Fairy Opera Chapter 23: Replacement

 

Replacement

We met with Andrew at the Green Dagon inn as scheduled. Andrew led us into the hidden room and sat down.

I took out the diary. “He’s probably noticed that it’s gone. We need to move fast.”

Andrew raised an eyebrow. “You can come in now, Grengor.”

An imperial inquisitor entered the secret room. I froze, feeling a cold sweat collect on my neck. The inquisitor bowed.

“Thank you for assisting me with my investigation.” Grengor held out his hand. “The diary.” Grengor was clothed in the traditional garb of an inquisitor. His eyes were deep blue and his hair a fine blonde. Muscles covered his body and bulged through his uniform.

I handed him the diary. Grengor nodded once. “You’ve done a great favor for the Ecclesiarchy.”

I gathered my courage to talk. “So you’ve been investigating the Duke?”

“Some factions within the church have gotten fed up with the Empire’s corruption.” Grengor raised an eyebrow. “I know who you are, technomage. But the church isn’t as whole as you might believe it to be.”

I sighed. “So you know.”

“I don’t plan on arresting you, as that would be counterproductive to my goals. I need you and your crew flying around the Empire to attract attention. With eyes off me and my faction, we can start moving.”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because, techomage, you need to know your place in the plan. Keep doing what you’re doing. One of your crew members will fill me in with all the details about your journey.”

“There’s a spy?” I felt like my chest was about to burst.

“I do not plan to do you harm. But yes.” Grengor sniffed. “In any case, we’ve got our special forces team at the gates. As soon as I make the contents of this diary public we can make a move. The Duke is probably trying to run as we speak. Again, you’ve done me a great favor.” Grengor turned to Andrew. “And you’ll be on the county seat by tomorrow.”

Andrew bowed. “Thank you.”

Grengor bowed in return and left the hidden room. Andrew leaned back in his chair. “That was easier than I imagined it would be.”

“You brought an inquisitor here. What would you have done if he didn’t belong to the right faction?”

“I’m not an idiot. I did my research into you guys after you made that deal with me. I don’t make moves on the board without thoroughly investigating.”

“You’re smarter than we gave you credit for.” Jak crossed his arms. “I’m glad that you’re on our side.”

Andrew laughed. “I, too, believe that the Empire is corrupt, rotting from the inside, and that we need to do something about it. You and your ship will always have a berth here in my town.”

“I thank you.” Jak rubbed his hands together. “Now about payment.”

“I can give you a full shipment of the best fleece in the land.”

“While we certainly can use that fleece, we want something a little more liquid.” Jak shook his head.

“Then I’ll open my uncle’s coffers. It’s not really my money, so I’m happy to part with it in exchange for the service you provided me.” Andrew shrugged. “I’ll also top of your ship supplies.” He stood up. “In any case, the duke and his son are probably being arrested right now. I’d like to go and see the festivities.”

“Let’s go too.” Jastle stood up.

We left the hidden room, stepped out from the inn, and walked across town to where the commotion was happening. As we arrived at the castle the Duke and his son were being led away in chains. The entire population was either cheering or spitting at him. He clearly was not a very popular leader.

Andrew walked out of the crowd and held up his hands. “I am the Duke of Argon. From here on out I will manage our lands with fairness and competency. No more shall we suffer under the yoke of an oppressor!”

The whole crowd cheered. “Duke Andrew! Duke Andrew!” They chanted his name as he approached the gates. He passed by his uncle and cousin as he walked.

The previous duke put out his leg in an attempt to trip Andrew. Andrew dodged the foot and tapped the previous Duke on the head. “Nice try, uncle. But you’re going away for a very long time.”

The previous duke spit at Andrew. Andrew looked at his shirt, where the spittle landed, and rubbed it off. “Thanks, uncle.” He turned away and walked into the castle.

Two hours later, Andrew and our party were standing at the docks as treasure, fleece, and supplies were loaded onto our ship. In another hour we were ready to send off. Andrew stood at the dock as we pulled away, with two guards, waving. We sailed into the open sky. We were stocked up on food, fuel, and everything we needed to operate. The ship pointed towards Billerstrang, which was about a week’s journey away. This was where we intended to distribute our collected wealth. Several of our sailors had roots in Billerstrang, some of them even with family still there. We talked it over and decided that they would be our entry point.

Everyone was gathered around the captain’s table. I looked at everyone. “We’re going to need to decide how to distribute the wealth we gained.”

“How about we support local business? We can hand out money to people who promise to use it to improve the city’s quality of life.”

“Right. We can’t just start giving away all this wealth willy-nilly. That won’t be productive at all.”

“Our original goal was to liberate wealth form the rich and give it to the poor. Now that we’ve finished the first part, we need to figure this second part out.” Jastle took out a map. “Billerstrang is a nasty place to outsiders. But I believe that we will receive a warm enough welcome, especially considering what we’re about to do.”

