There are many theories why the Eight possess an inability to feel love and also an anathema to love. Some sorcerers, theologians by trade, suggest that love is a sliver of the Divine, and as the Eight are in direct opposition to anything good and wholesome, they cannot experience the Divine.
-The Necromancer's Notes, Codex 6579, page 155, Philosophy Wing
***
Laidu awoke to a knock at the door.
He stared up at the canopy above him, illuminated by golden morning light. "Come in!" He propped himself up a bit more on the pillows.
The door open, and the room got brighter. "Good morning," Kyra said. Then she smiled, which added it's own radiance to the room. She sat on the side of his bed, and her hand found his. He liked that, when he could hold the hand of his love. "More reviews today?"
"Yeah," Laidu said, sitting up a bit more, pulling the covers off him. His sleepwear -a pair of light, breathable, but cheap trousers- seemed too rough a garment compared to the silk and fine linen bedsheets, but it was what he had. He was a soldier by trade, and the finery that Kyra possessed was something foreign to him. "Anyone with you?"
"Only Marcel," Kyra said with a smile. She leaned in and kissed him, wrapping her arm around his neck. For a moment, they were together, before she broke away. "Father had an appointment with Lord Cydari."
"Ah." Laidu rose out of the bed and strode to a window. His toenails, more like claws, clacked against the floor. "And his butler is fine with you being alone in the same room with a monster?"
"Hardly," Marcel said. Laidu turned. He hadn't noticed the butler there. "I was here when you awoke."
"Oh," Laidu said, cheeks reddening.
"Though I averted my eyes when the young lady, ahem... greeted you," Marcel said. "I did give you some privacy."
"Thank you for that," Laidu said. A thought struck him. "Please don't mention it to Lord Solstael."
Marcel paused. "Lord Solstael had some choice words when you were brought up. He expressed how he wasn't terribly fond of you having spent much time with his daughter while you were escorting her here." He paused. "He did issue me an order before he left regarding the young heiress. 'Don't leave her alone with that scoundrel degenerate,' he said, if my memory serves me." Laidu's heart fell. Great. From his interactions with the butler, he knew how loyal Marcel was.
"Of course, in my sound judgement, I don't find you to be a scoundrel or a degenerate, let alone both." Laidu chuckled. Usually, he hated people obeying the letter of the law and not the spirit of the law, but this was one of those times when he didn't mind as much. "I told him of course, sir. But think of this. Would I be one to permit a scoundrel or a degenerate to enter this fine house? Perish the thought!"
"There was that stablehand," Kyra said.
Marcel glared at her. "Tasvim the stablemaster hired him. But once I caught him fooling around with that scullery maid, I chased that street urchin back out. He can go fool around like that in a brothel, but not here."
"I asked Marcel of his opinion of you," Kyra said. "How did you put it?" she asked the butler.
"Well," the man said as he began to make the bed. "I believe I assessed you as a melancholic romantic from Kyra's talk of you. You do not boast idly and vomit forth idle words, but you don't stay quiet when you should. That, I find, is the way most of the noble heirs of Caeldar are. You aren't like that, and I think, to some extent, that is a good thing. Also, I should note that I find you to be a doer, not a talker. I know many a man that speak of their hunting prowess, yet have no pelts nor trophies to prove it. I think you'd be the kind of man to have many pelts and trophies that you seldom speak of. Figuratively, of course. I do not take you for the hunting type."
"Oh?" Laidu asked. "What makes you say that?"
"Call it an old Caeldari's intuition," Marcel said. "I have another vest laid out for you in the guest dressing room," he said.
"Is it a black one?" Laidu asked. The black one's suited him rather well.
"Goodness, Master Sung, please. Have some variety at least." Marcel led him into another room, a smaller chamber with a large, floor-to-ceiling mirror. "I chose charcoal grey and crimson. At the dinner with Lord Solstael, those colors suited you quite nicely." Laidu nodded as he stepped behind a folding screen, though it wasnt terribly built for someone of his size. If Kyra stood behind it, only her head and slender neck would be visible, whereas on Laidu, his head, neck, shoulders, and a handwidth below his collarbone showing. Still, it covered the important parts.
