Valorian’s POV

Somewhere on the demon continent

“Are you all right m’lord?” Sten asked.

“I’ll *Cough* be fine.” I grunted while trying to stifle a cough. Damn, but I didn’t think this body would give out so soon. “Just need to switch soon.”

“Already? The humans are weaker than we thought.” Sten muttered, no doubt worried about his own body. “What are we looking for then? Soldiers abound.”

“No, we can’t risk that.” I answered. “Most soldiers are no doubt activated to go hunt down the rampaging humans we unleashed. We’ll need to infiltrate a city, and soldiers are terrible for that. A master thief would be nice, but we will likely need to settle for a few thugs and work our way up.”

“Great. More scut work.” Sten muttered, causing me to chuckle.

“Relax Sten. It’ll help sate some of the urges I know you have been suppressing.”

“Still. That little bit of violence is like these thrice damned ration bars. Sure, it’ll help you get by but it tastes like shit.”

“Ha! Truer words were never spoken my friend.” I bellowed. We chuckled back and forth for a minute, before I got serious. “We will save the capital for last. There’s too much chance of detection. I think one of the medium sized cities will be our first stop. Big enough to have a thriving criminal underworld, but small enough that they won’t have their best enforcers.”

“Hmmm.” He said, thinking. “Do you really think they would hide the energy drain in a smaller city? And if so, what would that city need?”

“I doubt it will be there.” I said, shaking my head. “But the city would need to be easily defended in case of a siege, and most likely higher in altitude. These lowlands are great for farming, but the ambient mana would likely interfere too much.”

“That narrows it down to three cities. The capital, Aerie, and Snowtop.” Sten replied. “Aerie is partially on a cliff, with most of it on a mesa. Used to be home to one of the larger flocks of harpies if I remember right. Snowtop is a mountain city with deep mines. Who knows what they have stashed in there. And the capital is well. The capital.” He finished with a shrug.

“Bah, I hate the cold.” I shuddered. “Let’s start with Aerie then.”

“Right, we need to head south and west, it is right at the edge of the portal desert.” He said, giving me a shudder. The portal desert. In order to keep our people from slipping through, the demons had altered the very lands around the portal. What used to be a lush jungle was now an expansive desert, the better to catch those who managed to pass through. Many failed to survive. While some were stealthy enough to evade capture, most needed to transfer through in waves in an attempt to force their way through. It was inevitably a bloodbath.

“I know, I still have nightmares about the crossing.” Sten nodded. “Come. We still have at least two weeks of travel before we even come close to Aerie. That’s not counting avoiding patrols of soldiers and other detours we may have.”

“Practical as always Sten. Lead on then.” I chuckled.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Under Queen Katerina’s POV

Demon capital, Demonaire.

“How are things looking Johanne?” I asked. Johanne ran the theifs and burglars arm of the Cartel. Not physically the most powerful branch, but they far and away brought in the most money.

“Letting slip the new marks has reduced unrest.” He said in a boring monotone. Understandable, as everything about the man screamed ‘ignore me, I’m not important.’ “Our branch will not oppose you or seek your removal, but neither will we seek to help solidify your position. We are content so long as our work is uninterrupted.”

“As neutral as ever Johanne.” I said, suppressing a giggle. “Brutus?” I asked the burliest man in the room. Brutus wasn’t a name so much as a title inherited by the leader of the Thugs branch.

“Split as usual.” He said with a shrug. “Probably sixty-forty against you, but you have the majority of the leadership. It should only be a month or two before we knock enough heads together to get everything back under control.”

“Very well.” I said with a sigh, disappointed with the time length. “Just make sure that it stays out of the streets whenever possible. We don’t need-“

“Pardon me, my Queen!” One of the guards said as he rushed inside. “You have a visitor. He calls himself Shadow’s Hand? I wouldn’t interrupt but he had a token from the old King…” He trailed off.

“It’s fine, send him in. We can’t leave people that important waiting. Everyone else clear out. Jim, Khali, stay as my bodyguards. Do not leave the dais.” I ordered.

“But-“ Brutus started.

“Enough Brutus.” I ordered, tone changing to an imperious one. “Unless you think a crippled Brutus will maintain his position for long? No? Then clear out. We will resume after I have spoken to our guest.” As the rest of my new court shuffled out, a barely perceptible shadow flickered into the room. I would have to adjust some of my guards and lieutenants, as I was certain only myself, Johanne, and Khali noticed.

“So where is-“ Jim started in the silent room, only to be interrupted by the guest who appeared a few feet away.

“Greetings, your majesty.” He said, giving me an imperceptible nod. “I wasn’t aware that another had ascended and the previous King was deposed.”

“It is no matter.” I said, waving off his concern. “I have been here less than a week, and have yet to consolidate everything. No doubt they were waiting for more solid information before informing you.”

“That may be true, but it is not for them to determine that. No matter, I suppose we can still work with this. Are you willing to abide by the Accords?”

“The Accords will remain.” I said, placing a hand on Jim’s arm. Poor bastard was out of his league, but he was the best I had on hand at the moment. “Relax Jim.”

“Excellent. I’ll inform his majesty then. I wish you luck in solidifying your base, Under Queen Katerina. I leave you with a warning. It seems the shadow is on the move, so watch for infiltration in your ranks.”

“Portstown?” I asked.

“Unfortunately.” He said with a sigh. “It seems they were going for chaos rather than conquering. They left a small enough force to pen in the city and prevent most messages, then split their army into raiding groups. Even now our forces are having a hard time tracking them all down as they raze farms in an attempt to deprive us of resources.”

“Shit.” I muttered. “Seems my first trial is already at hand.” I said.

“Oh? Making plans already?” He seemed amused.

“It’s either that, or starve.” I said. “Thank his majesty for the warnings. If we find anything of interest, do you have a channel you prefer us to use?”

