Arc 5: Chapter 11: The Lance
Emma took one look at the room, sniffed and said, “I think I preferred that shack by the docks.”
I stepped past her, wincing as my recently stitched ribs twinged. “It’s not so bad. Just get rid of some dust, move some furniture in, and it’ll serve.”
“Dust, sure.” Emma shook her head, her expression strained. “But what about all the damp?”
It was mid morning of the second day after what many in the city were already calling the “Culling of Knights.” Melodramatic, but bards need to make a living. Emma and I had officially moved back into the Fulgurkeep, and neither of us felt particularly impressed by the new headquarters of my operations.
Consisting of a set of five chambers, the largest of which wasn’t much larger than the common room in that little house in the docks, it lacked any furnishment other than some rotten old crates. The walls sweated with damp, the stink of mildew hung in the air, and there were old cobwebs all over the ceiling. I guessed it to be an old stockpile.
There were some windows, which made the location clear enough. We were on an outer tower of the citadel, set just above the rocky cliffs atop which the castle had been erected. We were low enough that the foamy waves crashing against the rocks below occasionally sent spray through the narrow windows, which explained the damp.
It also produced a constant noise. The waters this side of the ‘Keep were tumultuous, slamming against the black rocks of the isle as though the sea were waging a dogged war to reclaim it.
Emma’s aristocratic features shifted from merely disappointed to wrathful as we stared at our new accommodations. “Do they mean to insult us?”
I paced to one of the rooms. Each of them were connected by a single central chamber, large enough I believed we could use it for most of ours needs, with the connected spaces left for storing equipment. The one I checked had no window, was smaller than the others, and seemed relatively dry.
“Keep in mind the Fulgurkeep wasn’t always meant to house the government for a whole confederation of realms,” I told my squire. “Reynwell was just another kingdom before the Fall. This castle might look impressive, but it was made for House Forger, not the Ardent Round.”
I turned to Emma and shrugged. “I imagine room is scarce. Besides, it’s tucked away and relatively private. I’d rather listen to the sea all day than crowds of officials.”