Rage and Rebellion (Histories of Havenhearth)

1.6 Chancellor

The chancellor stood and from her window, watched the language teacher descend the steps with her gentleman attendant to exit the property, wondering why she wore such heavy clothes for a summer's day. The green needles of the king cypress tree cast black shadows against the grey of the stone fence of the garden. The chancellor's attendant wanted to be rid of this foreign fiend as soon as he could, not understanding the chancellor's attraction to the boring foreigner, despite her adeptness at speaking the language of the Cassioni. The chancellor had her reasons, he concluded, and having been among her favoured attendants for some time now, he had learned that her reasons were forward-thinking. The attendant bade goodbye to the fiend, who continued down stone steps which led to the path into the town of Chevelles.

Bees buzzed among the sunflowers which sat in their fields beyond the complex, a luxurious striped blanket which stretched to the next hill, their bright friendly yellow a contrast to the often dark tones of the conversations had inside the room.

The linguist had had some strange questions however. Although the chancellor had closed down her line of questioning, she had been informed about something. Did she perhaps even suspect the chancellor of something? That was possible, although she did not feel so, as foreigners often did speak their minds, wishing not to hide true meaning and intention. Were foreigners not capable of seeing deeper meaning? It was such a primitive approach to human interaction.
What she was right about of course was the increasing amount of rumors. What was her source? If these rumors had reached the ears of the foreign community? What did that mean? Well that was satisfying in some ways, but it also meant the chancellor would have to be more careful about where his puzzle pieces were placed, for right now, the linguist did not know there was a puzzle to solve, and ideally, it should remain that way. The foreigners were not knowledgeable enough to know that they were in the midst of something. They were hastening an inevitable fall in power and they had no idea. The chancellor had placed herself well. She was aware of the activities of the foreigners, thanks to the wagging tongue of her friend, and under the guise of friendship would be able to know what she knew. Plus, she had been in Cassion power for many years, and her knowledge would benefit whoever she opted to share it with. She took a final look at the dark green needles on her tree, and made her way into the study attached to her reception room, thinking about her all that had been said, and her next moves. Next time, she would speak at length with the linguist about whatever it was she had heard.

She gestured to another attendant who now stood in waiting for her attention next to a sculpture of mythical stone reptiles near the entrance of the room.
He walked to a cabinet  and pulled out a small black pouch, which  brought over to the dressing table. He opened one of the drawers and removed some tools and a small tray. Using the tiny metal spoon to remove some dark blue paste from the pouch, he put it ito the pipe and lit it, handing it over to her. She took a deep toke, bringing the smoke into her lungs, holding it in, and then exhaling gently. Some Legis were users of the illicit substance, but being of untouchable status in Cassion, nobody said anything about it if they chose to use. Having taken one pipe of ergot and now in a slight daze, the gentleman sat with her.
"Has the date been confirmed?" she asked him.
"We have received confirmation, but not yet the date of arrival." The woman gazed absentmindedly at him.
"There will be a shipment at least, won't there? I've paid more than enough." She bowed her head, so her expression would not reveal any emotion.
"My contact tells me that more money is required before anything can be released."
"You were under strict instructions to refuse any further demands until the shipment was made." The gentleman stiffened.
"Yes, but you know how these dealers are," the chancellor raised an eyebrow, observing her contact for any tell- she suspected that he was taking the money from all these 'extra demands' for himself.
"Just get me my shipment," he sighed in annoyance. "Why can't you just buy them normally? I hate dealing with barbarians."
"I value your honesty, but we will never get what we need and on time if we proceed through the normal channels. At least the barbarians are stupid. they do not know we will use their own weapons against them."
"Speaking of barbarians, a bridge is being constructed now, and it is my understanding that the foundations are being presently set over the western reach of the Gloires River. A tunnel through the Herb Hills is being discussed also. There will soon be links between the eastern routes and the western ones." The man has to blink several times to moisten his eyes, the smoke in the room thick.
"Now that is progress. When is that due to occur?" She raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
"A few months hence, at most six. The engineer is most appreciative of your help, she says the administration has been completed promptly so that the building will be able to be completed without delay. I'm told that the locals might be difficult, and that village beliefs might see such development as progress to avoid due to the connection with the fiends, bad energy and spirits and so on. I have been informed of the imminent departure of protectorate forces from the capital to the Herb Hills, to quash any uprising."
"The Petroviese are here, in the west, there are those of Fuchsjaegerland, the Tainish, no disrespect to my friend the linguist, seem to be everywhere. No wonder villagers are feeling uneasy. The vultures circle above a corpse."
"Let us hope the corpse is one of their own."
"Quite. We must be wary of the vulture but of course we are also thankful. We have lots to learn, and if we are to be strong again, like Cassion of yore, we need their genre of expertise, in construction and engineering. And for that, at the very least, we must keep those of relevance at least safe from any manner of real or imaginary threat. I intend to see the construction site myself soon,"
"It will be so."
The chancellor had a glint in her eye, as she rose to her feet, "Thank you for the update. I have much to learn."
"As do I." The gentleman stood also, skulking off somewhere.