Valkyrie's Shadow

The Tiger and the Dragon: Act 2, Chapter 7

The Tiger and the Dragon: Act 2, Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“What!” Liane nearly shouted, “How did we not hear anything? There should have been some news of the war’s progress – especially if it’s become this bad!”

Of the nine cities of the Draconic Kingdom, the five in the southern half were taken and the remaining four were surrounded. The towns on the sea were also under siege, but if the Beastmen had gotten that far, there was no reason to believe that the towns would last. Strangely, the map showed the Draconic Kingdom in an otherwise pristine condition.

“The sort of information you’ve been listening for is the type that flows through arteries of trade,” Ludmila said. “But if the Beastmen have pinched off those arteries, you won’t get anything at all. No Merchants, no envoys, no refugees – nothing.”

“Still,” Clara said, “this is beyond historical precedent. The Draconic Kingdom has never come close to being conquered before. If my information is accurate, past Beastman incursions amounted to major raids at worst.”

“High Chief Wagner,” Chief Venomscale said. “Who are these women?”

Liane looked up from the map. Her gaze followed the Chief’s outstretched hand.

“Ah, my apologies,” she straightened and reordered herself. “The lady on the left is High Chief Clara Odilia Dale Corelyn. The one on the right is Chief Ludmila Zahradnik. High Chief Corelyn, Chief Zahradnik – Chief Waruen Venomscale.”

?Why are we ‘High Chief’ and ‘Chief’??

She glanced over at Ludmila.

?Because that’s how it comes out in their culture. They don’t have an equivalent term so it comes back to us like that.?

?Our different forms of governance aren’t going to cause any problems??

?Well, it’s just us. We can be flexible.?

Chief Venomscale stepped aside, motioning to the men behind him.

“This is Kohl, of the Green Rapids Tribe. Oirquel, of the Broken Pillar Tribe. Ten Min, of the Eastern Lake Tribe. I have brought them with me at your urging.”

?They’re not Chiefs??

?He’d name ‘em if they were. Probably representatives or curious guys.?

Clara stepped forward with a warm smile, spreading her skirts in a graceful curtsey.

“Welcome to the Sorcerous Kingdom,” she said, “and welcome to Castle Corelyn. We have arranged hospitality for you and your companions, Chief Venomscale. I pray you will forgive us for any misunderstandings that may occur due to our cultural differences.”

“We will partake of your hospitality, High Chief Corelyn,” Chief Venomscale replied. “Is there a place for our Wyverns?”

“What do they require?”

The Wyvern Rider Chief turned to look at their surroundings.

“A high place that cannot easily be reached from the ground,” he said. “Aside from that, shelter from the elements should storms come our way.”

“In that case,” Clara said, “you may use the Dragon aviary on the east point of the island.”

“Dragon…”

As one the men looked around at the sky.

“It’s unoccupied at the moment,” Clara told them. “We can bring a meal for your Wyverns as well.”

Chief Venomscale and his companions nodded before remounting to take wing. Clara ordered her household to deliver several racks of mutton to the aviary.

“I wonder if they’ll take the wagons back with the footmen,” Clara mused.

“I wonder…” Liane smirked, then looked back down to the pieced-together maps. “What are we going to do about this?”

“Our objectives haven’t changed,” Clara replied. “Even when things are like this.”

Secure the Draconic Kingdom. Establish amicable diplomatic relations. Open new markets for the Sorcerous Kingdom. Build a platform from which they could launch the next stage of their ‘assault’.

“Shouldn’t we be acting right now?” Florine asked, “The entire Draconic Kingdom is nearly gone!”

“We should get as much information as we reasonably can while we have Chief Venomscale with us,” Clara answered. “Our preparations are already well underway, so rushing won’t gain us anything. Remember what I told you in the Arwintar Slave Market?”

Florine frowned down at the map, releasing a quiet sigh.

