Firebrand

Early next day, the foreign council gathered to begin their work, meeting with envoys, discussing policies, and preparing to present them to the Senate for ratification. Seeing two mages push the doors open and enter, accompanied by none other than the captain of their own guard, the councillors looked around in confusion.

“Captain,” said the count acting as leader, “this is not on our schedule.” Despite the expectant gaze sent his way, Valerius did nothing.

“I come to respond to this.” Martel held up the note sent to him.

“If you wish to discuss the matter, you must make an appointment –”

“My ships set sail tomorrow,” Martel interrupted. “How do you intend to stop that?”

Nervous laughter mingled with scowls. “We represent the Senate of Aster, and we have its full might behind us.”

“Practically speaking. How do you think you can stop me?” Martel gave them a challenging look. “Send the city guard to arrest me?”

The count leaned back in his seat. “If it comes to it. Any order given by the Senate must be respected –”

“The city guard consists of the Tenth Legion.”

This time, the nobleman spoke quickly to regain initiative. “They have all sworn allegiance to the Senate of Aster! They are duty-bound to follow –” Once again, Martel’s forceful voice cut him off. “Do you think any legionary in this city knows your name? Or that any citizen does?” He let his gaze sweep over them. “Because I promise you, they all know who I am.” He hefted the black staff in his hand. “Do you know what happened the last time this Empire made unreasonable demands of me?”

“Master Martel, you must understand –”

This time, it was easy to interrupt the count’s feeble words. “I started a rebellion. And the Tenth Legion followed me, ready to stand alone against the entirety of the Empire. If I gave the word, they would rise up without hesitation and take Morcaster on my orders, just as they did once before.” He pointed at one of the councillors, an alderman. “I killed a praetorian knight in this room, right where you sit.”

The guild master flinched at being pointed out and grabbed a handkerchief to dab his forehead clear of sweat.

Martel was not done. Little motes of fire sparked in the air, surrounding him. “And you consider it wise to keep me restrained here? Surrounded by thousands upon thousands of loyal soldiers? When you could simply watch me sail away from your city? A city I could take with one command?” He let his disdain show, looking at each of them. As a final gesture, he summoned a flame to quickly devour the note in his hand, and the councillors watched their missive crumble to ash. He used his sense of magic to investigate their moods. None of them seemed like they had the courage to stand against him. “Tomorrow, my ships set sail. And you should praise your Stars that they do. Never give me reason to return in anger.”

He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, followed by Eleanor, while Valerius remained with an amused expression, watching the council. Orıginal content can be found at novel★fire.net

As they walked away, Eleanor pushed into him with her elbow. “I have rarely found you so attractive as in this moment.” She smiled at him before her demeanour grew serious. “Do you think it worked? I can see how criminals are cowed by displays of power, having no other mechanisms to work by. But these men wield the law and the authority.”

“Yes, but they’re also a council, and none of them can wield any of that alone. They’ll need to agree, and there’ll always be enough cowards among them to dissuade any action.”

“Very well. All the same, we should sleep on the ships tonight, and set a watch,” Eleanor suggested.

“Fortunately, we have plenty of old soldiers who can handle that.”

The two mages went briefly to The Firebrand, collecting their belongings and leaving instructions with Regnar, should any stragglers appear, before they continued to the docks. Moored to the piers lay three ships, merchant vessels suitable for transporting goods. Usually, they traversed the Emerald Sea to Sindhu, but a sizeable payment and the promise of the Blackstaff’s protection on the journey had convinced the trading house to let the expedition charter their ships.

Henry was already present, overseeing the transfer of provisions and equipment from the warehouses to the vessels. He greeted Martel and Eleanor with a quick nod and looked at their travel chest. “I thought we left tomorrow.”

“We do, but we’ll stay aboard tonight,” Martel explained. “How’s progress?”

“Getting there.” Familiar with the logistics from his days serving in the legions, the stonemage had a ledger in his hand and some charcoal. “We’ll be done by nightfall. If you got more lightstones, that might be useful, though, should it take longer than expected. The ones you got me are already in use down in the cargo holds.”

“I’ll enchant a few more,” Martel promised.

“And I shall go ensure a watch is set,” Eleanor declared, leaving them.

“A watch?” Henry asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Just taking precautions.”

“Alright… no, no, wait!” the stonemage exclaimed, hurrying after some dockworkers. “That goes aboard the other ship!”

Martel watched the stream of goods being loaded onto the ships. Tomorrow, people would follow. He felt a surge of pride suddenly, which surprised him. He had not felt any particular ownership over this expedition until now; it had simply been the plan, something to follow and protect.

Only now did it begin to feel real. Soon, they would make landfall and settle. Not to come as conquerors, waging war, but to place empty lands under plough and make a city where none was. And all these people, he knew, would come because of his name. Because they trusted him. The responsibility weighed on him, but only briefly; it could not be worse than leading twenty-five thousand soldiers in rebellion against an empire. And this time, he was leading these people to a home, not to battles and sieges.

Despite being lost in thought, Martel had not lost his caution, and he sensed the shape behind him. “Hullo, Sparrow.”

She sidled up to him. “Alright, I get that you can sense someone approaching. But how do you know it’s me?”

“The general shape of the heat you give off, along with a sense of earth that surrounds you.” Martel smiled.

The girl glanced at the ships. “You’re really going, then.”

“We are. Tomorrow. Still room for you and yours.”

“I heard you dealt with the bridge fellow. Ox.”

“I did.”

“You can be as ruthless as Weasel.”

“I can be,” Martel admitted. He turned his head to look at her. “But do you know the chief difference between him and me? At least where you’re concerned.”

“I’m sure you’re dying to tell me.”

“He needs you. And the others. His power, his wealth, it depends on you. If you leave, it’s gone.” Martel extended a hand towards the ships. “I don’t need you. I have power, and plenty of ways to secure wealth.” He glanced at Eleanor and afterwards at Henry. “I have love. I have friendship. I need nothing more in this life.”

Sparrow squinted at him. “What are you telling me this for?”

“So you understand that I have your best interests at heart. Because I can. I don’t need you for anything. But I invite you to join because I think it’ll be best for you.”

She looked ahead again, chewing on this. “You leave tomorrow?”

“We do.”

“Maybe I’ll be there. Us. We’ll be there. Maybe.”

Martel bowed his head to her. “The decision is yours.”