“I do so love working with competent people. The third to last pew in the temple of Lokir has a false middle leg. Non emergencies can be left there. Should time be of the essence, send someone to the guard with the code ‘Crazy Orphans.’ The message will be passed immediately.”

“Thank you.” I said with a nod, and he somehow slipped into shadows and disappeared despite the scrutiny he was under. “Damn, but he’s impressive when he does that.” I said with a hint of awe in my voice.

“Just what the fuck was that?” Jim growled. “And who the hell is this Shadow’s Hand guy? I’ve never heard of him!”

“Relax Jim.” I said. “You got thrown into the pen with the dire wolves without any preparation. The Shadow’s Hand is a representative of the crown, and has been instrumental in our organization’s continued existence for centuries.”

“The King? Why the fuck are we listening to the King?” He snarled, dropping a hand to his knife.

“Don’t even think of it.” Khali whispered in his ear. In that split second, she had moved around my throne and slipped her own knife to where it was barely pricking his skin, just behind his jawbone. With but a flick of her wrist, she could end him and his sudden paralysis let us know he knew how close death was.

“Jim. The King is aware of us, and I am treated as a vassal of his. We pay a tax, and are afforded certain luxuries.”

“We pay them?” He growled, but moved his hand away from his knife.

“Not in money. We take care of the old, the poor, the forgotten. Did you not think it odd that we have accountants? They send regular reports to the king. So long as we follow the Accords, we are safe.”

“So what are these ‘Accords.’” He growled.

“We take care of the poor. In exchange, we are allowed to run our Cartel how we see fit, within certain limits. Ever wonder why we avoid killing so much? Or how we don’t import certain things? The King recognizes that a certain amount of lawlessness will always be around. He simply prefers to keep it limited, and helping us to maintain it is the easiest way.”

“And how do those stuck up nobles help us?”

“Ever wondered how we get certain plans? Occasionally a noble will get some silly idea of advancing through nefarious means. Sometimes they are allowed to proceed, sometimes they are hobbled. We get guard routes and safe locations, and our thieves go to work. Punishments for certain crimes are more lax. Guards often tire rather swiftly during chases. Small things like that.” I explained. Jim’s face went through several different phases, but they were gradually calming down.

“Damnit.” He said. “Only the top know?”

“Yep.” I said, glad I wouldn’t have to end him. It was rather close there for a while, and I would need him if I wanted to consolidate my power faster. “It’s also why once you achieve a certain level in the guild, the chances of you getting caught drop dramatically. Even you have to realize that we aren’t the biggest bully in the yard, right?”

“I guess so. Try getting more than three of the thugs to work together usually involves beating at least two of them.” He muttered, and I knew he was on our side again.

“I’m sorry you had to learn like this, but this is bad news on top of an already precarious situation. Now, would you send in the rest of the lieutenants again?”

“Of course.” He said with a slight bow, and walked away.

“Kill?” Khali whispered when she was sure he was out of hearing.

“No. He sees the need for it.” I said. “Though keep an eye on him for a few days.” It always payed to be cautious. It didn’t take long for Jim to come back with the rest.

“Not now Brutus.” I said, cutting him off. “We have just been given terrible news. It seems the humans have disbanded around Portstown, and are burning the fields as they scatter like vermin. So problem one is going to be food. Warn our people to start rationing now, and to put away some money if they can. There will be lean times ahead. Johanne, I want your branch to keep an eye on some of the more troublesome nobles. The ones who always seem to come out ahead in a crisis. See where they are hoarding grain, in case we need to liberate it for the masses.”

“That’s not all though.” I said with a sigh. “It seems this is likely a shadow master behind the human puppets. Keep your eyes peeled, they may try and infiltrate our ranks. If you suspect someone, let me know immediately. Do what you can to minimize exposure of secrets without giving the game away, but if it comes down to it then let a secret or two slip. Capture of enemy agents is far more important. I know it’s a lot to ask, especially as we are consolidating. But I have the utmost faith in you all, and I know you will get the jobs that need getting done. Dismissed.”

“Yes, your majesty!” Chorused back at me, and everyone gave some measure of respect before departing.

“Traitors?” Khali asked.

“Not this high, and not yet.” I said. “Have a few of yours make sure you know some of their vices and habits. Sudden changes and we can have a little chat with them.”

“Yes.” I could hear the smile in Khali’s voice as she disappeared into the shadows. Not quite as adept as the Shadow’s Hand, but still skilled. I doubted the skill gap would remain as wide as it was for long. Nothing motivated certain people like seeing someone better than them, and Khali was no exception.

Finally alone, I looked into my hands as they rested in my lap. I shifted a few times, trying to get comfortable so that I could think. The old King had joked that the throne wasn’t comfortable so that he couldn’t get complacent. I had thought it a joke, but he was right. Whoever had crafted it had made the seat tilt slightly forward. Bastards. That’s probably why the previous King never had a meeting last longer than an hour, and I was thinking of making it a rule too. No way was I going to try and reseat myself in front of my own court.

Frustrated, I got up and walked over to a side table. “Ah, much better.” I groaned as I sat in a wicker chair. Simple and comfortable. I looked over to see our coffers were slightly low. No doubt from the takeover, but still annoying. We were already starting behind in the race, and adding things to hobble us just wouldn’t do. I couldn’t ask the Flowers to raise their prices, the brothels wouldn’t stand for it. Maybe we could push to offer a few exotics in the mix? They could command a premium. I could raid the vault and sell some pieces as well. Some of the smaller gem collections would do. Enough to get some cash squirreled away before things started getting dire. I double checked my candle, making sure I had enough for a few hours. Looking over the books would take quite a while, especially if I was going to get enough money without causing panic. That was the last thing we needed.