Enlightened Empire

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Once again, Inti found herself in the Old Well, the same secret room she had sought out two days prior. Just like the first time, she once again found her mother already waiting for her inside. However, the busy office atmosphere from last time had disappeared.

Only a few masked ghosts were left to inject some life into the room. Though they were still walking from here to there, it looked like they were mostly busy with filing and putting away all the documents in the room. In the corner, there was even a small fire pit, which was fed with paper every once in a while.

Inti wondered if there were fewer workers simply because, now that their mission was over, the only work left was to clean up their traces, or if they had just lost so many people that this was all they could spare. Though of course, she had come here precisely to get an answer to that very question.

"So, where is everyone?" she began after she had stormed into the room and sat down in front of her mother. This time, the spy queen wasn't so preoccupied with work, so she put down the document she had been writing and squarely looked at her daughter and her rude actions.

"Off to work, of course. Most of the ghosts we needed for this operation were not originally stationed in Challwala. Because of the mess you caused, reinforcements had to be drawn from all over the north. Since they were only here as temporary support, they need to get back to their own duties now that the emergency had been resolved."

Although Inti wanted to question her mother about their losses, the question got stuck in her throat at the last second, and never quite made it out. In truth, she was too scared to hear the answer, even though this was the very reason she had come here.

What if, with her thoughtless actions, Inti really had caused great death upon the ghost warriors the late emperor Titu had entrusted to their family? This wasn't a reality she was eager to face. While her mother was calmly waiting for Inti to respond in any way, the usually brave warrior lady just sat there, steeping in her own anxiety.

Don't sit there like an idiot, she scolded herself. Just ask!

Yet in the end, she could not bring herself to create torturous certainty. Instead, she simply continued a meaningless conversation in a meaningless way.

"How did you do it?" she forced out, almost in a whisper.

"Pardon?" Antaya asked back, as confused by the sudden change in topic as Inti herself.

"How did you manage to find all the lords, and protect them all at once? I thought you only entered the city around the time we did?" Inti asked a question she wasn't all that interested in. Still, her mother replied dutifully, though with the kind of quiet scorn only a mother could show.

"What do you think your mother does with her time all year round? Over the past years, I have done little else but travel within the two northern kingdoms. Most of the time, I am moving to meet some lord in his estate, for some agreement, or simply to deepen relations. When you and your little friend started to invite people for a get-together in a lion's den, I was the first to hear about it. Ever since then, I have kept close contact with all the lords and their respective plans. This way, I knew who would come in person, who would send a representative, how many warriors they were bringing along, and — of course — where they were staying inside Challwala. At that point, I simply needed to place some surveillance to make sure they were safe. Though I am surprised you could not answer your own question. After all, you were the one to help me keep an eye on all the lords."

Antaya's reminder at the end was probably designed to bring the conversation back on track, to force out the question Inti really wanted to ask. However, when the young lady wanted to oblige and inquire about their losses, another silence thickened the air in the room once more. Eventually, Inti had trouble breathing, so she had to force out yet another meaningless question, to stall for time and ease her troubled mind.

"What about your knowledge on the strength and distribution of the Terminus people who came to deal with the lords?" she asked, and took a deep breath to clear her stuffy chest. "Wasn't Terminus a highly secretive organization? You also said that you knew little more than their name only two days ago."

"We didn't know precisely when and how many would arrive at which location, that much is true. As a result, we also made some mistakes which cost us needless lives," Antaya admitted. Although she was still willing to play along with Inti's stalling tactics, she closely observed her daughter at the mention of the losses before she continued. "However, we made some educated guesses based on the importance of the present lords — as well as the strength of their entourage — in advance. Not to mention, there are plenty of people in and around the Scholarly Court who have grown unhappy with their king and his scholar servants." For a second, Antaya paused again, before she added: "They have provided important hints, which have let us avoid most losses this time."

Her voice was as flat as ever, but she began to fiddle with the documents on the table again, not looking at her daughter's face for a second. Inti knew when her mother was lying, and this was a clear sign. Even if Antaya had done it for her daughter's sake, Inti still couldn't stand the secrecy, much less when it concerned the lives of others.

"Don't lie." She finally exploded, and blew away the unease in her chest with anger. Before she had realized it, Inti had jumped off her seat. Her panicked eyes flitted across the room for a few seconds, until she accepted that there was no way back now. She had already spoken out what shouldn't be said. It was time to face the truth.

"Please, mother. I need to know," an exhausted Inti said as she sat back down. "How many did... how many died?"

