Leon and Talal stood there, staring at each other, surprise and just a hint of displeasure on the former’s face, while shock and rapidly deepening regret and fear graving the latter’s.

“This… is your son-in-law?” Talal eventually choked out.

Emilie, an eyebrow raised in a tacit curiosity, said, “Yes, he is. This is Leon Raime, an eighth-tier mage that is interested in joining Heaven’s Eye.”

“E-eighth-tier?” Talal whispered rhetorically.

Leon’s smile widened and he nodded in confirmation. “Only recently ascended, though,” he added.

Talal nodded, no trace of the arrogance he exhibited during the previous night’s fight anywhere to be seen.

“Uh… excuse me for a moment,” the doughy man muttered, and he slid past Leon to poke his head out of the door and wave to someone just outside. Having just passed through the room, Leon knew there to be about a dozen people in the room just outside, whom he now realized were the assistants to everyone in the meeting.

Talal began to hurriedly whisper to one of his assistants, and while Leon would’ve liked nothing more than to listen in, Emilie called out, “Leon, please come and join us! I’d like to introduce you to everyone here!”

Leon smiled and nodded, making his way over to the meeting table. Behind him, he could hear Talal muttering with something that sounded like panic, “… just bring them all back! Drop everything and bring them back now!”

With that, Talal retreated back into the meeting room, his bronze face looking a few shades paler than they had when Leon had walked in, and shining with more panicked sweat than whatever oil he’d covered himself with.

Meanwhile, as he narrowed his eyes and pondered the meaning of Talal’s words, Leon sought out a seat. The only empty one was the one that Talal had just vacated, and while the man hadn’t made a good first impression upon him, Leon didn’t want to steal the man’s seat. That just felt like such a petty thing to do.

However, Talal seemed to realize the lack of seating, and instead of moving immediately to retake his seat next to Emilie, he instead chose to stand at one end of the table, standing there about as awkwardly as Leon was.

“Well aren’t you two just the cutest,” Emilie cooed. She then patted Talal’s old seat and ‘suggested’, “Leon, come sit with me. Talal, this place has no shortage of chairs elsewhere, have one delivered. And next time, arrange a meeting room with seating for all.”

Talal looked like he wanted to respond, but a brief glance at Leon seemed to freeze his tongue, and he just shuffled back over to the door.

Feeling more than a little bad about the situation, and the fact that the other three men who were in the meeting had stopped working to watch, Leon hesitated to take the offered seat, but after some quiet prodding from Emilie, he slowly sank down into the armchair.

Several minutes then passed, and Leon was introduced to the other four people at the meeting. They were essentially other regional managers for Heaven’s Eye in nearby cities who’d made the trip to Akhmim to meet with Emilie as she was passing through. Talal, however, was the Heaven’s Eye manager for Akhmim itself, and he was all that Leon could really focus on. Eventually, another chair was brought, though it was just a tough armless wooden chair that stood in contrast to the plush armchairs that everyone else sat in.

Talal didn’t let a single complaint pass his lips, though, and he took a seat and sat ramrod straight as if he were awaiting an inspection from Emilie.

“Now,” Emilie loudly whispered as Talal sank into his seat and the others went silent, “I take it you two know each other?”

“Not really,” Leon replied. “We were acquainted last night when we both sponsored a few fighters in a small local arena.”

“Lord Leon’s fighters were honorable and fought admirably,” Talal added, his voice quivering slightly. “I’m quite proud of my gladiators, but they were thoroughly trounced.”

“I’m lucky to have such retainers,” Leon stated. “Your gladiators were quite skilled, though. I think they may have been more skilled than my people, but mine are veterans of many battles. And please, just ‘Leon’. I’m no Lord, and even if I was, I’m not the sort to care for titles.”

“You’re too kind,” Talal replied mechanically, not once bringing himself to look Leon in the eye.

“I see,” Emilie murmured, clearly sensing that something else was up, but not pressing either of them for the moment. “Let’s then get on to other business, shall we? Talal, I believe that you had some business to bring up with me?”

The bronze-skinned Samarid seemed to want to do nothing more than to sink deep into the ground and disappear forever, but under the weight of Emilie’s expectant gaze, he eventually responded.

