Victor of Tucson
Book 11: Chapter 4: The Value of Being Good

4 – The Value of Being Good

“You’re very close, aren’t you?” Yon asked, chasing his words with several strange clicks in the depths of his avian throat. “When you came to me, your pool of Energy was already at heights that would rival many veil walkers, but something’s changed. There’s a sharpness to your aura, a new weight behind that Energy. You’ve made strides with your mantle, have you not?”

Warlord Thoargh—though the people who knew him as such were worlds away—folded his arms, regarding his new “master” thoughtfully. He’d been helpful, that much was true, but how much could he trust the scheming devil? The consul had more enemies than friends in this strange world, and he surely had plans for Thoargh, plots within plots to use him against one enemy or another. Still, Thoargh supposed he did owe him, and he’d sworn an oath of sorts. It would be best to keep him on good terms; a bit of backscratching would go a long way in both directions, would it not?

“Hello? Thoargh? Did your mind drift again?” Yon’s throat clicked with his irritation, and his shoulders shuddered, his feathers sliding against each other in a creepy susurration. Something about avian people always bothered Thoargh—they were too hard to read, and their idiosyncrasies gave them an alien oddness that felt like glass scraping glass.

“Yes, Master Yon. Yes, I’ve made great progress with my mantle. A few more breakthroughs and I feel it will be complete.”

Yon nodded, his big eyes blinking rapidly. “I told you I could put you on the right path, didn’t I? Foolish of you to spurn the System all those years ago, but Master Yon was here to pick up the pieces. Fortunate you found me, no?” He waved a feathered arm. “Put that aside for the nonce. I want you to work with a friend of mine named Duvius Black. He’s a powerful sorcerer, a master of hexes with an affinity for corruption. You can learn much from him, but that’s not the point.”

Thoargh felt his backbone stiffening, felt his ire rising. This fool bird would take him away from his work when he was so close? Gritting his teeth, he asked, “And what, pray tell, will I be doing for the man?”

“He needs a deep well of Energy for a ritual that will benefit us both. More important than your Energy—obviously, a veil walker such as he has resources to draw upon—is your affinity for chaos. It’s the perfect catalyst for his hex.” Yon nodded, tapping a talon against his beak—click, click—heedless of the anger flaring in Thoargh’s eyes. “You have some potent affinities, which was the primary reason I agreed to aid you. Now, you’ll likely meet his apprentice, Cam Lightly. He’s a foolish lad, but his affinity is even rarer than yours—chance.”

Thoargh felt his anger and irritation diminish as curiosity gripped him. “Chance? As in luck?”

“Well, he can spin it in either direction, but yes, he tends to favor himself with great luck.”

“That is intriguing.” Thoargh’s mind began to spin with the possibilities. It had been ages since he’d stolen an affinity. He ran the risk of diluting his potential, but he could always give up one of his others… which one, though? Nodding slowly, wondering if Yon wasn’t as simple as he’d thought—had the damn bird-brain figured out what he could do?—he bowed slightly. “Of course I’ll aid your comrade, Master Yon.”

“Excellent. Learn what you can from him, and when you return, I’ll have a new exercise ready for you. I’m certain it will help push you over that final hill. It’s important that we make you a veil walker as soon as possible. My enemies grow ever more bold on the council.”

###

Thayla hadn’t been lying when she’d said people wanted to see Victor. His house was overrun with them to the point where the festivities had spilled out of the courtyard and into the street—a regular fair taking place in the town that had grown up around his settlement. In a way, Victor was grateful; everyone he wanted to check in with was there, from his governor, Gorro ap’Dommic, to Rellia to Tellen to several of the Naghelli, including Kethelket. On the other hand, having those folks mixed in with hundreds of former soldiers from the Ninth and their families made any meaningful conversation rather difficult.

Nevertheless, it was fun, and he enjoyed mingling with everyone. He even got a chance to reconnect with Nia and some of the other former thralls from Dark Ember. He asked them about what the villages, towns, and cities were like on their homeworld. Unfortunately, none of them had experienced much beyond the villages where they’d been raised, basically living the lives of medieval serfs with an overbearing and brutal caste system.

He wanted to tell them he was going there next, but held off, mainly because he didn’t want to have to argue with them about why he couldn’t bring them along or make any promises about when he’d be able to involve them with his efforts. He figured he’d cross that bridge once he’d established a foothold and devised some means of travel between worlds.

Overall, he was amazed by the growth of his little community. The town had several proper streets, a dozen stores, and hundreds of farms that contributed to its trade economy. Just as many of the people celebrating his arrival were new to him as familiar. There were folks who’d immigrated from other parts of the Free Marches, but also many who’d come from the empire, fleeing its authoritarian grip.