“If you plan on saving people,” she said, “you must make sure to do it properly.”

“That’s right,” Clara’s tone was grim. “This is not a Bard’s tale. Ending the Beastman invasion does not mean happily ever after for the Draconic Kingdom.”

“What do you think, Ludmila?”

Liane shifted uncomfortably as Florine turned to Ludmila for another answer. Rationally speaking, Clara was correct. Still, Liane didn’t like it when her best friend was so distressed.

“I have questions about this map,” Ludmila replied. “It suggests all sorts of things and I’m not sure that anyone here will like the answer.”

“Is it that bad?”

“That depends on what ‘bad’ means. Simply put, this is not a conflict between Human nations and the considerations for each side will be characteristic of the relationship between the Draconic Kingdom and the Beastman Kingdom.”

She wasn’t certain what Ludmila was saying, but Liane had a sense that the Frontier Noble was trying to spare them something unpleasant. Regardless, what mattered was that some legitimate remnant of the Draconic Kingdom’s government remained intact for the Sorcerous Kingdom to deal with.

By legitimate, they meant someone who could present their claim on the land so that the Sorcerous Kingdom could act at their request. This meant that the entire population could be decimated so long as someone in the nation’s hierarchy could be rescued, protected and used to justify military action. It didn’t matter if it was a city, just the Queen, a distant relative or even the cousin’s cousin of a bastard’s bastard.

Of course, starting from that point meant that the market they secured would be tiny, but there were advantages in any situation. In one case, the Sorcerer King had secured a thriving, healthy population in the form of the Empire and it was slowly being turned into a productive participant in the Sorcerous Kingdom’s hegemony. On the other extreme, His Majesty had secured the Dwarf Kingdom in the Azerlisia Mountains, which had been reduced to a shadow of its former self and teetered on the verge of total annihilation.

Considering their progress with the two countries so far, it seemed that gratuitous amounts of pain, suffering and loss made it easier to overcome rigid old biases, break through cultural barriers and build new bridges. If a nation entered into a relationship from a safe and comfortable position – as was the case with the Empire – a seemingly endless number of things obstructed mutual growth and progress.

It was better to construct a new house with better engineering, architecture and access to infrastructure rather than attempt to renovate an old one with all of its faults, quirks and shortfalls. In the case of a nation, it was trying to do so while the residents were still living inside and resisting change. Even if they didn’t resist, they had to be worked around.

In two, lightning-swift – diplomatically speaking – moves, the Sorcerer King had provided two case studies that demonstrated these principles in practice. Considering that His Majesty was a being of unmatched intellect, wisdom and foresight, he had probably done so on purpose, establishing early precedents for their nation’s foreign policy.

“As expected of His Majesty,” Liane murmured.

“Hm?”

“Ah, no,” Liane glanced at Florine. “Ludmila is more familiar with His Majesty than we are, plus she’s accustomed to dealing with Demihumans on a more, uh, assertive level, so her intuition is probably kicking in as to how we should see things. Clara’s also right: it doesn’t matter how easy or hard things appear to be, our task remains the same. We just have to do what needs to be done according to the situation. That’s why we’re the ones doing it.”

Lady Shalltear was no slouch, either. While it might have seemed to outsiders that she was simply gathering flowers for her private garden, she was also assembling a team of talented individuals who could operate autonomously to carry out the Sorcerous Kingdom’s policies.

Clara was their mastermind, a grandmaster artisan who crafted expansive geoeconomic and sociopolitical strategies, creating a grand stage upon which the Sorcerous Kingdom’s agents could operate.

While they were all innovators in their own ways, Liane specialised in industrial technologies and their applications, laying new foundations for the economic power that fuelled their advance.

Though they were all well-versed in diplomacy, Florine’s empathetic nature and overflowing charisma swept away the barriers of race and culture. No, that wasn’t the right way to put it – rather than sweeping away, she was like a gentle current that embraced race and culture and carried everything together towards whatever destination she envisioned.

