Valkyrie's Shadow

The Tiger and the Dragon: Act 1, Chapter 11

The Tiger and the Dragon: Act 1, Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Their journey brought them south out of the narrow canyon at the northern end of Warden’s Vale, but the familiar scenery of Ludmila’s home no longer immediately opened up to people travelling on the river.

With the changes to the valley floor, the canyon saw a sort of ‘extension’ as the surface of the lake replacing the floodplain was roughly thirty metres higher than the river at the entrance to the canyon. Lord Mare had ‘scooped up’ the northern half of the old marsh, creating a deep aquatic landscape for races that might eventually show up and make their homes there. The granite bedrock had been reshaped into solid embankments roughly a kilometre across, separating the river from the reformed body of water.

As a result, travellers could see the range above the cliffs to the eastern shore as could they see south along the course of the river. The scenery past the west bank gradually opened up as they progressed and the river rose in elevation, but since even the ‘city island’ was a good ten metres above the river, one couldn’t see the lake unless they went ashore.

A part of her lamented the loss of the old view, but at the same time, the changes ultimately made Warden’s Vale a more vibrant place.

“I am enjoying this view so far, domina, but there is something wrong with one of your mountains.”

Ludmila couldn’t say that Alessia was wrong, as it did appear that there was something wrong with one of her mountains. The mountain in question was ‘Mount Verilyn’, which – as Ilyshn’ish had claimed it would be – was still crowned in ice. Winter did dump quite a bit of snow onto the peaks around her home, but the range around her companion’s territory was already well on its way to shedding its seasonal coat. The Frost Dragon’s home, however, was covered in snow all the way to the base of the mountain.

“I might not be a Druid, my lady,” Themis said, “but even I can tell that it should not be like that. Not that it is an eyesore or anything – it is quite pretty, in fact.”

“A Frost Dragon started lairing there last autumn, Vicar,” Ludmila explained. “She said something about the mountain eventually forming glaciers, but it felt like an exaggeration at the time.”

She pondered what the radical change to the mountain would mean for the rest of her territory, but the peaks outside of the lands granted to Ilyshn’ish appeared to be no different than any of the previous springs. Since she didn’t feel that it was bad for her territory, Ludmila generally shared the same assessment as Alessia and Themis. Mount Verilyn had a nice, iconic feel to it that improved the scenery of the Vale.

“I feel like there’s a missed opportunity here,” Liane frowned. “You want the city to be based on the military and magical-related industries, but it’s way nicer than Nixhaven here. If you develop some high-class districts, rich people from all over the place will come to escape the summer heat.”

“With the administration’s urban standards,” Florine noted, “every town and city will eventually be like a high-class district in the Empire.”

“Except they’re missing the big spaces” Liane replied.

“Except for that,” Florine conceded.

“There will be plenty of green areas all over the city,” Ludmila told them. “Everyone will have ‘big spaces’ to enjoy, not just the wealthy. I have no intention of turning it into an ugly urban scar like Arwintar.”

This was a point that she would always stand firm on. In accordance with the wishes of her ancestors, Warden’s Vale would remain a verdant natural sanctuary for its residents. The Empire’s capital was repulsive to her in ways that she didn’t share with her friends: it was a place that reflected the character of a country that had cared little for living in harmony with the world.

She had no interest in turning her home into an endless sprawl of ubiquitous buildings lined along desolate, sun-baked streets. Profit and productivity were all well and good, but not at the expense of the land. Lady Aura and Lord Mare heartily supported the notion and periodically stopped by to help with one thing or another.

“You have plenty of land,” Liane said. “Just let us build a palace or two.”

“If you want to come over,” Ludmila replied, “you can just stay over at my place.”

“Didn’t you say that your place was a ‘repurposed shophouse’?”

“That is a temporary residence. I will have a proper one in the citadel sooner or later.”

