Shadows 11.1
Jun. 10th, 2008 08:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
measured_wordsI have had most of this written for a while, really. but I finished it oin the airport, so hoozoo! The next part should get written more quickly, and then we'll see. I'm going to be on excavation in July, and in I tend to get a lot more of this kind of writing done when I'm away from the computer for some reason ;p I need to refresh myself on Pieces stuff before I go away as well.
Shadows 11
Mathilda Brewer had possessed a device for communicating with her masters back in Exia. They’d made her some typical grand promises – power, revenge, material wealth. Some of this she’d had, but none of it was doing her any good now. It had taken a while for Volaris and Lorella to convince Prince Lynel’s other advisers that it would be safe to hold her for questioning in the warded cells of the keep, but she’d finally been transported beyond Matteo’s authority that morning. He’d sent along a report of his findings, as well as a commendation for Marla.
She was here now, waiting for his instructions. He wished he could just tell her to carry on taking care of everything the way she had been since before he’d arrived.
“Good morning, sir.” She saluted.
“Thanks. Sit, please, Marla.” He could feel Gordon’s shade lurking in the dark corner behind him. He’d never said anything, but Matteo always wondered what his old boss thought about his own relationship with his subordinates. Formality just wasn’t in his nature. Gordon had run things very differently, and it wasn’t a big secret that, as a long lived Elf, he was expected to assume control of the agency some day. Maybe things would change by then. Maybe he’d change. Maybe they’d never reclaim Exia and it would become a moot point. He pushed the thought aside as Marla lowered herself in to the low chair they’d found his tent ‘office’. “I’m recommending to Lorella that you be left in charge here.”
“What?” She straightened up, surprised.
“You’ve done well here – people on all sides trust you.”
“People trust you too, sir. I thought you were sent to facilitate negotiations with the other Aldryn.”
“That’s true, but I’m not really necessary. At this point, I’m just an outsider coming in after all the action is over to appease a group who, to be honest, doesn’t really need appeasing.”
There were other complications as well, but they were personal, and Marla didn’t need to know. The locals weren’t concerned about his ties with the Exian loyalists, or anything much he had to say on their behalf. They didn’t think he should be there at all. No, he should be heading further east, to be with his family and heal. Matteo wasn’t comfortable with their concern, and after he’d failed to turn up any sign of his cousin Loraine in Exia, reunions were a touchy subject. If anyone had asked, or cared, what he really wanted, he’d have told them that it was to go back to the field. He was restless, and impatient, and it wasn’t something he could explain to the Lenysans. It wasn’t in his nature to want to be alone, but he’d rather deal with people on his own terms. Besides, he’d had quite enough of other people’s pity.
“They don’t?”
Matteo smiled. “No. Brewer had no accomplices. The refugees, with your encouragement, are organizing themselves and looking to their own survival instead of just expecting handouts…”
“I see, yes. I’ve heard that some of them have even started drilling. The veterans and ex-guards are starting to come around to the idea that they can do more than just wait for someone else to reclaim their city, as well, and want to be more active.”
“And there we have it. Not only is that great news, but no one had told me.” He had heard about it, but that wasn’t the point. He hadn’t heard *officially*, and Marla had. ‘I’m hoping we’ll hear back from the fort quickly, and get you more formally established.”
“Quickly?” She looked a little intimidated when he nodded. “I’m sure I’m not really well informed enough to take over here, sir, in terms of the Loyalist agenda.”
“They’ll send you any specific instruction if they have any, but I’ll tell you something in confidence. The only one of them who has any real confidence about what they’re doing right now is Chancellor Tavik. He’d the only one with any real experience. Don’t pretend you’re surprised to hear it.”
Marla shook her head. “No, I suppose not.”
“What that means to me is that there are a lot of open positions that need filing. So when I meet people whose abilities I’m confident in, I’m going to do what I can to encourage them and see if I can’t help them find a place where they can be useful. This assignment will be good for you, short and long term. We’re going to need all these people, to take back the city, and to clean it up afterwards, and you can help us manage them.”