Ludmila had many of the same intuitive and empathetic qualities as Florine, but tended to employ them aggressively. As a Frontier Noble, most saw her for her martial role, but she was far more than that. She was raised to be a vanguard of civilisation, and it appeared that it could just as easily mean a multiracial one as the Human one she was born into. Ludmila observed a mysterious ‘balance’ that seemed to dominate her perception and dictated her uncannily holistic approach to everything.

Ilyshn’ish was the perfect infiltrator in a world with a myriad of races. This not only referred to her ability to seemingly take on the appearance of any race, but in the fact that her Draconic nature and talent as a Bard seemed to blend into a perfect mix for her work as a covert agent.

Between them, they could sow chaos or bring order on demand; tearing down nations or building them up. Together, they were the shadow cast by the very same wings that had taken them in. That shadow would surely grow until it had cast itself over the entire world.

“We should wait for them in the palace reception area,” Florine said.

“Why?” Liane asked.

“So they don’t think we were watching them embarrass themselves,” Florine answered. “Powerful Undead like ours aren’t so easy to get used to.”

“But that’s half the fun!” Liane said, “Watching people react to the Undead is great.”

Back when they went to the Wyvern Rider territories, Florine had similarly kept the Undead away. The two of them walked into the misty valley with their Shadow Demons as their sole escort and relied on pure diplomatic acumen and salesmanship to get their foot in the door. While that was fun too, Liane still thought it was better when she had powerful Undead servitors looming behind her.

“They’re not here for your entertainment,” Florine said. “You know as well as I that shattering someone’s sense of dignity and security will more often than not have them aggressively react to compensate. This is especially true if you attack an image that they believe needs to be maintained.”

“But that’s the other half of the fun?”

Florine rolled her eyes and turned westward. She hopped off of the wall and her Shadow Demon appeared to glide her toward the palace.

Liane eyed the pair as they drifted gently over the front gardens. Could she do that? Maybe her Shadow Demon would let her go splat out of spite. Ludmila stepped up to the edge of the battlements beside Liane.

“Oh, me me me!”

They turned to see Clara holding her arms out towards Ludmila like a needy child. Ludmila smiled and reached out to pick up Clara by the waist. Clara’s beaming expression lasted for about as long as it took Ludmila to twist around and hurl Clara towards the palace. An undignified screech trailed after the Radiant Jewel of the Riverlands as she sailed through the air.

“Hmm…that scream hasn’t changed since I tossed her into the river.”

Liane watched Clara overtake Florine. It was then that she noticed that Ludmila had turned her attention to her. I wonder what sort of noises you’ll make was written all over her face.

“Wait,” Liane took a step back, “I’ll just–uwah!”

The Human javelin by the name of Liane Wagner arced through the air. Her arms went out instinctively as if she could balance herself in flight. She felt something grasp her underarms and Liane suddenly found her feet back under her as she floated across the garden.

As Ludmila floated down to join them, Liane combined her pout with Clara’s.

“Why did you do that?” Liane asked.

“I wanted to see if it would work,” Ludmila answered.

“What if it didn’t?”

“All three of you have damage reduction belts,” the friend flinger replied. “You’re all much tougher now as well, despite being civilians. You’d get away with minor injuries at worst…didn’t you throw yourself in front of a speeding wagon back in the autumn to find out what would happen?”

“I did,” Liane admitted, “but I did it to myself. You already threw Clara anyway, why would you do me too?”

If anyone was to be thrown, it should be Clara. Clara was the designated projectile of their group. Unless…

Is she trying to get me too? Just like she got Clara? Conversion by throwing?

Liane swallowed.

“I was refining my technique,” Ludmila replied. “Besides, you and Clara think too much and trust too little. It is better to get some things over with rather than agonise over them indefinitely.”

“Ludmila is right,” Florine smiled and nodded. “It was for the best. Our Shadow Demons are strong and reliable. No lasting harm would have befallen you.”