‘Temporary’ appeared to be the main theme of the harbour settlement so far. Everything was pending some other thing which was contingent on a whole slew of other things. Her permanent residence wouldn’t be constructed until the plans for the city’s administrative district were finalised. Those plans awaited the finalisation of the plans for the city’s main citadel, which was pending Ludmila’s ongoing research and development of the city’s defensive doctrines, the design of its fortifications and the materials that would go into them.

Once she had a more solid idea of those, she could go ahead with construction but everything would eventually see a replacement with time. Even the military base structures, forge complex and the ‘Faculty of Alchemy’ in the citadel district would be replaced with improved buildings when it merited the cost.

The one thing that could not be changed, however, was Glasir’s tree. Once she put her roots down, the design of the city would forever be planned around her.

“Ah – Zahradnik’s got that look again,” Liane said.

“What look?” Alessia asked.

“The ‘mother’ look,” Liane answered. “It only happens when she’s thinking about her kids.”

Themis and Alessia levelled silent stares at Ludmila.

“Hehhh…” the Vicar said. “Since when did Lady Zahradnik have children?”

“The last one was around winter,” Liane said.

“We have not seen her for some time…could it be that this ‘trip’ to the Empire was an excuse to hide a pregnancy?”

“I did not know that the domina was such a sinful girl,” Sister Alessia intoned. “To think that I had so much respect for her.”

Liane stepped behind Florine, who in turn moved away.

“While I may be something like a parent to them,” Ludmila said, “they are not the children of my blood.”

Alessia vanished from sight, reappearing at Liane’s side in a blink. Ludmila was reminded to ask her about Shukuchi at some point.

“I see,” the Paladin said. “How shall I punish this one for her slander, domina?”

“P-punish?” Liane tugged against the Paladin’s grip to no avail, “It was just a joke!”

“You are in Ludmila’s territory now,” Clara said. “It could be said that you just committed an act of defamation against the local lord.”

“Florine, help!”

Florine sniffed and turned away.

One punishment later, the barge cleared the riverbend and approached the harbour. A Vampire Bride in a harbour staff uniform waved down to them near the entrance to one of the berths.

“What is that orange stick she is waving?” Themis asked.

“Just something to signal vehicles with,” Clara answered. “They are used all around the duchy where construction is being directed by the Ministry of Transportation. I have never seen them used before then, but they seem to be very useful.

The barge slowed and turned to align itself with the entrance to its berth. Periodic creaks filled the air as the gate swung inward, revealing a narrow channel similar to the locks in Corelyn Harbour. The channel was cut into the stone of the island, ending in a dead end approximately sixty metres from the gate.

“Hmm…this is different from Corelyn Harbour,” Alessia said. “Is there a reason for this?”

“They’re different concepts for raised and fortified harbours, Sister Alessia,” Clara replied. “They each have their benefits and detriments. For instance, since the berths in Warden’s Vale open directly into the river, it is less prone to traffic problems. The downside is that there are fewer berths for the same stretch of waterfront. It will take a while to figure out the optimal design.”

“Is there a need for raised and fortified docks, Lady Corelyn?” Themis asked, “The Sorcerous Kingdom’s security is second to none.”

“There may not be any pressing need for this sort of security in the Sorcerous Kingdom, Vicar Aspasia,” Clara answered, “but it may eventually be required elsewhere. The more practical reason for these raised harbours is that the Katze River can experience heavy flooding. Since the difference between the wet and dry seasons can be up to five metres, we needed a way to ensure that the water level was stable for operations year-round because these barges are highly dependent on harbour infrastructure to function optimally.”

A shadow fell over them as the barge slowly slipped into its berth. The gate closed behind the vessel and the water slowly rose to bring them to harbour level. Alessia looked over the edge of the vessel to watch the swirling waters below.

“Where does the water to fill this lock come from?”

“Water from the lake on the other side is channelled under the city,” Ludmila said. “All one needs to do is open the appropriate valve to fill any of the berths. It is a lot easier than Corelyn Harbour, where pumps are used to fill a reservoir. Come to think of it, they might need more of them once our barge traffic is frequent.”