He quickly changed into a fresh pair of undergarments and pants. "Any events today?" he asked. Marcel had been kind enough to inform him of Manor Solstael's itinerary, should it interfere with his security review.
"One," Marcel said. "A friend of Miss Solstael's coming to visit."
"Lady Taminael," Kyra said. "She wanted to have tea and comfort me after my ordeal." She sighed as Laidu buttoned up his shirt. "Can you do me a favor and not startle her?"
"I'll try not to," Laidu said, "but as you can see, I have an unfortunate tendency to frighten people. I think it might have something to do with my appearance." He shrugged the crimson vest on.
"Oh?" Kyra chuckled at that. "Well, look at you, all handsome and sharply dressed. I can't see why anyone would find you frightening in any fashion!" she said facetiously. "Oh, wait. Maybe... could it be the horns?"
"I'm just going to assume its pretty much everything," Laidu said. When she talked about his appearance, it didn't have the sting it normally did.
"I have an idea!" Kyra said. "Why not tie little ribbons on your horns? That should make them a lot less threatening." Laidu laughed at that. Ribbons? That would look ridiculous!
"I'll try," he said, before leaning down and kissing her. "Now, off. I have to go terrorize the stables."
***
Kyra was nervous, and it showed. She was fidgeting a bit as she sat in the solarium, staring at the three places set out, disregarding the one in front of her. It was her first time making contact with her friends after her return.
She saw a carriage roll up by the entrance to her manor. There was Lady Taminael, rolling up with her horses in white and green livery. The door opened, and she watched as Lady Elissa Taminael stepped down, along with two friends of theirs, Lady Valerincea Mallinet and Lady Samenne Alverenne.
"Hmm." Kyra whipped around. There was Laidu, looking out the window. "No security checks at all."
Kyra arched an eyebrow. "I doubt that they're trying to assassinate me," Kyra said.
"Still," Laidu said, "it wouldn't be much to hire a trained dog or something. To sniff out poisons," he said.
"Wait until you meet them," Kyra said. "You'll see they're practically incapable of purchasing anything, much less poisons on the black market."
"Well, many of the poisoning cases I've experienced haven't been purchased off the black market. They were assembled after being purchased legally through pharmacies and apothecaries."
"I'd be shocked if they could do that," Kyra said. Her friends were rather... helpless, really. It almost made her kind of embarrassed on their behalf. Well, they wouldn't be embarrassed themselves, as they had nearly no self-awareness; someone had to be embarrassed for them.
"Um..." Kyra thought for a moment. "You might want to leave."
"Why?" Laidu asked.
"You ever heard of banshees?"
Laidu paused. "I've heard they're a type of Sidhe, but that's only hearsay."
"I believe in them," Kyra said. "Valerincia Mallinet saw a spider crawl out of a hole in a wall once, and I knew they existed when she shrieked. I don't want you to to have to experience that sensation," she said.
"Oh?" Laidu raised his eyebrow. "Let me guess, if she saw me, she'd release a deadly wail that struck fear into every soul that heard it?" he asked with a chuckle.
Kyra nodded. "Yep. Sounds about right," she said.
"Lovely," he said. "I'm waiting for the records from the stables."
"You seem to be asking for a lot," she said.
"All to keep you safe. Oh, your friends are here." With that, the gargantuan dragon-Changed man vanished through a doorway, just as the doors opened on the other end of the solarium, and her three friends stepped in.
"I'm glad you could come," Kyra said. "Thank you for-" She stopped as Elissa Taminael hugged her, crushed her with an embrace. "Um... thank you, I guess," she said, slightly flustered.
"I'm glad you're safe," Elissa said in her ear. "It must have been so terrifying, being that far from civilization."
"Um... Elissa, I was in Alberion." Kyra said.
"And?" she asked, as she separated.
"It was pretty civilized down there."
