Chapter 60: Not Showing Your Whole Hand

“First of all,” Greenleaf began with pugnacious airs, “don’t expect me to just spill all the beans about my plans for the land. It is not part of the deal. I have seeds planted and I wish to grow, to expand in secret. The best thing you could do there is leave it alone to blossom. To fruit.”

“Ah, I see you’re sticking to the vegetation analogies, just like your ‘mother,’ mentor, so on… though you’re more fun about it, I think. How do you plan on dealing with the Dominion?”

“Not directly, not for a long time. Why would I? I’ll hide as best I can, and grow also elsewhere to strengthen myself and my believers.”

“Via your illusionary abilities, no doubt. What sort of believers do you have?”

“Again, you’re asking impertinent questions! Don’t think I’m just going to blurt out things like that.”

“I’m curious how things interact with Redberry, I suppose. If you’re partaking of the same followers.”

I wonder if this is a test of my knowledge? Is he still suspicious?

Annoyed, Greenleaf made a great mental eye-roll at Zadkiel. She tried to do it in the exact way she’d seen Redberry do it. “Give me a break! She doesn’t even do anything with hers. She ignores them. The Southlands are ripe for worship. The more clandestine kind, anyway.”

“True enough, I suppose.”

There was a pause, what she deduced was Zadkiel waiting for more of his questions to be answered. Okay, Sammy, this is it. Let him think he is getting closer to the next layer, the ‘real’ identity that is Stillwater, without dropping it obviously… give him the mystery to ‘cleverly’ unravel… vague, vague, vague at first…

“I have reach,” Greenleaf sent guardedly, “in many places nature touches, such have I arranged. Not miracle-working, mind you, but… you are better off giving me your areas of concern or interest in the lands and letting me see what I can do. I’ll get back to you with what I can discern.”

“Most intriguing… a spy network already, perhaps? Via nature, you say?”

Sammy sent back nothing verbal, merely presented the image of a proudly raised chin.

Deep, bass laughter from Zadkiel. “You wear that face so well! You’re doing well in general at this, though you should honestly relax. I don’t mean you any harm that you need to turtle up so much of your nature from me. What you’ve just told me makes you quite invaluable. I’d be an idiot to throw that away.”

The battlefield seemed to clear, the dead decomposing, and it became a verdant field. The banner fell to the ground and the sunlight shone down on blooming flowers. “I march to war, Goddess, but I’d never trample a flower.”

Wow, smooth, dude. Kudos. Can’t bullshit a bullshitter — like my dad always said — but kudos.

Greenleaf peeked out a little more curiously from the woods, showing a bit more of her dryad form. Because it amused Sammy, she had a few rabbits hop out into the field. And they went to munch on the flowers. Zadkiel barked another laugh at that.

“Now it’s just a matter of you proving what you’re claiming,” Zadkiel sent finally.

“You’ll get what I have to offer and you’ll like it.”

“Is that right? I should just take whatever morsels you deign to give?”

“It’ll be more than enough.”

“Oh, I doubt that. Surely you’ve heard of the insatiable appetites of devils.”

“Not really,” Greenleaf sent airily, innocently, but with hints of irony. “I’ll have to ask around. Well? Are you going to give me your targets or not?”

With an initial aura of amusement, Zadkiel answered, “Not my immediate front, as it’s well-scouted but deeper into the heartlands of the Crescent. The county of Heimus and those surrounding it. Troop movements if you can. If you have subtle spies that can get to the command structures and the noble decision makers, definitely some ‘morsels’ of intelligence would temporarily satisfy me.”

Sammy rolled her eyes on her throne. Keep on hoping, buddy!

Zadkiel continued, “I’m monitoring the mountain passes closely, but the imperial territories of the Dominion beyond are more of a mystery. Distance and a need for focus elsewhere. All information about this potential pipeline of response, knowing when they’re moving and where would be vital. Spies in their midst feeding us intimate details would endear me to you for a long time to come.”

“Don’t expect me to try the capital or anywhere near it.”

“Oh, I don’t expect you to, love. That would be foolish, I’m sure.”

“Do you have regions, city names, people of note?”

Zadkiel listed off multiple potential regions and cities, including the most relevant being the ‘argutes’ of Galseria and Mon Mako. The former was a kind of inner heartland that all of their movements, much less military movements, would filter through, including the Unbroken Fortress of Maltrazere.

Mon Mako in contrast was the true borderland of the empire, the last territory not a county or duchy with the semi-independence of a vassal state… The place one went through to go from the Dominion to the bottom of the Crescent. Most of its influence and population was concentrated in the city of Rivermount.

Sammy was certain to ask for landmarks and things to confirm the areas because she didn’t know them. Particularly natural ones, to stick to her false themes. There was no way she could pretend to have existing spy networks everywhere, despite Zadkiel’s leading question.

“What exactly is an argute?” Sammy figured Greenleaf’s ignorance and her ignorance would logically be similar for such things.

“You’ve never heard? You truly are a green recluse. It is nothing more than the Dominion’s ridiculous word for a county, overseen by a high council with a sage as an ‘advisor.’ Effectively rulers but in name, as none would be stupid enough to defy them. Their non-wizardly military is part professional elites of great caliber, part mercenaries, and part useless peasant levies, however well-equipped. The Dominion loves sending cannon fodder to die.”

He was exceptionally derisive about the last. “You never send anyone to die, then?” Greenleaf challenged.

“Not deliberately. I’d tell any of my soldiers what the odds are. Sore odds for a mission, I usually do a volunteer system. Unless I need some specific talent, then I’ll ask. I covet loyalty. My entire army would fight to the death for me. It’s their heart and soul to fight.”

