Draka Chapter 372: Failure Is Not An Option (Patreon)

The next day I took a trip to check on Nallekka and her tribe, more to stretch my wings than anything. They were doing just fine. Then I went to the Citadel. I always felt like I didn’t see Alanna often enough, so I liked to pop over there every so often, even if only for ten minutes, to catch up and give her an excuse to come up to the roof. I knew that she had an office in there somewhere, seeing as she commanded the guards of the Citadel and the surrounding district, but from her grumbling it hadn’t been chosen for the spectacular view.

“Grandfather’s furious with you, you know?” she said after we’d gotten the pleasantries out of the way. “He’s been trying to get me removed as your liaison. He doesn’t want our House involved with you in any way.”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “Alanna, I mean this in the sincerest way possible: is your grandfather losing it? I mean, is his mind going in his old age? This city loves me. They’d be… well, they wouldn’t be speaking Tekereteki if not for me, but at the very least the city would be under siege. And I’ve never actually seen a city under siege, but I’ve heard, you know? You’d think that would buy me some goodwill — and it has! I get a lot of smiles when I’m out in the street. Fair number of cheers, too. So… what’s with him?”

Alanna gave me a sad little crooked smile and shook her head. “He’s as sharp as I’ve ever known him to be. He’s just set in his ways. Dragons and humans are natural enemies, and that’s it.” She sighed and leaned against the parapet, looking out over the city. “There’s going to be a lot of people like him in the city. People for whom nothing you do will ever be enough. And I’m sorry about that. I wish it weren’t so. I wish humans were just better.”

“Yeah, me too,” I agreed.

We talked about lighter things after that, but her words stuck with me. And what bothered me wasn’t that some people, like the lord hierophant, would just always hate me. It was more that they weren’t necessarily wrong. Yeah, I’d saved the city, but it wasn’t exactly out of selflessness. The truth of the matter was that with a few exceptions, I wasn’t their friend. I liked the city, sure, but everything I did for Karakan, I was actually doing for my humans. If supporting the Council was the best way to keep those I held dear safe and happy, then that was what I’d do. If I needed to make Mak or Herald the undisputed queen of the city to do the same, well, I was sure that either would look stunning in a crown. Something tasteful — gold set with emeralds, perhaps, to match the city’s colors? My little sister already had two of the Council under her sway, and it would be ever so simple to add a few more. Hell, I was meeting with Lady Vassaram that evening! No one would ever know if I enthralled her, except Mak and Zabra, and they’d both approve. Hell, Zabra would probably be thrilled; they’d be sisters in a whole new way. The only thing keeping Vassaram safe from me was that I didn’t want to be responsible for another mostly innocent person!

Well, that, and she hadn’t done anything to me.

So, yeah. The people who feared and hated me weren’t exactly wrong to do so. It was just… they didn’t know that! Whatever they suspected me of, whether it was more or less innocent or heinous than what I was actually doing or willing to do, they only suspected. They had no proof that I was anything but what I was pretending to be: the altruistic savior of the city. And that rankled something fierce.

*

House Vassaram’s city estate was a sprawling thing near the south gate, one of any  number of places I’d seen from the air time and time again but had never bothered to find out what it was. Its walls were tall and well guarded to keep out the riff-raff, and the gardens were as much working farm as pleasure, with small fields, orchards, and fragrant patches of herbs covering most of the grounds. Some of the fields and patches looked recent, probably added by the lady provisioner when she took over as lady of the house, but not all, and the orchards were definitely old. It was no wonder Zabra and Kesra remembered her as having grown up with such an interest in agriculture.

And everywhere, chirping and scratching in the dirt, were not chickens, but some kind of small domesticated bird I hadn’t seen before that filled the same niche. Their survival instinct must have been bred out of them entirely, because they barely moved except to throw me a few disinterested glances when I landed.

I’d flown, of course, and landed on a gravelled yard where I wouldn’t accidentally trample anything. Zabra and Mak rode together in a palanquin and arrived shortly behind me, having been held up as the guards verified who was inside the conveyance. An attendant who’d been waiting at the gate led them to me rather than the main house, and Lady Vassaram arrived only a minute later; she’d probably set out when they saw where I landed.

Lady Vassaram and her small entourage stopped a polite ten feet away from me and the two ladies with me. She wore an entirely new expression this time, neither the cold, distant one from the auction nor the nervously friendly one from when I met the Council. This time she looked serious, yet at ease and welcoming. Homefield advantage, and all that.

Besides a guard and two attendants of some kind — who were possibly also guards in disguise — the lady was flanked on her left by Lord Vassaram, a lanky man who looked much more at home in a study than in a garden, and on her right, by a boy of perhaps eight who looked like he was trying very hard to stand up straight and be brave. Rounding out the group, and peeking out from behind Lord Vassaram’s robe, was a girl of no more than three or four who looked like she’d very much rather be anywhere else.