"It was?" Right. Kyra had kind of thought that as well, but that was gone the second she visited Three Pines. She had expected Alberic culture to be barbaric, eating raw meat in hovels that looked like they were made from animal skins, but she had seen wooden houses and cooked food. Alberion was just as cultured as Caeldar, but realistically, what would one expect from two nations who used to be one?
"Yes." Kyra sat down. "Please, sit." The three of them sat down demurely in their seats. "Marcel!" Kyra called out.
"On my way, milady. I do beg your pardon for the wait," Marcel said. That wait he was apologizing for had lasted only twenty six seconds, but Marcel felt compelled to apologize for it anyway. He stepped through the door with a platter and a sterling silver teapot. "Your favorite brew," he said as he set it down and began to pour a cup for Kyra's guests.
"It must have been frightening," Valerencia said. She had her dark hair tied back, plaited with deep violet ribbons that flicked to and fro every time she moved her head. "You were lost in some land, and then you were abducted again by a monster!"
"What?" Kyra looked at her like she was speaking a foreign tongue. She hadn't been abducted again... oh, wait, there was that time when Torvan and his group of thugs grabbed her. But monster. "What in the world are you talking about?"
"That beast that accompanied you into the city," Samenne said. Unlike Elissa and Valerencia, Samenne was part Alberic, and had their sun-colored hair to show for it. "You don't remember him? I'd imagine you'd not be able to forget!"
"You mean Thaen? The Vesperati?" Kyra asked. Beast? And then it dawned on her. "Oh. You mean Laidu?"
"Laidu?" Samenne asked. "Who's that?"
"Really tall, really big. Covered in scales, has horns, kind of a reddish-gold?" Kyra asked.
"Yes! That's the monster I was talking about!" Valerencia said, incredibly animated, before she leaned back and sipped her tea.
"Oh, he wasn't a monster," Kyra said.
"What do you mean?" Valerencia said. "We all heard what happened! When you were abducted, your captors were ambushed by that... Laidu fellow, and he abducted you and took you to some hidden part of the forest, but that scholar and those dreadful mercenaries she hired rescued you and kept the fiend under guard so he didn't run off with you again! We heard what happened!"
Kyra blinked. That account was so full of inaccuracies, she didn't know where to begin. "Um... that's not even remotely accurate."
"Then what happened?"
"Well, I got kidnapped. And then I woke up in a cave with Laidu. He made me tea, asked me a few questions, and made sure I didn't freeze when I went to sleep."
"What did he do?" Elissa asked.
"He sat next to me. We were in a cave, leaning against the wall. And he used his Ranger cloak as a blanket, and his body heat kept me warm."
Valerencia blinked. "What about the mercenaries?"
"Hold on. We were going to a town, Three Pines, and there we met them."
"Is it true," Samenne asked, "that the mercenary team was headed up by a woman who enslaved a Kai'Draeni savage?"
Kyra paused. Samenne probably wouldn't believe her if she told her Karik'ar was more intelligent than she was, and hardly a savage. A bit odd, but not a savage. "No. Skaria hadn't enslaved Karik'ar, she was partners with him. And they were kind to me too. A bit rough around the edges, but still very kind."
"Really?" Valerencia found that hard to believe. Elissa, however, seemed to be taking it in stride.
"So...the Vesperati-" Samenne began.
"Thaen?" Kyra asked. "What about him?"
"What was he like?"
"He didn't shut up. At all. He was stubborn, kind of antagonized Karik'ar, but almost hero-worshiped Laidu."
"I still cannot see that," Valerencia said. "I still don't understand how that thing can be counted as a hero."
"He saved my life several times over," Kyra said. "That's kind of heroic, at least in my mind."
"But look at him! He looks like a demon!"
"So?" Kyra asked.
"There's got to be a reason for that," she said. "Looks aren't always deceiving. I wouldn't trust him, not one bit," she stated.
That was the moment when Laidu decided to walk in completely unannounced.
Valerencia gave a small shriek, Elissa stared up at the Ranger, and Samenne backed away. Laidu didn't seem to notice. The dragon-Changed Ranger walked over to one of the smaller tables and set down a sheaf of papers. "Fortunately, your scribes were very apt on keeping your books in order," he told Kyra.