“What about the imps and hyenas?”

“I’m not going to discuss them with you at this point. Perhaps when we’re more acquainted and trust is built.”

“I see.” Well, I can hardly blame him for keeping his own cards close considering what I’m doing…

Zadkiel also related a key name: Kerakora. A renowned general and military genius. If she ever saw him about, or could verify involvement or not, he’d consider it a boon to know. If he wasn’t, Zadkiel claimed things would be a lot easier.

“Is one non-sage really that important?” Greenleaf asked dubiously. “Doesn’t the issue of wizards — and I’m guessing multiple very powerful ones — blow everything else out of the water?”

“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” Mysterious and definitely cocky.

“Eh. Fair enough, Zaddy.” The term slipped out, which made Sammy wince. Fuck. Why do I have to be a dork?!

“Ooh, a term of endearment already? How lovely. I like it.”

“I just like funny nicknames,” she sent with a note of defensiveness.

“Mm-hmm. What will be yours, then? It can’t be related to ‘Greenleaf,’ I know this whole mirage is just that, after all. Give me something different, at least.”

Sammy felt an impulse to drop something hinting at the reality, but he would probably too easily disseminate it. Something else popped into her head, instead, which suddenly seemed appropriate.

“Puck.” She sent a little extra aspect to the meaning mentally, in case it didn’t translate well to him. And spinning femininity into it.

There was an initial shock and sheer amazement. “A touch of the demonic in a female satyr?!” Then there was sudden realization and laughter. “Ah, but you wouldn’t just come out with something like that! Inconceivable! Another lie! Ha. You really are something… Puck. Intrigues upon intrigues.”

“Well, I do try.”

“I think it’s time I run. But this was quite a productive first meeting. Much promise lies in our future, mm? Hopefully we can meet more directly one day…”

“Time will tell. I’m sure you’ve got your hands full enough.”

“Perhaps, but there’s always room for seeds that have potential measured in breadths of starlight. So it might crowd the rest to grow. Until next time, Puck.” The eyes on the horizon faded away as he withdrew.

Sammy felt a bit mentally drained afterward, from the game of charades. Zaddy- Zadkiel was going to be a lot to handle, and she was dancing away enchantingly the whole while, from his pursuit of her true nature. Probably her, period. And he was enjoying it.

It’ll be fine… everything’s fiiiine…

In the early morning, many of her Followers were getting an early start, but there wasn’t much to concern herself with other than keeping up their buffs of utility or endurance, something she could do with perfect, subconscious ease. Bast was still going, and vaguely reported he was making excellent time. Early afternoon it would be after all.

No time being like the present, Sammy shifted to her throne to begin checking into the regions indicated by Zadkiel. She focused on water mirrors for info first and foremost… first in Heimus and surrounding counties beyond what she knew to be the vicinity of Merrington.

She found plenty of communities, and the two primary walled cities and castles Zadkiel had mentioned. Day-to-day business.

She began to have a bit of an ‘itch’ from a bunch of activity related to a ‘mirror,’ which when she located it, she discovered was a well. Not exceptional necessarily, but… then another well, close by.

He mentioned this. Twin Wells.

The surfaces would go still and form a mirror from light filtering down… and then blind her to sensing through it when the buckets dropped in. She also had extremely elusive senses triggering at the top, from disturbed water…

She realized they were troughs being dumped into. Systematically, up and dump, up and dump. Then she focused and focused more and managed to faintly hear noises…

Horses.

When she began pinging for more mirrors, she soon found small ones scattered around the area inside tents. Men’s shaving mirrors, the best likely in possession of leaders and officers. And a few pools of water just big enough.

From a pool made by a washbasin bowl on a stand, she caught an important-looking man with long gray hair and a groomed beard, sitting down at a kind of foldable wooden table and chair, looking over at someone at the entrance of the tent. The tent was perhaps as big and lavish as it got for one person.

“You can tell him we’re bloody staying put right here until we get word back, sergeant. Simple as that.”

“Yes, my lord!” The soldier disappeared back out of the tent.

The lord, general — whatever he was — turned back to his table, still being illumined by a lantern in the relative dark of the tent. He was writing letters, it seemed.

Well… I guess there are forces at Twin Wells. That’s maybe news? Or he knows and this is a way to verify my capability and truthfulness.

She made note of multiple mirrors, memorizing, intent on making sure she knew just when they would move. While she didn’t want to go rushing to give the information immediately and show how quickly she could work, she also didn’t want to have them vacating before reporting.

When she searched around for Galseria, it was not long at all before she felt something like a black hole to her senses, standing out in its sheer lack of access. That had to be the Unbroken Fortress, as Zadkiel had related it was heavily, heavily warded. His words came to her:

‘The war wizards lie within that place. Executioners. Mass murder specialists on the battlefield. Cold, unfeeling, sweeping the scythe through flesh like nothing more than upright wheat that needs to drop.’

The city of Matrazere was nearby. She caught multiple angles, thanks to the fact the city was fed by aqueducts and was crisscrossed with endless canals, some open to the air, and some of these had quite still waters, overall. She was able to get multiple views of the fortress itself, as it loomed above on a rocky incline.

It was all dark gray — drab and foreboding at once. High, not at all majestic walls, merlons on the top with protective runes etched in. Even these were understated, made for supreme, pure functionality. Four towers rose high behind the walls, and these were no more decorative, like they were tediously deprived of all features in their creation… everything except for more gigantic runes.

The runes communicated something very much like ‘unbreakable.’

____________________________________________________________

« Chapter 59 | Table of Contents | Chapter 61: Observation »

____________________________________________________________