The Warden

  (lvl 41)

  [Keeper of the secrets of the Vaisom duchy and its past. Few know as much as he of the inner workings of Vaisom. His combat skills are considerable despite his lack of dragon.]

  Cass’s chest contracted at the sight of his level, and her hand clenched over her chest. Over Salos’s necklace.

  The duchess and her dragon had been higher, but they’d also been much further away. There had been countless other people. The duchess’s attention had not been so focused on Cass.

  He was nearly double her level and well passed the Gate, in addition to being a lord of this land. What other bonuses to his stats might he have won?

  He wasn’t a young man. Streaks of grey hair touched his temples but had otherwise not yet touched his night-black hair. The lines around his eyes belied both age and his tendency towards scowling. On Earth, Cass would have guessed he was in his late forties. Here, with Vitality stats, Cass could only assume he was older.

  As he reached the head of the table, he unstrapped the long sword from his back and hung it over the tall back of the head chair.

  He seated himself, staring down the table with his chin raised, his expression perfectly matching the distasteful glare of the ape-faced pauldron he wore on his left shoulder.

  “Be seated,” he commanded with a wave of his hand.

  “Welcome, Lord,” the members of the Veldor family said and retook their seats. Tiador simply sat, and Cass hurried to follow suit.

  As the family and guests sat down, plates appeared in front of each place setting. Cass could feel the movement of people around her, even if she couldn’t see them. Servants serving unseen.

  The lord raised his glass. It filled with a ruby liquid as he lifted it, the contents swirling in the glass but not spilling a drop. “All my children have returned, I see. I have heard one of you stole Ahdain’s Major Blessing to boot?”

  “That was my honor,” Alyx said, a grin creeping across her face.

  Her father raised an eyebrow, his eyes darting to Kohen opposite her. “Is that so? You will have to tell us how you managed that.”

  Alyx nodded and began recounting some of their exploits of the Catacombs.

  Kohen scowled the whole way through while Tiador kept an amused smirk on his face the entire time.

  Cass identified the food, though she doubted such a meal would be messed with at this stage.

  Venison Treli

  [A rare steak of veniveni braised with a ruby flaise wine and accompanied by mashed potatoes and sauteed carrots.]

  Cass didn’t know what kind of animal a veniveni was or what flaise wine might be, or what kind of potato was pink and what kind of carrot was green, but since no one else was commenting on the food, she supposed that was just how it was here. Identify didn’t seem to think it was poisoned, so Cass took a bite.

  The steak reminded her more of lamb than beef in flavor, while the texture had more of the bounce of chicken thighs than the marbling of steak. The sauce glazing it was sweet like honey but simultaneously had something akin to the bite of ginger.

  She didn’t think she liked it on the first bite but had to take a second to double-check. By the fifth bite, she had decided the flavor had grown on her and that she would probably finish the whole thing despite not needing to eat.

  Alyx was just about done describing how she had outraced Fioreya. She was going light on all the details.

  “I am impressed your companion was able to slow someone as formidable as Fioreya Ahdain to that degree.” Thaycer’s obsidian eyes fell on Cass as Alyx’s story ended.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Cass shrugged. There wasn’t much to tell. She wasn’t about to explain how Confounding Mists worked or that she’d burned most of her Health to power it. It probably shouldn’t have been possible.

  “Tell us how you did it,” he prompted, throwing a weight Cass was beginning to recognize behind his words.

  For a flicker of a second, it seemed like it might be fun to regale them with the details. The Dodging, the redirecting. She could imagine their faces lighting up at the tale of bravery and sacrifice.

  But then Cass flicked aside the impulse.

  Status Effect (Noble Suggestion) Ignored.

  Did these people just do it out of habit? Did they know they were doing it? Were they incapable of just asking for things like a normal person?

  She had been content to eat her meal and let Alyx do the talking.

  What now? She could just ignore him, she supposed, but she wanted a favor off him soon, so that was probably not her most diplomatic move.

  There was also the fact he was nearly double her level, with that many more stats at his disposal. Would he use them on a house guest at a social event? It was possible, but Cass couldn’t imagine a polite society surviving long if such a thing was common.