"Laidu? Why are you here?" she asked.
"Natural light is so much easier to read by. It is a strain on the eyes to read by lamplight compared to this," he said, pointing a claw up at the glass panes that made up the ceiling. "Also, I smelled a particularly fragrant brew of tea. A Shao Liu leaf, if I had to guess, with a cinnamon infusion?"
"You want some?" Her three guests stared, absolutely stunned, at how normal their conversation was.
"It wouldn't go amiss." He gave her a warm smile.
"Mar-"
"I'm already there, milady," the butler said, handing Laidu a teacup and saucer. "Would the gentleman like cream or milk with his tea?"
"No thank you. I can pour it myself," he assured Marcel. He poured himself some tea and took a sip. "I'd bet my left leg that this is Shao Liu. Marcel, could you go find me where the tea came from?"
"I'll be right back, sir," Marcel said. He departed, leaving Laidu sipping his tea, Kyra watching him, and three noblewomen practically shaking in their seats.
"So, um... Mr. Ranger." Valerencia asked.
"You can call me Mr. Sung. Or Laidu. Whatever feels more comfortable," Laidu said, not looking up from the papers he had.
"What do you eat?"
He looked up at that. "What do I eat?" he asked. "I'm sorry, but what kind of question is that? I eat what any sensible person eats. Meats, grains, fruits and vegetables."
"Oh. What kind of meats?"
"Miss," Laidu said, "what about my diet intrigues you so much? Are..." He turned to KYra and gave her a flat glare of annoyance. "Is she asking whether I eat people?" Kyra nodded, and Valerencia looked mortified. "No. I don't eat people. With Kyra's help, I have pretended to eat people as part of an enhanced psychological interrogation technique, but I do not eat people, nor do I have any intention of starting." Kyra gave him a quizzical glance. What was he talking about? "You remember. The one with the boar. Tell them about that."
"What happened with a boar?" Samenne asked.
"Well , a group of bandits captured Indra and I, and after Laidu and the rest of the group rescued me, we had taken one of them captive. Laidu wanted to interrogate him to find out who wanted me captured, so he had the two mercenaries, who the bandits hadn't seen, stay behind. And he would take one of the rest of us away from camp and come back without them, smeared with blood."
They were horrified, but Kyra continued. "So, next, it was my turn, and he took me out back, after a struggle, and it turned out he had Karik'ar hunting animals. He had a boar, so I helped him make it look like I was struggling when I was eaten. I stuck my hand in the boar and smeared it all over his chest."
It was dead silent, and then Elissa spoke. "Did it work?" she asked.
"Of course it worked," Kyra said. Samenne and Valerencia, however, were still struggling to overcome the fact that their best friend had touched the insides of a boar.
"Alright, anything else you want to ask?" Laidu rose. "If not, goodbye. I have some people at the stables to talk to." He walked away, leaving Kyra alone with her friends.
"I like him," Elissa said.
"How?" Valerencia asked.
"He's interesting, for one thing. I'd rather talk to him than talk to Lord Ashbayne again. If I hear one more time about that single hunt he went on when he was six, I'm going to slap him."
Kyra sipped her lukewarm tea and let herself fade into the background. She was home. It should have felt good to be home with her friends.
But it didn't.
***
"I do not understand," the man said, and Laidu had to fight to understand him through his accent. "What does my stable have to do with security?" Tasvim the stablemaster sounded quite out of place in Saefel Caeld. His thick accent was one half eastern Agyar, the other half coming from the Djekeric steppes.
"I'm just looking for any possibility," Laidu said. "I'm investigating every aspect of the manor, trying to keep this area safe."
"Well, don't worry. I'm sure the horses won't be plotting the young lady's assassination," Tasvim said. "Though they seem riled up today." The stables were filled with the animals' cries, nervous squeals that made Laidu's ears bleed.
For a second, he imagined himself ripping into them, tearing through their flesh with his claws. That was his right, after all. He was the predator in this situation. He could feel the horses dying in his hands.
