Chapter 335 - Curious Counts
“—the city guards are currently focused on securing the Commons and Guild Row before moving on to the outlying districts. We’ve established contact with the other cities and the imperial forces, and it has been confirmed that the Imperial General is dispatching half of the Fifth Division from Elystead to reinforce Freybrook and the surrounding region. In addition, Baron Aelrich, Baron Varden, and Baron Sorwin will marshal their retinues from the border to assist in the efforts. Reports from Crowbell and nearby settlements suggest the attacks weren’t limited to Freybrook, though we seem to have taken the worst of it.”
Scarlett only half-listened as the man at the head of the table continued his summary. Her gaze wandered to the cityscape beyond the large window at the far end of the room, where Freybrook’s rooftops sprawled outward, their familiar silhouettes marred by signs of destruction.
From this vantage point, the aftermath of the monster attacks could look deceptively mild. Few buildings had been completely razed, and most fires were extinguished quickly, thanks in part to Scarlett and the tireless efforts of the city’s defenders. But as someone who had been on the ground during the chaos, she knew better than to underestimate the true extent of some of the damage.
It wasn’t the first time she’d thought it, but the Tribe truly hadn’t held back this time. Or, she supposed, they had — technically speaking. Their forces had been divided and scattered across multiple regions of the empire, and Freybrook had been relatively lucky in that regard. But that was little comfort to those whose homes had been levelled.
She wondered how all of this looked to the average imperial citizen. Did it feel as though their world was coming apart? Or did they have faith in the empire’s defences? Trust that order would soon be restored?
“—Am I boring you, Baroness Hartford?”
The sharp note of irritation in the speaker’s voice pulled Scarlett from her thoughts.
She turned her attention back to the man addressing her. Sir Richmond, as she recalled — nominally the commander of Count Knottley’s house guard, as well as the city’s appointed military overseer. A broad-shouldered man in his forties, with neatly trimmed dark hair and a permanent scowl that implied he was rarely in the mood for pleasantries. He was, by all accounts, competent, though she had never gotten the impression he harboured any particular fondness for her.
“No need to mind me, Sir Richmond,” she said casually, offering a faint motion of her hand. “I am certain there are many here who are eager to hear your continued assessment.”
She simply wasn’t one of them. She already knew most of what she needed to know, anyway.
Richmond held her gaze a moment longer before clearing his throat and continuing. Scarlett let her attention drift across the room.
They were gathered in the conference chamber of Count Knottley’s estate, a spacious but somewhat austere hall that reminded Scarlett more of a military barracks than a noble’s residence. Around her sat many of the city’s most influential figures — nobles, knights, officers, representatives from the local Shields Guild branch, two priests clad in their traditional red robes and intricate masks, a pair of mages from Brook Tower, and, of course, Count Knottley himself. Alongside them were various lesser dignitaries and emissaries from trade houses and merchant groups, all present to determine the next course of action for the city’s recovery.