“You speak of these ships in the plural, my lady,” Themis said, “but we only saw this one in the harbour. Are more being constructed?”

“The others are already on the river,” Clara replied, “they are being put through their paces and making sure there are no surprises on the way to the sea.”

In addition to what Clara mentioned, they were delivering cargo-handling infrastructure to Lagaš. Once the equipment was set up and the harbour dredged, the abandoned capital of the Katze Plains would begin to see trade again. While the environment was hostile to the living, they could still use it as a depot for goods.

As the main deck of the barge rose above the walls of the berth, the test crew opened the shutters over the hold. Everyone watched as a gurney crane was rolled overhead by a couple of Death Warriors. Its lifting frame was lowered into the hold to take the first cargo container away. Ludmila eyed it as it swayed ever so slightly.

“Have there been any accidents with these things yet?” She asked.

“We’ve done hundreds of tests,” Liane answered. “The enchanted cables are repaired with advanced Mending spells long before they’re in danger of snapping.”

“What about the people part?”

“People can still make mistakes,” Liane said. “Including the Undead. We have all sorts of precautions so no one’s gone squish yet.”

She certainly hoped that it would continue to be that way. Unlike most workplace accidents, having one with a twenty-tonne cargo container would be fatal for most.

The crane rolled away with its load, depositing it in the holding area beside the berth. After watching the process repeated several more times, they disembarked from the ship. A few dozen metres away from the activity, Jeeves was watching the harbour crews go back and forth. The diminutive Skeleton harbourmaster performed his characteristic bow as they approached.

“Welcome back, my lady!”

“It is good to be home,” Ludmila smiled in reply.

“Hey,” Alessia said, “how come this Skeleton can talk?”

“Jeeves is a Skeleton Merchant of some kind,” Ludmila replied. “I am still not exactly sure how he fits in the grand scheme of Undead things.”

“He’s also another one of Zahradnik’s kids,” Liane lowered her voice conspiratorially.

Themis and Alessia eyed Jeeves, then Ludmila.

“At least this one is child-sized,” Themis said.

“How many more ‘children’ do you have, domina?” Alessia asked, “You seem to be having different kinds? Maybe we will see an Elemental and a Demon next. Who did you have this one with, by the way?”

“The Royal Treasurer,” Liane said.

Alessia fell silent for a moment, then sighed.

“This is turning into one of those racy novels that Themis hides under her–mphgh!”

“Do you have anything recent to report, Jeeves?” Ludmila asked.

“Other than things going according to plan, no,” Jeeves answered. “Everything was set up well in advance for testing, so now it is just a matter of making sure everything works. Aside from that…hmm, the Death Warrior captain is taking your knarr up and down from the Upper Reaches now and has reported no hazards on the river.”

“That is good to hear. In that case, Dame Verilyn’s new vassals will have no issues transporting things from the harbour. Thank you, Jeeves.”

They left the Skeleton Merchant to his work and went down the street towards the passenger wagon stop. Ludmila squirmed internally as her guests scrutinised the rest of the infrastructure as they went. Aside from the cranes needed to service the new barges, everything was very basic – near the bare minimum of what was required to handle and store cargo.

“Domina, I have a question.”

“What is it, Sister Alessia?” Ludmila replied carefully.

“This harbour must be three kilometres long,” the Paladin said. “Surely this is a bit much?”

Ludmila supposed that it would seem that way. Never mind the comically small population of the harbour relative to the size of the island, the size of the island itself would be a metropolis on the scale of a national capital if completely developed.

“Everything you see right now is all that there will probably be for the indeterminate future,” Ludmila told her. “The development planned for my demesne will be more than enough to support the city that will eventually rise here. If we end up never needing the space, we can repurpose it into something else.”

“Hmm…you said you have Demihumans here, yes?”

“They are not in the harbour yet. Demihumans sometimes pass through and Lizardmen come to trade, but the other Demihuman populations in my territory are still sticking to their natural habitats and traditional behaviours. It might be a while before we see enough change and they grow brave enough to permanently move in.”