And then it was gone. Laidu stopped and blinked. He didn't know if those thoughts were from Kasran, Rhaem, or any of the other voices in his head, or worse, from him. The scariest part was that it was hard to tell, hard to differentiate the alien thoughts from his.
You still recognize me, right? Rhaem asked.
Yes. I can hear you. Laidu could always separate them when they addressed him directly, but there was always a difference when they remembered or daydreamed and when he did. Regardless of the content of the thought, Laidu had always been able to tell who was entertaining that thought. If it was Kasran, Laidu could tell, he could feel that voice's presence as a barrier, a veil between him and the thoughts. Same with Rhaem, and the others.
Good, Rhaem said. You're more fun to talk to than those others. Why Laidu was more fun to talk to than the others, he didn't know. Part of him didn't want to know, really. He didn't want anything to do with the voices in his head. So he did the only thing he could.
He ignored them
"The horses probably smell me," he told Tasvim. "They probably think I'm a dragon, or something. The smell of a big predator like that in their stables is sure to set them on edge.
"Ah." Tasvim looked up at Laidu. "Is there no way for me to talk you out of the security review? I'd rather not have my horses upset."
"Unfortunately," Laidu said, "I can't skip this part of my inspection." He wanted to do a thorough job, after all. "Just help me with it, and I'll try to keep it as quick and painless as possible."
Tasvim nodded. "Start with this stable?" He pointed to one with a relatively calm bay init, and by relatively calm, it meant that the horse was trying to cower in a corner instead of rearing. "Step back. I'll get her out for you."
The following two hours was spent like that. Laidu would back up as Tasvim (or an unlucky stablehand Tasvim grabbed) led one of the horses out. Laidu proceeded to check that paddock for any structural instabilities, stomp around a bit to find any trapdoors or weaknesses in the floor, and then stepped back. Tasvim led the horse back into the paddock, where it snorted, conveyed its displeasure at having something that smelled like a predator trouncing around its home, but settled down.
"Is there a reason you check for trapdoors?" Tasvim asked after the sixth paddock just cleared Laidu's inspection.
"There was an instance where an assassin nearly killed the king of Alberion. He used a trapdoor built into the stables, to avoid detection. Fortunately for us, he still stank enough of horse manure to be detected by a particularly keen sense of smell," Laidu explained as he checked the fourteenth paddock.
"I see," Tasvim said, finished. "So, what are you to do next?"
"I need to meet up with someone," he said. "My associate should be here any moment now."
Laidu waited for a few minutes, before a diminutive figure arrived at the door. Perfect. There was his associate. And there was his associate getting into a very animated confrontation with the guard at the front. Lovely. Just bloody lovely.
Laidu jogged over towards his associate. "Is something going on?" he asked the guard as he got closer.
"I'll tell you what's brightin' going on!" Thaen snapped. "This idiot won't let me in!"
"It's his orders! I'm not allowed to let any strangers into the building without confirming that they're who they say they are," the guard explained.
"Thaen, relax." The Vesperati obviousy had no intention of doing that. "It's him," Laidu assured the guard. "You can let him inside."
The guard nodded, and Thaen walked through. "Thank you," spat the Vesperati. "Just like I told you." The guard rolled his eyes.
Thaen sighed, and turned to Laidu. "Anyway," he said, walking with the Ranger, taking double strides to keep up, "what do you want me to do precisely?"
"I'm going to take Kyra and Lord Solstael out of the city, and I'm going to have you stage mock abductions of Kyra, using different methods. I want you to remain undetected, and to tell no one. I don't want this tainted by any foreknowledge." He had only began to speak when away from the guard for that very reason.
"Well, I told Karik'ar. And he probably told Skaria." Of course that happened. Laidu would have to tell Skaria not to mention that to anyone. "But sure." He looked around. "So, what precisely do I do?" he asked.
"I have some bags, roughly the size of Kyra, and her weight. Use your blood, and make sure someone is on standby to replenish, should you need it." He paused. "The bags will be in Kyra's bedchamber."
"Alright," Thaen said. "When do I start?"
"Tonight."