“Yes… I believe that a fugitive has stowed away in your crew.”

“A fugitive?” Emilie said, alarmed. “Who? And who and what are they running from?”

“I believe the man’s name is ‘Anshu Bodhi Rahulani’,” Talal explained, and Leon’s blood ran cold, the possibility of his retainer having lied to him suddenly consuming his mind. “The Indra Raj put a sizable bounty on him a couple decades ago. He’s a pirate and smuggler who’s been on the run from them for a while, now. I believe he’s also wanted for treason against the Rajah, as well.”

Leon could feel Emilie turning to look at him, but he at least calmed slightly, the charged against Anshu not exceeding what he already knew. When he glanced over at her, he saw that she wasn’t looking at him with anything but curiosity—if he had to guess, he’d say that she was waiting to see what he would do about this before weighing in, herself.

Leon had no trouble finding his tongue with that realization.

“Anshu is one of my retainers,” he softly, but strongly declared. His golden eyes locked onto Talal, wordlessly daring the Samarid to try something.

But Talal didn’t. Instead, he visibly gulped and said, “Very well. Nothing is forcing us to aid the Indra Raj in apprehending their fugitives…”

For a moment, Leon stared at the man, wondering if he was trying to subtly shame Leon for defending an accused pirate. When that moment passed, and his instinct to defend his retainer died down slightly, he realized that he would leave some ruffled feathers behind if he didn’t explain himself—the other four Heaven’s Eye managers weren’t looking upon him too fondly, after all, and the last thing he wanted to do was to start alienating powerful members of the Guild before he’d even joined it.

With a sigh, Leon explained, “I can’t speak for Anshu’s past. He certainly answered the call of the notorious pirate Jormun, fighting against the fleets of the Bull Kingdom on his orders. But all of that was put behind him when he joined my retinue. He is no longer a pirate, of that I can guarantee.”

The woman sitting on the other side of Emilie hesitantly asked, her tone dripping with apprehension, “Are… you sure about that? How can you make such a guarantee? Most nations around here have long-standing policies to execute all pirates they find…”

“If Anshu betrays me and goes back to being a pirate, then I will personally kill him,” Leon said. “He is my problem right now, and I take full responsibility for him.”

The woman seemed likely to try to argue the point, but after a second of thought, merely replied, “The word of an eighth-tier mage carries weight. And you have Lady Emilie vouching for your integrity.”

Taking that as her deferring to him on the issue, Leon nodded in gratitude. The other three men at the table followed her example.

But that didn’t mean that the issue was done, for Talal had one last piece of information to share, following Emilie’s prompting.

“I have to ask,” Emilie said, “how did you learn of Anshu’s presence? To my understanding, he generally keeps to himself and doesn’t draw attention…”

Talal nodded and expounded, “I like to keep an eye on all the goings-on around the docks. Pays to keep informed of who comes and goes. And you’re right, it wasn’t until hours after your arrival that Anshu popped up on my radar. He arranged for quite a few letters and packages to be sent from one of our post stations, and then spent quite a bit of time purchasing up-to-date information on the Indra Raj. Just last night, though, a letter arrived for him bearing the seal of the Prince of Tosali.”

“You didn’t open this letter, did you?” Emilie asked, alarmed.

“Of course not,” Talal replied, “but the letter’s seal was impossible to ignore.”

Emilie nodded, and when Leon remained quiet, the conversation rather awkwardly died out. It seemed clear enough to Leon that Emilie wanted to speak with him, and sooner rather than later, but they still had the rest of the meeting to get through.

Fortunately, after all of that, no one much wanted to stick around, and so no other business was brought up for Emilie to weigh in on, and within half an hour, the managers excused themselves from the meeting. Talal was the first to leave, and though he tried to hide it, Leon saw a look of relief cross the man’s face for just a moment as he left the room.

Emilie waited for the door to close, sealing them in again before she gave voice to her thoughts.

“That could’ve gone better,” she quipped as she leaned back in her chair and stretched, her business-like demeanor dropping completely with the enchantments in the walls ensuring that she and Leon were alone and in private. “Could’ve gone much worse, though.”

“Have you so little faith in me?” Leon asked.

Emilie burst out with a full-bodied laugh, and she glanced over at him, her bright green eyes flashing with mirth. “Diplomacy is… not your strong suit.”

