“It is ironic that in many ways, it was the Usurper himself that was responsible for the God King’s ascension. After his failed war for the throne, The God King used the opportunity to seize the resources he needed to become a god from the rebel lords.

It was further irony that the Usurper was given the now vacant throne, despite his failure.

Chapter 29

Beneath the black cloth was a large, round shield, held upright on a stand. The ancient bronze had started to take on a slight greenish tint from age, despite the strong enchantments.

The shield, like the sword before it, had a visible haze surrounding it. The shield still drawing deeply on the ambient Mana even with the time that had passed.

A ring of vines, engraved in gold, adorned the front of the shield. The center was dominated by three concentric circles. The largest was a circle of gold, representing the yellow sun, Primaris.

Inside the largest circle was a ring of sapphires to represent Secundus, and finally a disk of ebony. A symbol of the black moon.

“Our final item for this evening is also an item once owned by Lord Kamen of Khmer. This shield was awarded to Kamen after the Usurper’s War by the God King, in recognition of his defense of Angkor.” The auctioneer said, before walking near the shield and pointing at the concentric rings.

“As you can see, the shield is adorned by the God King’s sigil, The Triumvirate. According to legend, he ruled Khmer for over a thousand years, before ascending to divinity following the Usurpers’ war for the throne.”

“Like the sword before it, we guarantee its authenticity. The bidding will start at one thousand gold coins!” She finished, before bowing to the crowd to begin the bidding.

“Five thousand!” The well-dressed man opened the bid, determined to have the last item of the evening.

“Ten thousand” An older man bid from a private booth.

“Fifteen thousand and you will have the gratitude of House Ashworth!” The middle-aged woman said, wanting to complete the set of items. She was more than willing to use the weight of her family’s name to scare off the competition.

The young man, stifled by the other woman again, opened his mouth to compete with the woman. Before he could speak, his servant standing behind him whispered into his ear. Nodding his head slightly at the other man’s words, the young man sat back down, a slight grin on his face.

“Sold! To Lady Ashworth, congratulations!” the auctioneer said, bowing towards the middle-aged woman standing in her private booth.

Wil didn’t notice the dark looks the young man was giving Quentin and the Lady Ashworth. He quickly leapt to his feet, eager to be out of the auction house. He politely offered Quentin a hand, which she took as she gracefully rose.

Wil followed her out of the room and back into the Foyer. One of the employees recognized Quentin and brought her to the Auction manager. She quickly collected a bill of exchange, signed by the manager and containing the Mercantile Associations seal.

She was quite pleased at her profit of twenty-seven thousand gold coins.

Quentin could bring the note to any Merchant Banker or Associate Branch in the Empire and exchange it for gold, rather than be burdened by such a large amount of coin.

In less than an hour’s time, Wil was seated back in his inn room before a large fire. The damp and rainy weather had left a chill in him, and he was reading his spell book in front of the fireplace before going to bed for the evening.

They had returned to the Inn to find the guards roaring drunk, with Bell passed out on top of a table. Ignoring the others, Wil had escorted Quentin to her room, before retiring.

Thinking back on the evening, Wil couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease, a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach that started just after the auction. Unable to concentrate on his book, he shut it and placed it on the table next to his bed.

He closed the curtains tightly, blocking the dim light outside and climbed into bed.

Wil closed his eyes and pictured his mother’s garden in his mind. The bright flowers and warm, gentle summer wind calmed his thoughts and allowed him to drift off to sleep.

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The weather improved the following morning. The blue sun was burning brightly overhead.

The morning air smelled fresh after yesterday’s rain, and Wil took a deep breath as he opened the window in his room. Gathering his belongings, he went down into the common room. Spotting Bell, he joined the other man at a table.

Ordering his breakfast, Wil turned a critical eye to Bell. The older man was clean shaven and recently bathed. He looked as if he spent the evening resting in his room, rather than passed out on a common room table.

Shaking his head at the other man, he looked around the common room to see that it was mostly empty. None of the other guards were present.

“Where is everyone?” He asked, turning back to Bell.

“Went to get the wagons.” He said, mouth full of bacon. “Miss Quentin is still ‘ere, so I stayed in case she needed anythin’.”

“Did I miss anything while we were gone yesterday?” Wil asked, tucking into his breakfast of eggs, bacon and sausage. He asked one of the serving men for a cup of tea.

“Don’t know” Bell said, shaking his head. “Don’t even remember you leaving. Things got a little muddled, wine must have been off.”

Wil snorted at the comment, taking a sip of his tea. “I wonder sometimes, how are you even alive? I’ve slept on a common room floor, drunk off my ass, and it took me a month to recover.”

“Years of experience and an iron constitution.” Bell offered, grinning at Wil. “Where’d you go with the young Miss?”

Wil told Bell about the yesterday’s auction and the items Quentin had sold. Bell whistled loudly in appreciation for the sale. He had accompanied the Caravan to Angkor, but he hadn’t known what they were carrying back.

Bell had nodded and agreed with Wil when he expressed his concerns that they might find trouble when they leave East Haven.

“The roads are usually safe from here to Central. It’s when you’re traveling across the borders that you run into trouble.” Bell said, taking a sip of his tea and falling deep into thought.

“I asked around town, a few trouble spots along the way that we can avoid, but it should be smooth sailin’ until we get to Elbing. The legion stepped up their patrols since the Orcs have gotten riled up and I haven’t heard a thing about any bandits.” Bell said, trying to reassure Wil.

“I’m just troubled about word getting out about Quentin’s little show last night. She’s counting on news reaching the capital about the relics she’s selling. She wants to drive up the price. But we need to make it there alive first.”

Bell laughed at Wil, slapping him on the back. “You worry too much, little Willy! Trust Uncle Bell to keep you safe and sound.” He said, pinching Wil on the cheek. “I won’t let you get knifed in the back!”

Wil slapped his hand away, scowling at the other man. “If we get attacked, I’m pushing you in front of the first arrow I see.” He grumbled, finishing his tea and standing up.

Leaving Bell, Wil walked out of the Inn and towards the stables. He helped the stable hand saddle and ready his horse. He considered throwing the cloth showing his family’s coat of arms away but decided against it. He wouldn’t hide who he was, but he wouldn’t rely on his family name.

Leading his horse to the front of the Inn, Wil saw one of the caravan guards running towards them. He was coming from the direction of the warehouse where the caravans were stored.

It was only a short walk nearby. Quentin had selected the inn because of its proximity to the heavily guarded warehouse.

The guard ran past him and into the inn. Curious, Wil tied his horse to the front and went back inside.

Bell was standing in front of the Guard, who was speaking rapidly, while gesturing wildly with his arms. Seeing Wil, Bell held up his hand to the other guard, before gesturing for Wil to come closer.

“The Warehouse was robbed last night, and it looks like they tossed the wagons. Go get Miss Quentin.”

Nodding, Wil took the stairs two at a time, quickly arriving at Annabelle Quentin’s door. Knocking loudly, she opened the door quickly, fully dressed and in the middle of packing her belongings.

“Good morning, you look lovely!” He said with a wide smile.

“I thought you should know that you’ve been robbed.” Wil told her, before quickly turning around and heading back downstairs. He left behind a shocked Quentin standing in the doorway.