“How do your Human subjects get along with them?” Themis asked, “E-Rantel’s citizens are still unused to their presence and the Demihuman Quarter’s Human visitors amount to Merchants trading with the Dwarves and checking the surface market.”

“There have been no incidents reported for months now,” Ludmila said. “Everyone has been keeping to themselves, though that may be because it was winter. The Royal Army is keeping an eye on things; we will just have to see what happens when the tribes become more active.”

“What happens if something happens?”

“The law happens,” Ludmila said flatly.

They boarded a wagon waiting for them at the harbour’s passenger stop, while her friends’ household staff boarded another behind. Ludmila was all too aware of the rough ‘road’ – a predetermined route over the unworked stone of the island – as they rumbled along. After several violent bounces, Clara attached herself to Ludmila.

“This really is the frontier, huh–ow!”

Liane rubbed her thigh as she glowered at Florine. After a moment, her gaze fixed itself on where Clara was stuck to Ludmila’s arm.

“There’s something I’ve been wondering about, Themis,” Liane said. “How come no one ever says anything about that?”

“About what?”

“Y’know,” Liane pointed with her chin, “the thing Corelyn and Zahradnik have going.”

Themis followed Liane’s gesture, and then shared a glance with Ludmila and Clara.

“Why would anyone say anything about that?” Themis said. “It is a private matter between them, yes?”

“Isn’t the Faith of the Six all about propagating humanity, cultivating bloodlines and all that?” Liane asked, “I may be wrong, but this sort of relationship doesn’t result in babies. Since that’s the case, I figured you’d be against it.”

“I do not see why it would be a problem as long as they bear children,” Themis answered. “In fact, there are certain advantages to such a relationship.”

“Like what?”

“Not everyone has the discipline to rein in their base nature,” the Vicar said. “If a boy and girl are too adventurous, then a mistake can happen. Two girls, however, cannot make that sort of mistake. They are free to be intimate even before they are recognised as adults.”

“But what happens when they’re adults and you want them to make a mistake–I mean, to have a kid?”

“How else does one have children?”

Liane opened her mouth and then closed it again, tilting her head this way and that.

“Is that really fine?” Florine asked, “What about their feelings on the matter?”

“Our feelings are that it is utterly foolish to not pass on one’s bloodline,” Ludmila said. “I do not understand why you are looking for things to be unhappy about. Besides, as Noble scions – well, no, many commoners do this too – matches arranged by our families do not prioritise personal feelings. Why would this suddenly become an exception?”

“Fine,” Liane crossed her arms, “then how does it work?”

“Family planning is done with the assistance of the Temples,” Themis said. “Once a match is accepted, the arrangement is up to those involved. Generally speaking, it will be practical for both parties while ensuring an acceptable level of support for the resulting children. Usually, it is beneficial since they are of similar vocations and a blending of knowledge, techniques, skills and connections comes with the union.”

“Hmm…so Corelyn was engaged to…” Liane started, then frowned. “Wait a minute. Waiiit a minute! Corelyn was engaged to Zahradnik’s brother, so that means she got to live with…that’s so sneaky! Did you plan that?”

As Liane’s voice rose in vexed incredulity, Florine pulled out a pad of paper. What was she doing? Taking down ideas for the next volume of Dreams of Red? With the wagon jouncing around so much, she didn’t appear to be having much success.

“It was a match with benefits for everyone involved,” Clara smiled slightly. “Politically speaking, it was an alliance between House Corelyn and House Zahradnik, formalising an already amicable relationship established generations ago. I would also come with a dowry to immediately augment House Zahradnik’s finances. As a member of House Zahradnik, I would be assisting in the administration and development of Warden’s Vale. House Corelyn would of course support any of my initiatives and they would reap the rewards of that development as House Zahradnik’s sole trading partner.”