Again, she seemed to hesitate, looking up I to the corner of the room as she considered. As an operative, she should lern to be aware of such mannerisms so that she could control them, and people’s reactions to her. There were some situations where you couldn’t afford to have people know you were thinking on your feet. He’d give her some tips before he left, and after she’d had a little more time to process things.
“Thank you, sir,” she finally replied. “I’ll do my best. Meanwhile, I do have some other things to report…. Before they’re my problem.” She smiled, shyly, as though the surprise of her promotion had loosened her sense of humor.
Matteo leaned back against the canvas of his chair and grinned. “Well then, let’s hear it.”
As it turned out, only one of the issues Marla reported was something that required their direct intervention. Continued conflicts over minor threats and insults between the refugees and local Aldryn were one thing, but she’d overheard some disturbing rumours on her tours through the tent town. Most of the Exians were committed to sticking things out at least for the short term. But these people were survivors: they’d fled Exia for different reasons, but it was clear that some who’d joined the band during the exodus were the worst kind of opportunists. The strong-armed order that Thomas Zeltaire was slowly instituting left them exposed. They’d formed their own faction in opposition, and were talking of leaving. That wasn’t the problem – good riddance to bad rubbish – it was what they were planning to take from the Aldryn before they left.
Elves never died of natural causes, but there were still diseases, accidents, and violent o death. In the recent conflicts between Dragonkin tribes, some Aldryn had been murdered by one group and used as undead soldiers. Those whose lives ended in such a manner could not ascend to the life beyond, to join friends and ancestors, without aid. If the manner of their death was known, however, the spirits of these lost ones could be recovered and guided to join with those who had ascended. Their kin could invoke the proper ancestor, god, or force of nature, to retrieve them.
There were shrines for this purpose scattered throughout the Aldryn lands. Larger communities might have their own, but in areas of more dispersed settlement, villages such as Lenysa tended to rely on more centrally located shrines. Although these small shrines had Keepers and tended to be in hidden locations, this couldn’t always protect them from determined or opportunistic outsiders. The rogue refugees were both.
He’d given Marla her assignment, and knew he could count on her. He would handle the rest himself. It was satisfying to have something active to do: something personally and professionally important that he was confident he could handle on his own. Matteo settled down to finish up some paperwork while he waited for his agent to return.
Shadows 11
Mathilda Brewer had possessed a device for communicating with her masters back in Exia. They’d made her some typical grand promises – power, revenge, material wealth. Some of this she’d had, but none of it was doing her any good now. It had taken a while for Volaris and Lorella to convince Prince Lynel’s other advisers that it would be safe to hold her for questioning in the warded cells of the keep, but she’d finally been transported beyond Matteo’s authority that morning. He’d sent along a report of his findings, as well as a commendation for Marla.
She was here now, waiting for his instructions. He wished he could just tell her to carry on taking care of everything the way she had been since before he’d arrived.
“Good morning, sir.” She saluted.
“Thanks. Sit, please, Marla.” He could feel Gordon’s shade lurking in the dark corner behind him. He’d never said anything, but Matteo always wondered what his old boss thought about his own relationship with his subordinates. Formality just wasn’t in his nature. Gordon had run things very differently, and it wasn’t a big secret that, as a long lived Elf, he was expected to assume control of the agency some day. Maybe things would change by then. Maybe he’d change. Maybe they’d never reclaim Exia and it would become a moot point. He pushed the thought aside as Marla lowered herself in to the low chair they’d found his tent ‘office’. “I’m recommending to Lorella that you be left in charge here.”
“What?” She straightened up, surprised.
“You’ve done well here – people on all sides trust you.”
“People trust you too, sir. I thought you were sent to facilitate negotiations with the other Aldryn.”
“That’s true, but I’m not really necessary. At this point, I’m just an outsider coming in after all the action is over to appease a group who, to be honest, doesn’t really need appeasing.”