“Maybe,” Leon said with a self-deprecating smirk, “but I’m learning. Slowly.”

“If you could learn a little faster, I’d be much happier,” Emilie jokingly replied, and she straightened up. As she sat up in her chair, Leon knew that she was about to get more serious, and he straightened up, too. “So,” she began, “you and Talal. There’s more to how the two of you met, isn’t there? He wasn’t exactly acting like the two of you have no history. He seemed like there was nothing he wanted more than to run away as soon as you walked in the door.”

“That he did,” Leon agreed. “The truth is what we told you, though: we met last night in a fighting ring. His attitude wasn’t that great, though, and he provoked my people into fighting his. My people beat his without fail, but I had us leave early to try and prevent us from starting anything that would be taken outside of the arena.” Leon recalled how Talal reacted when he arrived at the meeting, and what few words he’d overheard the manager whispering to his assistant. “I’m… unsure how successful I was in that endeavor, though.”

“Yes, I think he’s not a man who takes losses gracefully,” Emilie stated.

“I don’t think he knew who I was. He seemed to realize that we were from the Bull Kingdom, but he didn’t know that we were from your caravan?”

“This is a busy trade city,” Emilie said with a dismissive wave. “Many foreigners ply the Tyrrhenian River, and thousands of Bull Kingdom expats live in this city. Hundreds more pass through here every month. Our expedition is large, to be sure, but this place isn’t so culturally uniform that someone like you, who deliberately refused to attend any welcoming ceremonies, would stand out that much.”

Leon winced, hearing the slight recrimination in her tone.

“Makes sense why he wouldn’t know you by sight,” she continued. “Still, he was acting provocatively, you said?”

Leon nodded. “He wanted his fights, and my people wanted to fight. So some words were exchanged and they fought. Honestly wasn’t that bad now that I’m thinking back on it, but still not appreciated.”

“Were those exchanged words bad enough that they might need to be punished?”

“No, no.” Leon shook his head in the negative. “Even if they were, I’d rather not make a big deal out of this.”

“A big deal might be made of it no matter what you intend.”

“You mean what he whispered to his assistant or whoever?” Leon asked.

Emilie nodded.

“Sounds more like he was calling something off. Maybe he was going to try escalating this beyond a simple friendly clash, but backed down when he realized who I am. Maybe it was something completely unrelated to me, I can’t say. Regardless, it seems like I’ve nothing to fear from him.”

Emilie sighed. “I still rather want to look into this. If he’s been abusing his power here…”

With the thought of how Talal had acted like he owned that arena, Leon couldn’t argue that he wasn’t likely abusing his power. He may not want to make an enemy out of Talal, but he wasn’t going to try and protect him, either.

“So be it,” Leon whispered.

The two went quiet as their conversation died down.

After a few awkward seconds, Leon said, “Thank you. For this.”

“Hmm?” Emilie responded with some confusion, her mind clearly still on Talal.

“Introducing me to people from Heaven’s Eye,” Leon explained. “I appreciate it.”

“It’s always good to know people,” Emilie said.

“It is,” Leon agreed. “Even if they’re only powerful within their own regions—even if I never come back here again—it’s good to know people in powerful positions within the Guild. Might come in handy someday.”

“It’s good for everyone. They get to meet someone who’s on a fast track to becoming one of the Guild’s most powerful agents, and maybe even more than that…”

Again, Leon nodded, but he said nothing more. He’d said his piece, and that was that. After a few more somewhat awkward seconds, he and Emilie finally rose from their seats and left the meeting room, separating once outside. Leon returned to the guest house while Emilie went off presumably to look into Talal’s history as the regional Heaven’s Eye manager.

They only had a few more days in Akhmim, and then they’d be setting off on the most strenuous part of their journey: the overland trek from the southern marches of the Samar Kingdom all the way into the Ilumerian Wetlands.

—

When Leon returned to the guest house, he sought out Anshu after giving his greetings to his family. What Talal had informed him of during the meeting was something that he wanted to confirm for himself, especially since he’d committed to helping Anshu with some vengeful business down in the Raj. If the man was communicating with a Prince, then that was something that Leon wanted to be informed about.