  But she would rather not test that theory if she didn’t have to.

  Cass forced a smile to her lips. “I was just lucky I only needed to hold her for a little while. If I had needed to kill her or stop her any longer, I never would have managed. As it was, I fainted right after.”

  His lips curled into a scowl, his eyebrows knitting between his eyes. Was it anger with her non-answer or just irritation that she wasn’t falling over herself to fulfill his ‘noble suggestions’?

  “I got my blessing, too, father!” Ahryn interrupted, saving Cass from needing to guess what else she should share.

  The lord looked down his wineglass at his youngest son. His voice was unimpressed as he said, “So I heard.”

  There was no follow-up. There was no interest in Ahryn’s adventures. Just simple disinterest.

  Instead, his dark eyes landed on Kohen. “I heard you returned third?”

  Kohen nodded, his chin rising in pride.

  “But you entered third, as well.” The disapproval in his voice sucked the pride out of Kohen’s body.

  “Yes, that’s true,” Kohen said. “But I had matters to attend to on the way back. If I had not, I would have been back yesterday.”

  “If would-be’s were wishes, we all would be Dragon Knights,” Thaycer said.

  Is that a saying? Cass asked, only to remember Salos wasn’t awake to have a sidebar with her. She sighed.

  “Don’t be so hard on our Kohen.” Litya put a hand on her husband’s. “He did well. So well. Both of them did. Surely this deserves a prize?”

  Thaycer smiled down at his wife’s hand. “Perhaps. What kind of prize did you have in mind?”

  “Wouldn’t the dragons be more impressed with our son if he held a title, dear?” Litya said. “I imagine if you named him your heir before the ceremony…”

  “No.” Thaycer’s expression hardened. “It is too early to be thinking about heirs.”

  “Come now, I know you have been.”

  “He can’t name Kohen heir yet,” Alyx butted in, a shark’s grin on her lips, all teeth and bite. “Not until our bet is over.”

  “Your bet?” Litya repeated.

  “You didn’t tell her?” Alyx leaned back in her chair, an eyebrow raised. “I thought you would have at least told your wife.”

  “It is none of her business, or anyone else’s,” Thaycer growled, his fork stabbing into his steak with just a touch more force than was strictly necessary.

  “But you told Kohen, at least, right?” Alyx’s taunting tone grew with every word. “You promised you would tell Kohen.”

  Kohen stared down at his plate.

  “Tell him what?” Litya demanded. “Tell me what?”

  Alyx leaned back in her chair, excessively, aggressively casual. “Father and I have a little bet going. He thinks I have no chance of becoming the Knight. I think it’s all but guaranteed.”

  “What happens if you are selected?” Litya asked.

  Alyx grinned. “Dear father will name me heir.”

  “Thaycer, you didn’t!” Litya exclaimed.

  Thaycer didn’t quite grind his teeth together.

  Alyx’s grin grew.

  Kohen’s hand clenched tighter around his fork.

  “You’re looking at the Warden’s Heir,” Alyx said.

  “Not yet,” Thaycer snapped. “No dragon has picked you yet.”

  “It’s just a matter of time,” Alyx said.

  “Hardly.” Thaycer’s glare turned on Kohen. “Be selected by a dragon, and I shall make you heir, Kohen. Surely, with the advantages I’ve given you over the years, you can’t be so much of a failure as to lose now.

  Alyx laughed. “The game is already over. I hold the major blessing. Nobody compares to Fioreya, and even if they somehow did, she’s Alacrity’s Champion. The Dragon Knights have been chosen in every way, but officially. Do yourself a favor and save your efforts for the next contest.”

  Thaycer slammed his hands on the table as he stood. “That’s enough. I think this dinner is over.”

  Cass looked across the half-eaten plates with a raised eyebrow. But sure, why not?

  “Congratulations to our Alyx for her major Blessing,” his voice was forced and growling, filled with barely controlled frustration. “May the strongest candidate win the eyes of our dragons. May the rightful heir distinguish themselves before our grand city. All are dismissed.” He stormed away from the table, his head held high, but an unmistakable shame swirling around him all the same.