“How about we invest? People may appreciate free money, but you know the old proverb, right? Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.”

Ruby scoffed. “Teach a thousand men to fish, and there will be no more fish.”

“Right. Um, I think that’s a bit pessimistic.” I shrugged. “But we have the tools to help. How about we ask some of the former Billerstrang residents on our crew what they think?”

About ten minutes later we had three of our sailors in the room. Two were demi-human, and one was a regular human. Mishra, Ergel, and Beck. Mishra was a beautiful cat woman with luscious fur and heterochrome eyes. Ergel was a wolf man with buff arms and musculature that bulged through his shirt. Beck was a skinny, young fellow who still had acne.

Beck sniffed. “I think the contracts guild will want to know what you’re doing.”

“What’s the contracts guild?”

“They’re the people in charge on Billerstrang. They control most life there.”

“Are they dangerous?”

Beck shook his head. “Their council is comprised of members of the community who are elected into office. They’re opposed to the crime families. They really will appreciate your help if you can.”

Mishra pursed her lips. “What do you plan on doing there?”

“Well, we started this whole Robin Hood venture to steal from the rich and give to the poor.” I hesitated. “I mean, I know it sounds silly, but it’s more of a middle finger to the Empire than anything else. Since the Rebellion was crushed and everything.”

Ergel gritted his teeth. “The people of Billerstrang would be willing to fight alongside you against the Empire. We just need the right push to get going.”

“So you’re saying that we should start another Rebellion.”

“I’ve seen your prowess with magic, sir.” Ergel bowed his head. “If you’re at the front of our army, then we’ll be able to defeat anything the Empire throws at us.”

“So how about this.” Jastle crossed his arms. “We don’t give away this money. Instead, we use it to start another Rebellion.”

“That sounds, actually, like a great idea. We’ll be helping people and making use of all the treasure we liberated.” I clapped my hands together. “Then that’s what we’ll do. We’re going to start another Rebellion.”

“Do you have any experience at all managing people?” Jak raised an eyebrow. “Because, if you need my help, I once commanded a large number of people.”

“I never heard that about you.” I looked at Jak. “Where was this?”

“During the Demon Wars.” Jak shook his head. “I don’t wish to disclose anything else.”

The whole room nodded. “Then, once we reach Billerstrang, we’ll start searching for people to lead our new Rebellion.”

“I have a question.” Beck raised his hand. “Why are we rebelling? I know the Empire does horrible things, but can we really do any better?”

“Yes. I believe that, if we’re given the chance to start a new government, that we’ll make life better for everyone.” I nodded. “I came up with this idea a while ago. Why don’t we create a system of government with a separation of powers? One that is elected into office and has the best interest of the people in mind?”

“Where did you come up with that?”

“In a dream.” I shrugged. “It just occurred to me when I woke up that we should really involve the people in the government, and make sure that no single office holds too much power.”

“That’s great.” Jak nodded. “I agree with you. We’ll figure that out after our victory over the Empire, though. For now we need to do what we can while we can.”

The whole room nodded again. The meeting was adjourned.

About half an hour later, I sat playing Mako with Jak in the common room. Jak was dominating me, but I kept playing, as he would give me tips to up my game.

I pushed past my fear and asked Jak a question. “What happened during the Demon Wars?”

Jak sighed. “It’s probably about time that I talked about them with you.” He moved a piece. “This was before you were born. You know the history of the wars, right?”

“Yes. The demons of the north invaded the Empire and were pushed back by the combined might of the Army of the God Emperor.”

“About right. This story involves your father. He and I were adventurers who were folded into the army. Your father proved to be an amazing tactician and rose through the ranks.”

“I heard that my dad was important.”

“He was. Until he was betrayed by one of his officers, and taken away for heresy.”

“I never heard about that.”

“Because no one else knew it. Heresy is a powerful crime in the Empire. I only barely managed to save you and your sister from being executed along with him.”

“You said you were in control of a large number of men.”

“As your father rose, I rose as well as his brother. Eventually I was promoted to colonel and had the reigns of an entire battalion under me. You know, it’s been a while since I remembered those days. We fought hard against the demons. I know the Empire is corrupt, but you can certainly say that their military is strong. We were fighting for the freedom and safety of our homes.”

“So why don’t you oppose us going to the Rebellion?”

Jak sighed. “Because I saw the corruption of the Empire myself when my brother, your father, was taken away. I decided then that any country that would put to death such an amazing hero for no more than an accusation wasn’t worth dealing with. So I retired from the army and became a blacksmith. I tried my best raising you on my own.”

“Thanks, Uncle Jak. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

“No sweat, Rock.”