Later, after most of the people had turned in, especially those with children, Victor found the opportunity to sit down with Thayla, Efanie, Tellen, and Kethelket in the main parlor of his home. The sound of a minstrel band outside drifted through the open doors, and Victor could see people out there, under the fairy lights, dancing and laughing, but things were definitely quieter.

“Are you angry?” Thayla asked, sipping cold cider from a frosted brown glass bottle—a local product brewed from the wild apples growing in a vast natural grove a few miles from town.

“Why would I be angry?” Victor was reclining, feet outstretched on an ottoman. He’d had his share of drinks, but was currently just enjoying the atmosphere.

“Because she ambushed you with a massive party!” Tellen said, nudging his wife with his knee. She leaned into him, her cheeks rosy with the effects of the cider as she giggled.

“Honestly?” Victor looked around at his friends gathered there. “I’m grateful. I don’t have much time, as you know, so this was wonderful. I don’t have to spend the day tomorrow worried about fitting a hundred visits into a few hours.”

Efanie cleared her throat. “You’ll spend a bit more time with Cora, though? She’s eager to tell you of her studies.”

“And Deyni, Victor,” Thayla added. “She wants to show you her egg. She’s really doing it, I think; even I can feel the Energy gathering within it.”

“Yeah, of course.” Victor looked around. “Where are they, anyway?”

“A bunch of the children are camping on the beach. They’re treating this like a holiday.”

Kethelket, always reserved in his contributions to a conversation, nodded and said simply, “They’ll be well looked after.”

When Victor arched an eyebrow questioningly, Thayla said, “There are Naghelli children among them, so their guardians will stand watch—at a distance.”

Kethelket nodded. “You know how few we are. Every child is a treasure. We won’t risk…anything.”

“I’ve tried to assure you that I’ve hunted anything dangerous from these lands,” Efanie said with a sigh.

“Yes, but—”

“You have your traditions and rules. I know.” To Victor’s surprise, Efanie leaned closer to Kethelket on the couch they shared and took his hand in hers. When had that happened?

Before he could comment, not that he was sure he would or should, Thayla asked, “And why must you depart so soon this time?”

Victor sighed happily as he looked around at their expectant faces. “It’s kind of a long story, but the really quick version is that I spent some time communing with an ancestor, one who’s still alive somewhere in the universe, and she’s asked me for a favor. I guess, to her, the matter is pretty urgent.” He frowned, shaking his head. “No, that’s not fair. The matter is urgent regardless of her desires. There’s a world where, well, where evil is being perpetrated on a constant basis. People are suffering there. Every day—every minute—that I delay means more of them are dying or…worse.”

“That’s very hard, Victor,” Efanie said, her beautiful almond eyes wide with compassion. “But, isn’t that always the case? Aren’t there always people suffering somewhere? You must take time to live, too, else you’ll make yourself mad. You can’t hold yourself guilty for trying to enjoy life; you help—”

Victor waved his hand, cutting her off. “I know, Efanie. I don’t have some kind of savior complex. I wouldn’t be rushing off if my ancestor weren’t so invested and if I didn’t feel a great debt to her. Though the truth of the matter is that I do feel the urgency of their plight; I’ve dwelled on the topic too long not to. I’ve become invested and, therefore, guilt gnaws at me the longer I delay.”

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“Ancestors!” Tellen chuckled. “I haven’t spoken to you at length in quite some time, and you’ve certainly changed. I still remember the brash young berserker who came to my camp freshly escaped from the Greatbone Mine!”

“He’s still in here.” Victor smiled and thumped his chest.

“It seems a lifetime ago, though, doesn’t it?” Thayla asked, looking from Victor to Tellen, her eyes dreamy as she relived the memories.

“Yeah, it sure does,” Victor agreed.

The evening went on like that with lots of reminiscing and catching up. Sometime well past midnight, closer to morning, really, the music outside petered out and the people carousing in the streets went home to their beds. Thalya stood to stretch and said, “Well, I’m struggling to hold my eyes open. Tellen, take me to bed.” She hugged Victor and, as though she’d broken some sort of spell, the others followed suit, stretching, yawning, and saying their goodnights.

It turned out Efanie had arranged rooms for everyone long before Victor had arrived, so he didn’t have to do anything. Strangely, considering the house was his, he felt more like a guest there than he did at Dar’s lake house or, certainly, his palace on Ruhn. He showed himself to his quarters, though, pleased that at least that space had been untouched since he’d last stayed there.

He wasn’t particularly tired, but the house was quiet, and the knowledge that everyone around him was sleeping prompted him to make the effort. He took out the red crystal ring Tes had crafted for him and slipped it onto his thumb, and, in its soft red glow, he closed his eyes and let slumber take him.