“It’s a good thing my bladder isn’t weak like Adelia’s,” Liane grumbled.

“Countess Völkchenheim is pregnant.”

They retreated indoors, crossing the atrium to the western half of the palace. The grand stairs that bridged the main floor of the eastern section to the second floor of the western section led them to a large antechamber before the great hall.

Since Clara conducted her domestic affairs in the administrative half, the palace’s great hall was reserved for ceremonial functions. As the Countess of Corelyn had no Noble vassals, the space served to hold balls, banquets and exhibitions while E-Rantel was still waiting for the appropriate facilities to be built. Lining the north and south of the great hall were side halls for secondary functions, conferences and exhibits.

“I forgot how stupid huge this place looks when it’s empty,” Liane said. “We’re not gonna eat at a tiny table in the middle, are we?”

“Of course not,” Clara replied. “We’ll use a hall in one of the state rooms on the third floor. By the way, do either of you know whether each member of Chief Venomscale’s party would like their own state rooms, or would they rather stay together?”

“They live in communal homes,” Florine said, “but I think it would be better to ask them directly. It’s poor form to assume that they would like something just because they must deal with it in normal circumstances.”

Clara led them up the right stairs from the antechamber, which led to a balcony overlooking the great hall. They entered the first state room and settled on a set of lounge chairs in the drawing room. Like the rest of the palace, the chambers of the state room were all magically lit and heated and each one was furnished to such a luxurious degree that the best suites of the Shining Golden Pavilion paled in comparison.

Liane relaxed in her seat, eyeing Clara and Ludmila’s long legs sticking out across from her.

“Now that I think about it,” Liane said. “Is the furniture going to be appropriate for these guys?”

“What do you mean?” Ludmila asked.

“They’re all short,” Liane explained. “You two are giants by comparison.”

Chief Venomscale was the tallest in his party and he was a bit shorter than Liane. They all stood at around a hundred fifty-five centimetres, making them roughly a head taller than the average Dwarf or Quagoa. It didn’t look like they had a complex about their height, but, at the same time, the wrong line of thought about why everything was a certain way could lead to all sorts of problems.

“They’re not so fragile as that,” Florine said. “As long as we focus on our business with them, we’ll be fine. On that note, I still believe that we should hurry.”

“I’ll be heading out after we have dinner and confirm the information that they brought with them,” Ludmila said. “The Draconic Kingdom is larger than I expected…perhaps it is like that for any place one only knows by name. From now on, we need to have this sort of information far in advance of making any moves.”

“Trying to make maps at that level of detail will get you stabbed by the locals,” Liane said. “It wasn’t as if we could buy them from a market stall.”

“That is no longer an excuse for us,” Ludmila told them. “We’re not powerless minor Nobles any longer, but we’re still acting as minor Nobles would – everything we’re doing now is so big, but our situational awareness is still the same as before. It’s like trying to sprint through a forest when we can only see a metre in front of our faces. We have the resources to do more than just sift through rumours that drift along the avenues of trade and travel.”

Liane crossed her legs, flicking her pale yellow skirts over her knees. It appeared that the surprising revelations brought by Chief Venomscale’s maps had indeed affected Ludmila, despite her outwardly calm reaction. Whenever a significant enough problem arose, the Frontier Noble always wanted to fix it immediately. The intensity of everything that she did turned into a tangible pressure that squeezed on those around her.

“You’re right that we should start doing more,” Clara said, “but keep in mind that we cannot do everything at once. There will always be someone or something somewhere in the world who could have benefited from our actions had we known about them and had we been there.”

Ludmila sighed, drumming her fingers over her thigh.

“Then do we have anything that can help us in the Draconic Kingdom?” She asked, “Stopping the Beastman invasion and pushing them out should not be impossible, but, as you say, our problems begin after that. What resources do we have to deploy in the Draconic Kingdom that will help us stay apprised of what is going on while we work?”