Although she was uneasy when she thought about the possible answer, Inti couldn't help herself any longer. Last night, she didn't get a second of sleep, thinking of all the people who had died due to her and Brym's reckless actions. At the very least, she needed closure. That was why she had come here after all. However, her cruel mother once more denied her even that.

"That is classified information," she simply said. "You are stationed in Arguna, so you have no need to know about the happenings in Challwala. I cannot tell you."

Although Inti knew her mother was trying to protect her, she had to know, or she would never sleep well again.

"Mother, please-" she begged, but Antaya rudely interrupted her.

"Even as your mother, I cannot tell you," she replied in a blunt tone.

"Fine. You know I can just request this information from Saniya, right?" Inti pointed out. If her mother didn't recognize her as family, then she wouldn't treat her as family either. However, just as she had announced her plans, she thought of something, and added with a critical look at her mother: "You will report it to Saniya, will you?"

After all, Antaya had long shown distrust towards King Corco. Yet the spy queen calmly dismissed Inti's concerns.

"Of course. You would not believe your mother can do whatever she wants, would you? I am far less free than you might believe," she added after another short pause.

"Well, I will see once I request the report, won't I?" Inti half-threatened. She really wasn't willing to believe her mother in that regard. "That might take a few days longer, but once I know how much damage I've caused, at least I will be able to sleep. Though I have to wonder: what will the people think when they learn that the spy queen's own daughter has to go past her mother for basic information like this?"

For a few seconds, the silence returned to the room. This time however, it wasn't Inti who was its focus. Instead, Antaya who had just been threatened by her daughter, had to withstand its pressure. After a few seconds, she gave up her attempts to protect her fully grown daughter's fragile psyche, and finally spilled the truth.

"We have lost more men than we anticipated," she said vaguely. "Dozens. I cannot give you a precise number yet, since we simply do not know how many are yet to return. Was that what you wanted to hear?"

It was indeed, yet when Inti got the answer to her question, she froze, unable to reply once more. Who knew how long she just sat there, unable to do a thing. Eventually, the merciful Antaya spoke up again, maybe aware how harsh her blunt words towards her daughter were.

"With the lack of manpower, everyone will become a lot busier in the future," she commented with a sigh. "We really need to rebuild the Mausoleum soon. That has been overdue for a long time." novelbuddy.co(m)

When Inti heard her mother's poor attempt at changing topics, her mind suddenly reactivated. It was true, the Mausoleum really needed to be rebuilt.

For generations, the Mausoleum had been the training center of the ghost warriors in Arguna. After the emperor's death, 'Empress Mother' Spuria had attempted to take over the building in order to gain control over the ghost warriors. However, by the time her goons arrived, it had been completely evacuated by Inti's father Atoc.

Since then, there had been no proper way to replace fallen or retired ghosts. After the establishment of the Triumvirate Kings, they had been stuck in this perpetual state of political limbo, so there was no way to rebuild their training center properly. By now, this state — which was meant to last only until a new emperor was crowned — had sadly become normality.

Now that Inti was reminded of such an issue, wasn't this a chance to make up for her mistakes? If Inti could take charge of the ghost warrior training, she could at least replace the souls which had been lost. Even better, she could improve their training, to make sure that a loss like last night would never happen again.

"Maybe I could rebuild the Mausoleum," Inti thus suggested. "I know the entire training regimen already. And you didn't want me involved in politics anymore, right? I could just train up the ghosts instead, wouldn't that be fine?"

Once again, Inti's verve had returned. Finally, she had found a direction for her life. She had been tired of Arguna's petty politics for a while now. Yet this way, she could atone for her mistakes, do something meaningful, and even make her always worrying mother happy. However, just as Inti had managed to perk up from her slump, Antaya once again came in to crash her daughter back to the ground, in predictably controlling fashion.

"No, you will not find the time to do such work in the future," she said out of the blue.

"Why not!? What problem do you have this time!?" Inti shouted, though her mother retained her distant, polite smile, as always.

"There is someone I want you to meet," she just said.

"I will not like this, will I?" Inti replied, a bad premonition brewing in her stomach.

"Lord Rubria has heard much about Lady Inti's grace and ability," Antaya said as if she hadn't heard the complaint. "Thus, I have arranged a meeting between the two of you, so you may get to know each other."

"What do you mean?" Inti asked dumbly. Of course, she knew exactly what her mother meant. However, she couldn't fathom how Antaya could suddenly decide to marry her off to some random man.

"You complained that your sister was allowed to get married," Antaya explained, while completely twisting Inti's former words. "You mother has decided that you should have the same chance. It will also be a good way to get you away from all the politics. No more ghosts, and no more fights to the death."