When he woke, the morning sun was warm on his face, coming through the windows where he’d failed to pull the curtains closed. He sighed, stretched, and pulled the ring off his thumb; fate hadn’t deigned to put him together with Tes. After he’d cleaned up and gotten dressed, he made his way to the kitchen, where he found Efanie preparing a large basket. He watched as he filled it with a crock of fresh-churned butter, a pot of honey, two dozen fresh biscuits, fruit, and a steaming pan of sausages.

“You planning to feed an army?”

She looked over at him, laughing as she brushed the pale curls out of her eyes. “In a sense; I’m bringing this down to the beach for the children. Care to join me?”

Victor snapped his fingers. “Ah! That makes sense. Yeah, I’ll come along.” He hoisted the basket and followed as Efanie led the way out, through the garden, and then down the long, well-worn trail to the beach. The morning was warm, and, glancing at the sun, Victor thought it might not be long until it wasn’t morning anymore. “Damn, I slept well. Didn’t realize how late it was.”

“We all did! Thayla was still snoring when I paused outside her door.”

“What about Kethelket?” Victor asked, looking sideways at Efanie with a sly smile.

“He’s up.” When she caught his look, she snorted, shaking her head. “I’m too old to embarrass, you silly man. I won’t deny we’ve grown fond of each other.”

“Well”—Victor shrugged, still grinning—“I’m happy for you both. He’s a hell of a man, and I think you’re pretty great, too.”

Efanie clicked her tongue, but she was smiling. “Don’t start planning a wedding. We’re just…enjoying the distraction we give each other for now.”

By then, they’d reached the beach, and Victor could see the tents the kids had set up. They were two large, colorful pavilion-style affairs, and they made Victor think of fairy tales about princesses, knights, and adventures through magical kingdoms. It made his heart happy to see them, and he almost teared up imagining the kind of wondrous childhood those kids were having. “Those are fantastic!” he said, doing nothing to disguise the joy in his voice.

“Aren’t they? I confess to providing them to the girls. They’ve been camping out frequently, and I took a little trip to Sojourn to buy them from an artisan I know.”

“Damn, Efanie! That couldn’t have been cheap. The travel alone…”

“Victor, I’m tier eight! I’ve been earning money for centuries. Let me spoil the girls a little if I want to.”

Victor held up his hands in surrender. “I won’t argue.”

He spent the next couple of hours watching the girls eat breakfast, meeting their friends, and listening to their many tales about the new school, their teachers, and the adventures they’d been having around the countryside. Of course, he had to hold Deyni’s egg for a while, and it was true: it was positively thrumming with Energy.

Cora seemed very happy, and it occurred to Victor that she was something of a celebrity amongst the children from town and even those from the Shadeni and Naghelli villages. Apparently, some of his importance to the community had transferred to her, being that she was his ward. Of course, that realization did nothing but fan the flames of Victor’s guilty conscience; he was anything but an attentive guardian. Still, she was happy; he couldn’t find any way to refute that fact.

As the first hours of the afternoon drifted by, though, Victor began to feel the pull of his obligations. While the kids chose teams for some sort of game they played on the beach, he beckoned to Cora. “Walk with me for a few minutes. You can join the next game.” He made eye contact with Efanie, and she nodded, smiling.

Cora curtseyed to him, brushing a few stray tangles of her thick brown hair aside. “Yes, Lord Victor.”

He led her along the beach, a few yards outside the reach of the crashing waves. When they’d put some distance between themselves and the yelling, laughing children, he said, “I have to leave again.”

“I knew you wouldn’t stay long. Miss Efanie told me so.”

Victor nodded. “I know. I just want you to know that I’d rather stay and visit longer if I could. I’m proud of you—of all the things I hear about you.”

“You are?”

Victor nodded. “Yes! I love to hear that you’re doing well in your studies, but more than that, I’m proud to know that you’re kind and good. I hope you understand how important that is.” He stopped and turned to face her, squatting down so they were eye to eye. “More than anything else, you must always do what you know is right. Do you know why I’m saying that to you?”

She shook her head, eyes wide.

“Do you know what I’ve been doing for the last year or so?”

“Fighting a war?” The question in her words was obvious.

“In a sense, yes. When I fight someone, I like to think I always have a reason. I try to think of the motives they have and why we’re there, pitting our lives against one another.

“I was fighting for a good queen. Her name is Kynna Dar, and she’s loved by her people. She inspires loyalty; people follow her not because she’s strong or frightening, but because of her goodness. Her people know they can trust her because she makes hard decisions, knowing they’re the right thing to do, even if the results might come back to haunt her. That’s the kind of leader people will follow willingly. That’s the kind of person that people want to be. Does that make sense?”