“We’ll be cooperating with the Draconic Kingdom’s authorities,” Clara answered, “that should be sufficient to start with. Once we can get our Merchant companies in, we’ll have a more complete picture of things.”

“How long until Ilyshn’ish is back?” Liane asked, “She can dig up all sorts of stuff for us that Merchants would otherwise miss or not care about.”

“She should be close to Arwintar by now,” Ludmila answered. “The Merchant she is travelling with doesn’t go faster than any other Merchant, so I don’t expect her to return to the Sorcerous Kingdom for another three weeks.”

“Couldn’t we get someone to Message her?”

“Ilyshn’ish isn’t there on some sort of recreational retreat,” Ludmila frowned. “She’s performing duties assigned to her by Lady Shalltear. After that, she has to get her vassals started in her territory.”

“A month is still better than nothing,” Florine said. “Besides, we’ll be there for much longer than a month. A project that involves an entire nation isn’t exactly a weekend excursion.”

Ludmila sighed again. Liane leaned on her armrest as she regarded the warrior woman.

There was a strange condition to her seemingly unshakeable resolve and infinite patience. If she was actively working towards solving a ‘problem’, she was the very picture of composure and temperance. If she felt that she couldn’t do anything, she tied herself in knots and became increasingly temperamental.

This was most often seen when she was out of her depth in ‘civilian’ settings. Without the skills and training to function as a civilian Noble, all she could do was brood, sigh and make scathing commentary. Maybe that was why she claimed to be at home on the battlefield: problems could be solved by stabbing them, which she was exceptionally good at.

“They’re here,” Ludmila rose to her feet.

“They are?”

“Coming through the atrium,” Ludmila replied. “I can’t hear them directly, but a group of Clara’s household staff is walking in unison towards this side of the palace.”

“That must be a hundred metres away,” Liane furrowed her brow, “through two sets of doors and two flights of stairs.”

“Even if they’re here,” Clara said. “My household will still escort them to their accommodations and they will spend time preparing to meet us…unless they don’t take baths.”

Ludmila sat back down. Clara smiled.

“I wonder if you’ll ever learn to harness that part of yourself,” she said.

“Maybe in part,” Ludmila replied, “but it’s also something that I never want to lose.”

“Why?” Liane asked.

“Because it’s essential,” Ludmila answered. “Aggression is crucial for warriors and we learn to focus it to good effect. Only when we have nothing to focus our aggression on does it become a problem.”

So she did realise that about herself. Clara went over to stand in front of Ludmila.

“If you need to focus on something,” Clara said, “focus on fixing my dress. I have no idea what you messed up when you threw me.”

Fifteen minutes later, Chief Venomscale and his entourage entered the state room. They joined them in the hall, where a long oak dining table had been set with jade porcelain and imperial silverware. The soft lighting set the arrangements aglow as Clara smiled warmly and addressed the Wyvern Rider Chief.

“I hope our accommodations are to your satisfaction, Chief Venomscale.”

“We thank you for seeing to our needs, High Chief Corelyn,” Chief Venomscale nodded brusquely, “though one must wonder why such extravagant preparations have been made. Hundreds may be housed here, yet it is nearly empty.”

“This may be my home,” Clara replied, “but it is primarily a place of gatherings. It is this large precisely because hundreds of people gather here, but because one does not have hundreds at any given time does not mean it cannot be used.”

Chief Venomscale grunted in reply. Each party took their seats facing one another.

?Hey, he does the Zahradnik grunt. Maybe Ludmila can communicate with him better than we can.?

?If you want to risk destroying the palace, sure. He could very well request a duel if we happen to get along.?

?…is he that strong??

?He’s at least as strong as I am. The three with him are all Mithril-equivalent. Sorcerous Kingdom Mithril.?

?Liane, are they all this strong??