“So House Corelyn with its fully-developed lands would use its surplus to develop House Zahradnik’s lands by proxy through you…”

“Essentially,” Clara nodded. “The frontier population in Warden’s Vale would then be able to focus on what they were good at, which is maintaining the security of their territory. Civilian spares from Corelyn Barony would have filled the industrial roles that needed to be filled. With some work, we would be able to reclaim the lost frontier lands and develop those, too.”

“House Vaiself would have a powerful martial House on their side if you were successful,” Florine mused, “so they might’ve even thrown in their support once you got things started…”

“Not ‘might’,” Clara said. “House Vaiself would have had no choice but to back House Zahradnik to ensure that they stayed with the Royal Faction. With that support, we could reclaim all the other lost borderlands all along the southern ranges. Lord Zahradnik would then become Re-Estize’s next Marquis – the Warden of the Vale would become the Warden of the South. In the Royal court, House Zahradnik would strengthen the Royal Faction and act as the counter to House Boullope.”

Ludmila frowned as Clara listed off the projected sequence of events. While the plan to turn the deteriorating condition of Warden’s Vale around was something that she was well aware of, Clara’s long-term goals were not. Then again, their success was contingent on many things and politics weren’t Ludmila’s strong suit in the first place. She idly wondered how her taciturn father might have behaved in the Royal Court as a Marquis.

“And what would Ludmila do?” Liane asked, “Just run around stabbing things as she does now?”

“Both Ludmila and her second brother would start cadet branches to support House Zahradnik as new martial houses and ensure that Re-Estize never loses the southern frontier again. I’d still keep her as close as possible, though. A lady-in-waiting and bodyguard would work.”

“So in the end,” Liane said, “what seems like an alliance with no substantial benefits for House Corelyn to outsiders actually leads to the rise of a new March. House Corelyn’s Merchant companies would also possess sole licence to operate along the frontier while the new power in the Royal Faction would diminish the influence of the Noble faction…with the balance tipping, all those fence-sitters would hop on the wagon as well.”

“Assuming that nothing got in the way of all that,” Clara said. “If we were born a generation earlier it would have almost certainly happened, but our time had the Empire chipping away at the Kingdom from the outside and powerful criminal elements within. Still, it was what we had to work with and trying was better than nothing.”

Of course, if the Empire had annexed the Duchy of E-Rantel, most of those plans would have probably gone up in smoke. While the Emperor would not purge competent Nobles now that he had secured the imperial throne, the military obligations of martial houses like her own would be stripped and handed over to the Imperial Army. They wouldn’t have been able to expand their borders as part of the Empire.

Even if Re-Estize somehow held out, the Kingdom’s criminal elements were a monumental obstacle. The isolation of the frontier made for an effective deterrent to criminal activity combined with the lack of wealth to target. At a certain point, however, their development would attract the same lawless elements that reportedly plagued the rest of Re-Estize.

A thug with the strength of a Mithril-rank Adventurer could single-handedly wipe out House Zahradnik and House Corelyn if they put up too much resistance to their advances. Even if Ludmila managed to become as strong as she was now, her experience with the arsonist in Völkchenheim County provided an example where pressure could be applied to a Noble house without ever directly confronting them. It was far easier to destroy infrastructure than it was to build it and attacking was far easier than defending – especially when it came to large amounts of open territory.

“But if you had all this planned,” Alessia said, “why did you not start sooner? Marriage is not required for any of that…”

“It might not seem that way,” Ludmila told the young Paladin, “but it is. Alliances between Nobles are sealed by blood. A betrothal is not guarantee enough for House Corelyn to invest so heavily in House Zahradnik and Clara would not have been able to enact her plans without being part of the family first.”

“It’s still damn scary,” Liane muttered. “Makes me wonder what sort of crazy stuff she’s got going on now…”

“But I told you what I am doing,” Clara said.

“Nuh-uh,” Liane said, “that ain’t the same. You’re the kind of person that says ‘I’m going to get some ice cream’ and mysteriously gets like sixty things done just standing in line.”