There were other complications as well, but they were personal, and Marla didn’t need to know. The locals weren’t concerned about his ties with the Exian loyalists, or anything much he had to say on their behalf. They didn’t think he should be there at all. No, he should be heading further east, to be with his family and heal. Matteo wasn’t comfortable with their concern, and after he’d failed to turn up any sign of his cousin Loraine in Exia, reunions were a touchy subject. If anyone had asked, or cared, what he really wanted, he’d have told them that it was to go back to the field. He was restless, and impatient, and it wasn’t something he could explain to the Lenysans. It wasn’t in his nature to want to be alone, but he’d rather deal with people on his own terms. Besides, he’d had quite enough of other people’s pity.
“They don’t?”
Matteo smiled. “No. Brewer had no accomplices. The refugees, with your encouragement, are organizing themselves and looking to their own survival instead of just expecting handouts…”
“I see, yes. I’ve heard that some of them have even started drilling. The veterans and ex-guards are starting to come around to the idea that they can do more than just wait for someone else to reclaim their city, as well, and want to be more active.”
“And there we have it. Not only is that great news, but no one had told me.” He had heard about it, but that wasn’t the point. He hadn’t heard *officially*, and Marla had. ‘I’m hoping we’ll hear back from the fort quickly, and get you more formally established.”
“Quickly?” She looked a little intimidated when he nodded. “I’m sure I’m not really well informed enough to take over here, sir, in terms of the Loyalist agenda.”
“They’ll send you any specific instruction if they have any, but I’ll tell you something in confidence. The only one of them who has any real confidence about what they’re doing right now is Chancellor Tavik. He’d the only one with any real experience. Don’t pretend you’re surprised to hear it.”
Marla shook her head. “No, I suppose not.”
“What that means to me is that there are a lot of open positions that need filing. So when I meet people whose abilities I’m confident in, I’m going to do what I can to encourage them and see if I can’t help them find a place where they can be useful. This assignment will be good for you, short and long term. We’re going to need all these people, to take back the city, and to clean it up afterwards, and you can help us manage them.”
Again, she seemed to hesitate, looking up I to the corner of the room as she considered. As an operative, she should lern to be aware of such mannerisms so that she could control them, and people’s reactions to her. There were some situations where you couldn’t afford to have people know you were thinking on your feet. He’d give her some tips before he left, and after she’d had a little more time to process things.
“Thank you, sir,” she finally replied. “I’ll do my best. Meanwhile, I do have some other things to report…. Before they’re my problem.” She smiled, shyly, as though the surprise of her promotion had loosened her sense of humor.
Matteo leaned back against the canvas of his chair and grinned. “Well then, let’s hear it.”
As it turned out, only one of the issues Marla reported was something that required their direct intervention. Continued conflicts over minor threats and insults between the refugees and local Aldryn were one thing, but she’d overheard some disturbing rumours on her tours through the tent town. Most of the Exians were committed to sticking things out at least for the short term. But these people were survivors: they’d fled Exia for different reasons, but it was clear that some who’d joined the band during the exodus were the worst kind of opportunists. The strong-armed order that Thomas Zeltaire was slowly instituting left them exposed. They’d formed their own faction in opposition, and were talking of leaving. That wasn’t the problem – good riddance to bad rubbish – it was what they were planning to take from the Aldryn before they left.
Elves never died of natural causes, but there were still diseases, accidents, and violent o death. In the recent conflicts between Dragonkin tribes, some Aldryn had been murdered by one group and used as undead soldiers. Those whose lives ended in such a manner could not ascend to the life beyond, to join friends and ancestors, without aid. If the manner of their death was known, however, the spirits of these lost ones could be recovered and guided to join with those who had ascended. Their kin could invoke the proper ancestor, god, or force of nature, to retrieve them.
There were shrines for this purpose scattered throughout the Aldryn lands. Larger communities might have their own, but in areas of more dispersed settlement, villages such as Lenysa tended to rely on more centrally located shrines. Although these small shrines had Keepers and tended to be in hidden locations, this couldn’t always protect them from determined or opportunistic outsiders. The rogue refugees were both.
He’d given Marla her assignment, and knew he could count on her. He would handle the rest himself. It was satisfying to have something active to do: something personally and professionally important that he was confident he could handle on his own. Matteo settled down to finish up some paperwork while he waited for his agent to return.