He found the Indradian in one of the guest house’s meditation chambers, quietly circulating the magic power in his body and whiling away at forging his magic body.

Leon didn’t immediately interrupt the man, though. Instead, he quietly knelt on one of the luxurious Samarid meditation mats in the meditation room and waited for Anshu to finish. As important as Leon thought his questions were, his retainers’ training was of paramount importance in his mind. The stronger they were, the stronger he was as a result.

He waited for almost an hour, Anshu too into his training to even realize Leon was present. It became clear when the Indradian realized he was there because he practically jumped out of his own skin and cried out in shock.

“Gah! Make some noise, Leon!” he said in his thick Indradian accent. “How long have you been here?”

“About an hour,” Leon responded.

Anshu rolled his eyes. When he saw that Leon was being honest, though, he reeled slightly and asked, “Really?”

Leon nodded.

“Oh. I apologize, I didn’t realize you’d arrived…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Leon said and waved his hand dismissively. “I came here to speak with you, if you have a couple of minutes…”

Anshu nodded his assent, and Leon quickly informed him of everything that Talal had brought up at the meeting. It didn’t take long, they hadn’t exactly discussed him at length.

When Leon was finished, Anshu looked rather annoyed, but not much more than that. “Ah. All of that,” he stated, unimpressed. “I was aware that the Rajah wanted my head, as I believe I informed you of when signing on with you.”

“By implication, if not stated outright,” Leon replied.

“Right. Well, my life following my exile was not the sort that makes many friends among established powers. I freely admit that I partook in some smuggling of valuable spices, which is how I eventually became acquainted with Jormun.”

Leon’s expression momentarily darkened at the mention of that name.

“Mm. I believe you also told me that you weren’t a pirate, but here I am finding out that you’re wanted for piracy.”

“The Raj’s laws don’t see much difference between smuggling and piracy,” Anshu stated with a shrug. “I never raided, reaved, raped, or anything else of the sort. I just moved things from place to place and avoided tax men and port authorities.”

Again, Leon nodded. He was willing to give Anshu the benefit of the doubt, but he was still somewhat concerned.

“What’s this about receiving a letter from a Prince?” Leon asked.

Anshu shrugged. “I still know some people in my homeland, and they keep me informed of the goings-on within the Raj. No more, no less. I am not conspiring with Princes, or anyone else. My plans for vengeance are not yet that advanced.”

“And how dedicated are you to seeking your vengeance?” Leon asked.

Anshu went quiet for a moment, his eyes drifting everywhere but in Leon’s direction. When he finally turned back toward Leon, his aura was laced with killing intent and his gaze was murderous.

“I am a patient man, Leon,” he darkly said. “I can wait a year, a decade, a century to strike back at those who caused the downfall of my family. But the reason I yet live and breathe and don’t end myself to begin life again without these painful memories is to slaughter those who killed my family. My vengeance is my reason for being, and if forced to choose between it or anything else, anything else, I would choose it. My enemies must die, and I will not rest easy until they are cold and lifeless.”

Leon smiled. “You’ve certainly made yourself clear. I only ask because the parameters have changed slightly. I know I promised to aid you—and my decision hasn’t changed, I assure you—but I don’t like when new information like this comes to light. Knowing that you’re not only actively wanted by one of the most powerful states on Aeterna, but also still in communication with people whose identity you’re still playing coy about, isn’t that consequential, but it shows that there are aspects to this that I wasn’t made aware of. So, I want you to tell me here and now if there’s anything else that may be relevant to your goal. Is there anything else that you need to tell me?”

For a long moment, Leon and Anshu stared at each other in silence, the former waiting on the latter to finish thinking.

And eventually, Anshu shook his head and replied, “There’s nothing that I can think of right now. But I assure you, Leon, that if I remember or otherwise learn anything of the sort, then I will inform you as quickly as our circumstances allow.”

The Indradian seemed serious, but Leon wasn’t entirely sure. However, in the spirit of showing trust, he decided to accept Anshu’s statement. It would be a long time until they went to the Indra Raj, anyway, and things were going to change between then and now, no matter how honest Anshu was being.

He’d just cross that bridge when he came to it, he supposed. But if he found out that Anshu was lying about something important, then he was going to be furious.