As Antaya explained, Inti just sat there and stared at her mother, baffled at the woman's selfish indifference.

"Lord Rubria is quite excellent, and far above you in standing," the mother simply droned on as if she couldn't read her daughter's mood. "Any young warrior girl would be exalted to marry a proper lord, not to mention that you yourself are hardly a young warrior girl anymore."

Although Inti wanted to reply to the slight at first, she recalled something more pressing before she could.

"Wait, wasn't Rubria the boy who had you kidnapped and then tried to rape you?" Inti finally remembered the story her mother had told her several years ago. Her mother wouldn't want to marry her off to someone like that, would she?

"No, of course not," Antaya shook her head, much to Inti's relief. Though that relief only lasted for mere seconds, until her mother's next words. "It was just his servant who was a bit too enthusiastic. I would hardly call that a kidnapping. I was merely enticed."

"With a sword?" Inti shot back.

"And money," Antaya added, as if that made things any better.

All the baffled Inti could muster in response was a silent stare at her mother, loaded with as much scorn as it could carry. Did this woman not recognize how wrong this was?

"It was no rape either way," Antaya continued to lie after a while of uncomfortable silence. "I don't know of a single girl who ever entered Lord Rubria's bed unwillingly, once she has been brought into the estate. After all, who would say no to such a handsome, young lord?"

Again, Inti just stared at her mother, who was increasingly spouting nonsense. After all, Antaya herself had very openly rejected Lord Rubria many times.

"Anyways, Lord Rubria is no child anymore. He has matured a lot, and no longer does such uncouth things," Antaya concluded, as if that had solved anything.

"You want me to marry a rapist who's in love with my mother," Inti just calmly pointed out, which destroyed all of her mother's previous efforts. Even so, Antaya wouldn't give up.

"Lord Rubria is a very appropriate match for you," she insisted. "He is of high status, young and competent. He will be able to protect you. Better yet, his lands are on the edge of the Empire, where very little happens. And the young lord has zero political ambitions. Over there, you will not only be able to live comfortably. More importantly, I'll know that my daughter will be safe."

"So that's what this is about." Inti finally understood. "Your paranoia about King Corco."

Clearly, her mother was willing to sell her off to anyone,even to a barbarian warlord, so long as her physical health was guaranteed. However, she wasn't some little girl anymore. Inti would decide her own fate.

"It is no paranoia. Listen to me-" Antaya tried again, but Inti interrupted her mother's words, maybe for the first time in her life.

"No, whoever I marry is for me to decide, not for you," she said in an icy tone which shocked even herself. "I will certainly not marry a man who was not good enough for my aging mother, just to ease your skittish mood. If you like your Lord Rubria so much, then you go marry him. I'm sure he would prefer that greatly."

After her last biting comment, Inti jumped off her seat and stormed away. Although she had managed to find a way to atone for her past mistake, she left the Old Well more upset than she had come.

Maybe this Lord Rubria truly was a great marriage choice for a warrior girl. Maybe he really was out of her league, and maybe he truly had changed as a person, but she would be damned if she married a man who would think about her mother whenever he was inside her. Her mood thus ruined at the dirty thought, she stormed away, to forge her own path.

After she had watched her daughter storm off, Antaya sighed and returned back to her work. However, she had a hard time focusing, a very uncharacteristic state for the spy queen.

Inti's stubborn refusal just wouldn't let go of her mind. None of her spoiled daughters knew just how dangerous their harmless looking king really was, even for his own allies. Antaya had felt it during their confrontation in Saniya, and she would be damned if she let her husband's children suffer the same danger as well. Yet at every turn, they mistook her concern for ill intent.

At least training up the ghosts should be safer work than spy queen, she thought. Little steps.

Just as she was coming up with plans to further nudge her daughters away from the southern kingdom's center of power, she was interrupted by a whisper from Five.

"Our guest has been waiting for a while already. Should I send him back?"

In her worry over her daughter, Antaya had completely forgotten that she had been getting ready for a scheduled guest, right before Inti had barged into the room to disrupt her plans.

"No need, bring him in," she replied after sorting her thoughts. This was important, so she had no time to mull over her daughter's stubbornness.

Maybe, she thought, if she did well enough in her role as spy master, her achievements would be enough to exchange for the safety of her children. Those were her thoughts as she watched the white-robed warrior take a seat to her opposite.

"Greetings, Lady Antaya. My name is Inkasius di Pluritac. This poor warrior has come to stop the endless death of the northern lords, and to halt his master's mad path towards destruction."