Clara did tend to never do anything for a single reason, but sixty sounded far-fetched even for her. She did have a way of having multiple contingencies for everything she did on top of having multiple objectives, however: as long as they retained the rights and resources required to leverage the basic components of the plan, it didn’t matter whether they were a part of Re-Estize, the Empire or, in their current case, the Sorcerous Kingdom.

All they had to do was adapt to their circumstances to make everything work. The radical changes that came with the Sorcerous Kingdom made it so that Clara had to focus her time and resources on her own territory, but, at the same time, the amount of assistance required to enact the appropriate changes was negligible.

“There is no guarantee that everything that I do will work out exactly as I say,” Clara told Liane. “Unlike your machines, all of those ‘things’ that I set in motion are contingent on circumstances that are constantly in flux and similarly require constant adjustment. Keeping everyone up to date on every little thing becomes an increasing waste of time and effort the further away one is from enacting any sort of direct action.”

One required a great deal of trust to work with Clara. The way she communicated was divided into letting people know what her broad goals were and letting people know the specifics of her plans that were relevant to them. She was like General Ray in that sense, but the sheer scope and depth of whatever she set her mind to was closer to individuals like Prime Minister Albedo.

Her methods were frustrating for those who were accustomed to being in control. Conversely, those who entrusted their time and talent to her were more than duly rewarded.

“Well,” Liane said, “so long as you don’t spring something absolutely insane on us, I guess…though what we’re doing right now might qualify as that.”

“Does it?” Clara tilted her head curiously, “I thought it was quite reasonable.”

“To us, maybe. If you went and told some Noble in Baharuth or Re-Estize about it, they’d dismiss you as a lunatic. Hell, I can’t wait ‘till we get to the Draconic Kingdom just to see how they react.”

Ludmila wasn’t sure if Liane meant that in a good or bad way. Either way, she suspected that it wouldn’t impede Clara in the least.

The wagon slowed to walking pace as they closed within a hundred metres of the cluster of stone buildings that passed as the harbour’s ‘village’. With what started as a square plaza two hundred fifty metres to a side, the structures in the vicinity now rose along several lanes that radiated in all directions.

One could categorise the village’s buildings into three types.

Houses nearly identical to those raised for land-managing tenants in the rural villages made up roughly half of the structures in the settlement. Those who lived within them consisted of tenants who worked at larger facilities, such as the city forge, the mill on the dam, harbour management staff and the industrial yards. They were also residences for tenants involved in construction and various services.

About forty per cent of the village’s buildings were ‘shophouses’ – that was, residences with private industrial workshops attached. They also acted as storefronts where the tenants showcased their goods. Ludmila’s ‘manor’ was one such workshop: its main floor was converted into a combination hall, kitchen and administrative office, the second floor contained the ‘war room’ and chambers for the household staff while the third floor was her residence. The basement remained a storage area for food and other supplies.

The remaining village structures included a schoolhouse, militia office and shrine. As far as villages went, it was an excellent one, but it was still too small to qualify as a town. It was also fairly ugly, being a collection of stone buildings on a barren stone island. Ludmila couldn’t stop looking back and forth between her guests as they seemed to scrutinise everything.

“I ordered two unoccupied shophouses to be prepared for Wagner and Gagnier,” Ludmila said. “Will that be alright?”

“Of course,” Florine smiled. “I hope there aren’t too many curiosities in Wagner’s place. She’ll dismantle everything and there’s a non-zero chance that the place will burn down.”

“But the buildings are constructed out of granite,” Ludmila frowned.

“It just happens,” Florine replied.

Leaving it at that ominous note for later investigation, Ludmila turned to address Themis.

“Vicar Aspasia,” she said, “I had a single unoccupied shophouse prepared for you and Sister Alessia. I hope that is alright.”

“Of course, my lady,” Themis replied. “Your generosity is, as always, much appreciated.”

“Then I should let you all get situated,” Ludmila said. “I will see you all later for dinner.”