?How should I know?! They all seem strong to me.?

If they were, it would make sense that no one messed with them.

“Is there any type of food that you cannot partake of?” Clara asked. “For cultural or religious reasons, perhaps?”

“Picky eaters do not survive for long,” Chief Venomscale said. “We are curious to see what the people here dine on.”

Clara nodded to the footman attending to her side. He bowed slightly before going to open the door. A procession of House Corelyn’s household staff carted in the first course of their meal.

While Clara usually dined on the cuisine of the Riverlands, which was heavily influenced by the Theocracy, she had opted for a northern menu to accompany their meeting. Her staff was practising for the imperial guests that they would have over the summer and she saw no reason to change anything.

A winter stew that featured a thick beef broth with generous portions of thinly-sliced meat, cheese and cut potatoes led the way, accompanied by hearty barley bread. Ludmila had suggested a ‘carnivorous’ menu as Chief Venomscale was a warrior of some sort. Clara agreed, much to Liane’s dismay. Their guests seemed to appreciate it, however, so she supposed that it was worth the sacrifice.

“I hope you’ll forgive us going straight to your delivery of information,” Clara said, “but Zahradnik here will be departing for the Draconic Kingdom tonight.”

“Tonight?” Chief Venomscale raised an eyebrow, “When do you expect to arrive, Chief Zahradnik?”

“Tonight,” Ludmila replied.

“I see. You have the bearing of a warrior but I cannot directly tell how strong you are. What would you ask of me?”

Ludmila set down her spoon, her gaze resting on each of the men across the table before speaking.

“Since you’ve fashioned the map the way that you have, am I correct to assume that the territories of the Draconic Kingdom have been occupied and not destroyed?”

“You assume correctly,” Chief Venomscale nodded. “Damage to the towns and cities appears to be limited, at least from above. Such is the way of these types of Beastmen, is it not?”

“We haven’t had to deal with a Beastman invasion before,” Ludmila said. “I have fought certain Beastmen in the past, but none so advanced that they have come together to form a country.”

“A people having a country does not necessarily mean that it is advanced, Chief Zahradnik.”

“I’m sorry,” Ludmila lowered her head apologetically. “I didn’t mean to offend–”

Chief Venomscale shook his head, waving Ludmila’s words away.

“That is not what I said. What I am saying is that it is not any degree of advancement that results in a country. What is required to form a country is the strength to bring the peoples of the land under one power. Goblins with nothing but sharpened sticks can create a kingdom while societies ancient and advanced beyond reckoning may choose to remain in wilderness tribes.”

“I suppose my views are biased due to regional norms,” Ludmila said. “Thank you for your clarification, Chief Venomscale. When you say ‘the way of Beastmen’, what do you mean by that?”

“Beastmen eat meat. Meat is best kept fresh by keeping it alive.”

Welp, there goes my appetite.

Ten Min slurped down the remainder of his soup. A Maid came to replace his bowl with a new one.

“How many of the Draconic Kingdom’s citizens are left?” Ludmila asked.

“That, I do not know,” Chief Venomscale answered. “I had no knowledge of the Draconic Kingdom’s population prior to creating these maps.”

Clara took a sip of her red wine before joining their exchange.

“What about the fields and pastures? Are people working on the farms?”

Chief Venomscale glanced at the other Wyvern Riders. Oirquel cleared his throat.

“The farms there are not as active as the ones we flew over in this Sorcerous Kingdom,” he said. “Those closest to the Beastman Kingdom have perhaps half of the population their buildings suggest that they should have, but people are working in the fields there.”

“The Beastmen don’t attack them?” Liane frowned.

“Why would they do that?”

They exchanged puzzled looks over each other’s questions.

“I believe I understand what’s going on now,” Ludmila said. “What of the Beastmen themselves? Do you know what races of Beastmen are present or their traits?”