Cora nodded, her eyes getting cloudy as she looked down. “My father wasn’t like that.”

Victor sighed, wondering if he’d meant for her to draw that conclusion. Was he so dumb? Couldn’t he have guessed she’d have that thought? Rather than backtrack, he tried to make his point a different way. “Your father was a great fighter, but he wasn’t kind, was he? He didn’t always choose to do the right thing.”

Cora nodded, pressing her lips together.

“I’m not trying to drag him through the mud. Everyone has flaws, and there were things about your father to be proud of; his talents were undeniable. What I was trying to say was that I’m proud of you because you remind me of the people who inspire me. You remind me of Empress Kynna Dar, Valla ap’Yensha, and Miss Efanie and Miss Thayla, too. You’ve already learned the value of being good.”

“You think I’m like Lady Valla?” Cora’s chocolate eyes glazed over as she, no doubt, pictured Valla in all her splendor. He wondered how long it had been since she’d seen her. Did Valla visit the settlement when she came to spend time with her mother? He supposed that was something he ought to find out.

“Very much! When I watch you playing with those other kids, I can see that they look to you as a leader. You’re bold, and smart, and fair, and I just want you to know that those are the sorts of things that I look for when I read Miss Efanie’s letters about you. Studies are important, weapons training is good, but nothing matters more than being a good person, and you’re doing a good job at it!”

Cora looked down, her eyes pooling with tears. Victor hoped he hadn’t somehow upset her, but he thought she was simply emotional from his unexpected praise. “Thank you,” she murmured.

“You don’t have to thank me for noticing the obvious!” Victor grinned and gave her thick ponytail a playful tug. “Now, let's make a list.”

“A list?”

“Yeah, of things you need. Don’t you think it’s about time we got some animals in the stables? I mean, some proper mounts for young ladies like you, Deyni, and Chala? Roladii are fine, but they’re a little slow and clumsy, no? I saw some horses in Sojourn. I don’t know what world they were from, but I was thinking—I bet if I gave Efanie some money, she could go there and buy some breeding stock.”

“Horses?”

“Like Guapo!”

“Guapo!” she squealed, her eyes lighting up.

“I mean, normal horses won’t be exactly like him, but they’re a heck of a lot faster and more graceful than roladii.” He stood up and nudged her shoulder, a smile spreading on his lips. “What else? Do you have enough clothes?”

As they began strolling along the beach again, Cora happily began to speak, perhaps unfettered by Victor’s earlier praise, “Well, Miss ap’Briella, our History and Culture instructor, told us that Lady Rellia is hosting a theater night at the capital next month, and…”

Victor smiled, taking in Cora’s excited, breathy news of the big event and the proper attire she’d need to attend. He knew that, realistically, Efanie would have given Cora anything she needed, drawing from the funds he’d left for the estate. Still, it felt good to hear Cora talk about the things she was excited and hopeful for.

He had plans to make another large deposit with ap’Dommic. He wanted his holdings expanded, and he was serious about trying to breed some horses. So, he walked with Cora for a while longer, and by the time they returned to the other kids, he had a sizable list of things to look out for, and he mentally added them to his growing list of planned improvements.

Walking back to the house with Efanie, he filled her in on his expectations and added, “I think you should sit down with Gorro ap’Dommic and talk about hiring some more staff. You should have an assistant.”

“I don’t need…”

“No, I’m serious. I’m asking more and more of you. I’m afraid that’s the price to pay for earning my trust.”

She looked at him sideways, smiling. “Have I?”

“Yeah, you have. I was telling Cora this, but you should know too—I’m very impressed by how well those girls are turning out. They’re all so good together; no bickering, no jealousy, no…”

“Hah! You’ve missed their many little feuds! They’re not perfect, Victor!” Efanie chuckled, shaking her head.

“Come on, you know what I mean. Those girls—hell, all those kids down there—they’re great, and I know that has a lot to do with you and Thayla and the other people you’ve had tutoring them. I mean, before the school was built.”

Efanie shrugged, nodding. “I won’t argue with that.”

“So, yeah, I trust you. Get used to it.”

She put a hand on his shoulder, continuing to nod as she said, “I’ll do that, Victor. I love it here, and I don’t see myself leaving anytime soon. If you want me to hire an assistant, I won’t argue. I’m pleased to know you want to continue investing in this home of yours, even after all you’ve done, all the places you’ve been.”

“Good.” Victor held open the garden gate for her. “Now, let's sit down with Gorro, go over the funds I’m going to leave here, and then I need to get moving. My ancestor awaits.”