green stone the size of a thumbnail and set it in front of Estephan.
The Prince held it up to the light coming through the window. “I am shocked. I shouldn’t have underestimated someone known as the King of Thieves. This is nice, very clear; it’s among the largest Temistar Emeralds I’ve seen, but not worth the chest of gold I mentioned.”
“How about every gem on the table?” Sheillene asked.
“Well, that would be too much,” Estephan said. “I mean the emerald is by far the most valuable stone I’ve seen here, but the rest have significant value as well. I am not a jeweler, but I have ordered several custom works and can guess with a large margin of error. For the gems here, I would have to offer everything within a day’s walk, ten leagues, of the ruins.”
“Done?” Pantros said, unsure what he’d just done. He offered his hand to the Prince to seal the deal.
Estephan took his hand. “This is unofficial until it gets the King’s blessing, but he will agree with me. As I said, the land is of no real use to us or anyone, but if you want it and are willing to pay for it, it’s yours to govern.”
“Govern?” Pantros asked.
“All the land in the Kingdom belongs to the King,” Estephan explained. “But as governor, you can do as you will with the land and the only person who can change that is the King. I can’t give you a nobility title, though the land is technically the size of a Barony. The land will be a stewardship and you will be the steward. It will be your duty to collect the taxes and send the King’s share to Relarch. You’ll also be expected to maintain a military force, whatever the region can support. Right now I think it might include a couple farms on the outskirts toward Relarch. We’ll have a cartographer draw out the actual borders.
“I can build a castle?” Pantros asked.
“If you have the money to do so, yes,” Estephan said. “I don’t see the point of one there, it’s not a place anyone has to pass to get into the Kingdom, but as steward, you can do as you wish. A castle will cost more than you paid for the land, if it’s of any significant size.”
Pantros knew he didn’t have that, yet. He’d brought most of his gems with him. “I see,” he said. “I guess I have to start with the land, so I’m on the way, at least.”
“Pan!” Tara’s voice sounded stern. “Did you just buy a county that’s not anywhere near the Hedgehog?”
“A Stewardship,” Pantros corrected. “Did you expect me to live there forever?”
“Well, no,” Tara said. “But, I hoped you’d move to somewhere close enough to visit, not somewhere through troll infested mountains.”
“Those trolls were an anomaly,” Estephan said. “They’re a symptom of that Key being outside its normal protections. Speaking of symptoms, we’ve not seen a Hellhound attack since we got in the carriage.”
“I noticed that,” Sheillene said. “I’m not sure why not. Maybe they ran out?”
CHAPTER 14: LADY GLACIA
“You’ve used all my hounds?” Glacia asked Darien. They spoke in an alley near Darien’s tower. That Glacia had one of her secret bungalows nearby, was common knowledge among the demons of the region, its precise location was not. She could be seen in the area without arousing suspicion. Entering Darien’s tower, however, would raise eyebrows.
“The boy who has the key is resourceful. He has friends who have adapted to expecting them.” Darien said. “Is there other assistance you could provide?
“I’ll have to think on it,” Glacia said. “I have some ideas, but I’ll have to be sure you won’t again squander the opportunities I provide you.”
“I have plans in motion that will succeed, but it’s going to be a very ugly solution,” Darien said. “We’re not going to be very popular with the gods of that world. Anything more elegant would be preferred.”
“You won’t be popular,” Glacia said. “I’m not involved, remember.”
Glacia pulled a hood over her head. It was made of thin gold mail, and didn’t hide her identity, but it let people know she didn’t want to be identified, which among demons scurrying for the favor of any lord had the same result. She walked past Darien without any parting pleasantries, though she did allow her tail to flick in front of his nose.
The alleys wouldn’t hide her forever, so she went out to the main thoroughfare and walked. The demons parted in front of her, some looking away, others bowing, but none let her pass without reacting to her status. She smiled. Making lesser demons appease her was one of the small pleasures of Demia. When she entered another alley, she was sure no one would follow her.
Bored of walking she opened a portal back to her palace; it would have been a three day walk from Darien’s Tower and she couldn’t think of enough entertainment on the way. She had no need to stay at her bungalow that night.
Her Hound master was waiting for her in her throne room. She gestured for him to approach as she stopped in the corner of the room from which sound did not carry. She suspected none would dare spy on her, but prudence dictated she not fully trust any demon.
“Report,” Glacia said.
The Hound master said, “I took hound form more than half a dozen times and each time projected to the mortal realm to the locations you dictated. Each time I found the boy and attacked, careful not to injure the boy or his companions, at least not beyond superficial scratches. Also, as ordered, I made sure the Key was still present. Darien believes that I sent a pack of hounds, one at a time, but only I made the projection to Mealth.”
“You performed perfectly,” Glacia said. “As a reward, I grant you the territory that used to belong to Qexeq. It’s a small territory, but you’ll need to establish yourself. I’ll lend you a dozen of my high guard until you can recruit your own.”
“And what stipend should I send to you, and how often?” The Hound master asked.
“I require none,” Glacia said. “Just your loyalty, if I should ever need it.”
“Thank you, Lady Glacia,” The Hound master bowed and walked away.
Glacia walked over and sat on her throne. Her seneschal approached and asked if she would be taking audience that day.
“Yes, send in the petitioners,” she said. She enjoyed every opportunity to manipulate the affairs of others. Demons seeking charity and assistance often seemed to be the most open to manipulation-almost as open as those looking for a leg up in the eternal battle for power. Little did they understand that the most assured way to lose that battle was to be the manipulated, while the surest victory lay in being the eternal manipulator.
CHAPTER 15: PANTROS
Fork was nothing like Ignea. The first thing Pantros noticed was that it didn’t smell of salt and fish. It mostly smelled like shoes, Pantros decided. It smelled like shoes at the end of a long day walking.
Ignea’s buildings were stucco and all the buildings had the same ceramic tile roofs. Fork’s buildings were made of a variety of materials, mostly granite, but some wooden structures were evident. The wood shingles of the roofs made Pantros nervous. He wasn’t sure the wood would support a roof walker.