“A Human and a Beastman look much the same when one is gazing down from high above,” Chief Venomscale said. “I can tell you what sorts of Beastmen sometimes intrude on our southern borders, but I cannot guarantee that they are the same.”

“Please, do tell.”

“Felid Beastmen appear the most often,” the Chief said. “I am uncertain if they are all the same race or not, but the ones that occasionally feed themselves to our Wyverns are something like bipedal lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards and cougars. They make for good rugs and jewellery.”

“What other types of Beastmen are present to your south?”

“There appear to be as many different Beastmen as there are beasts, but those are what we have seen in great quantity.”

“What about Gnolls?”

“Gnolls?” Chief Venomscale chuckled, “The hyena Beastmen are the only threat to us out of all of them, so they were driven away from our region long ago. None have appeared in living memory. If they did, they would be hunted down.”

“What of the Beastman Kingdom’s equipment and combat methods?”

“Many rely on their natural weapons, thick hides and massive bodies. Few have come to us equipped with metal…that part is strange.”

“How so?”

“Their equipment in general is mostly crude. Once in a while, however, one appears with a few exceptionally-crafted pieces. That equipment is fashioned for use by Beastmen, so we cannot say that they were trophies from the Draconic Kingdom. As for their combat methods…they end up being skewered from above by our envenomed javelins, so there isn’t much to say.”

?Well, that didn’t seem helpful for you.?

?On the contrary, it was very helpful. The Paladins that I’ve spoken with have plenty of experience fighting the Beastmen. This helps to reinforce what they’ve shared with me.?

With the nature of their aerial reconnaissance providing no detailed information on the Beastman Kingdom’s forces beyond their overall progress and disposition, the conversation drifted to topics that centred around Chief Venomscale’s visit to the Sorcerous Kingdom. Ludmila’s mind had clearly drifted to her imminent task, but Liane, Florine and Clara were more than happy to entertain their guests.

By the end of the evening, they had agreed on a tentative schedule for the next day. Clara needed to go to E-Rantel to see the Royal Court about initiating their plans for the Draconic Kingdom, so Liane and Florine would show Chief Venomscale’s party around the city while she did. When the Wyvern Riders retired for the night, Clara convened with the others in her drawing room on the palace’s fourth floor.

Aside from Ludmila, they had all changed into their nightwear. Clara was in a black slip while Liane and Florine were in silken white nightgowns that they had both picked up in Arwintar. In hindsight, it was a bad idea to wear them at the same time: they only seemed to amplify Florine’s overwhelming appeal over hers.

Still, having the whole floor of a palace to themselves was pretty nice. They could wear whatever they wanted for the whole day and see to their tasks in bed, on a couch or at a desk. Liane could imagine Clara lazing about doing just that.

“Do you think the Royal Court will let us begin in light of these developments?” Florine asked, “That whole thing about keeping meat fresh made me sick to my stomach.”

“But that should at least mean they’re being kept alive instead of being subjected to wanton slaughter.” Clara replied, “When Ludmila said the war was nearly concluded, I thought that ninety per cent of the Draconic Kingdom had been lost.”

“Seeing that nothing had been destroyed,” Ludmila said, “I thought it might be something like that. The problem is Clara’s question about the country’s agriculture. Urban centres don’t feed themselves. With the Draconic Kingdom’s food production so drastically reduced, they’re likely facing crippling shortages.”

“So that was what the farm activity along the Beastman Kingdom border was all about?” Florine’s queasy expression grew, “They’re trying to make the people in occupied territories feed themselves…so they can be eaten later?”

“That doesn’t make much sense,” Liane said. “They could’ve just stuck to raiding to achieve greater returns for less effort.”

“I won’t pretend to understand their side of things,” Ludmila said, “but whether it is efficient or not is dependent on what their objectives are. Either way, all it took was the Beastman Kingdom deciding that they would do a better job at running the Draconic Kingdom than the Draconic Kingdom could. By Beastman standards, at any rate.”