“Lady Draka, Lady Drakonum,” Lady Vassaram said, giving the three of us a shallow bow. “Welcome to our home. Zabra, dear, welcome back. The staff is setting up for a meal behind the manor, but first I would like you all to meet my family. This is Semiterron, my husband.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” Semiterron said, giving us the same shallow bow as his wife. His Karakani pronunciation was precise, but his Tavvanarian accent was strong.

“And these are our children, Temisson” — she indicated the boy, then turned and offered her hand to the girl, who took it and cautiously stepped out from behind her father — “and Sevatina. Children, greet our guests.”

“Welcome,” Temisson said, barely audible as he bowed. Little Sevatina raised one hand in a cautious wave for about a second before pulling on her mother’s hand to be allowed to hide again.

Lady Vassaram must have decided that this was the best she could expect. She smiled patiently and turned to her husband, saying, “Dear, take them back to the house, would you? Alni, Tarro, go with them.”

“Yes, my lady,” both attendants replied immediately, each approaching one of the children, while Lord Vassaram asked, “Are you sure, dear?” before thinking better of it when his wife’s expression slipped back into that cold mask I’d seen at the auction. He turned to leave with the children, telling them, “Come on. We can go supervise the cooks. Won’t that be fun?”

The kids, predictably, did not forget that there was a dragon as tall as their house behind them, but they seemed to cheer up a little at least.

“My apologies,” Lady Vassaram said. “Children, you know. I hope—”

“No worries,” I told her. “I’m impressed you got them so close to me at all.”

“Yes, well, thank you, Lady Draka. They are well behaved, but… well.” She laughed awkwardly, then gestured to me.

“They did better than some adults I’ve met,” Mak commented kindly. “They seem delightful, Lady Vassaram. I would love to meet them somewhere they’re more comfortable.”

“I’m sure that could be arranged,” Vassaram said, then hesitated before saying, “I very much hope that you do not take this the wrong way, but I think it would be good for them to interact with someone who… well, who looks like you do. They’ve only ever seen a Tekereteki trader or two from a distance before, and whatever the diplomatic state between us and the City of Rains at the moment, I would like them to learn for themselves that while you look a little different than they’re used to, you’re still a person like anyone else.”

Mak laughed; politely, I thought, but not fake. “I’m not offended,” she said. “My own childhood would have been much easier if more people thought like you. Maybe once we get moved into our own new estate you could all come visit, and they could meet my brother and sister, as well?”

“A wonderful idea, Lady Drakonum. I would love to meet your sister and Mister Maglan in a less formal setting, as well. They both made an excellent first impression. Now, shall we make our way to the house? I thought we might take the long way around.”

“Sounds good,” I answered for all of us. “Zabra, why don’t you keep Lady Vassaram company for a moment? I’d like a quiet word with Makanna.”

“I’d love to,” Zabra replied with genuine delight, taking a few determined steps forward and offering our hostess her arm.

Lady Vassaram only hesitated for a moment before linking her own with Zabra’s. “The orchard?” she asked. “You always did love the trees there.”

“The orchard,” Zabra agreed, and they led the way down the paths toward the rows and rows of fruiting-bearing trees in the distance, continuing some conversation about the city’s musical life that they must have left off when they last met, at Zabra’s home.

Mak and I gave them some distance. Then I switched to English and asked, “So, what do you think about our hostess?”

“Interested,” Mak replied thoughtfully, her pronunciation careful. “She wants to get close to us. We’re an opportunity. Happy to see Zabra. And honest about the children — meant what she said.”

“What kind of opportunity?”

“Sorry. Hard to say. But you are powerful. The House is rising. It’s good to be our friend.”

I bobbed my head slowly. I didn’t mind if she was motivated by her own interests, or those of her family. Friendship was nice, and I wasn’t going to rule it out, but I could work with greed and self-preservation.

We stopped holding ourselves back then, quickly catching up with the ladies ahead of us. Lady Vassaram was in her element as she pointed out everything that grew around us, explaining what each thing was used for, if their house traded in it or if they only grew it for the House’s own use, and the intricacies of their cultivation. It was funny, really, in the nicest way. I’d known that Lady Vassaram had an interest in agriculture, but I hadn’t expected her to be a full on plant geek, and there was always a special pleasure in listening to someone speak passionately about a subject that they both loved and knew well.

By the time we reached the large patio where the staff had prepared our meal, the sun had only just dipped behind the mountains. Lord Vassaram and the children were waiting, the little ones looking nervous at our approach, and braziers with fragrant herbs burned at each corner of the setting. It was a pleasant meal, as pleasant as I’d come to expect from one of the city’s wealthier and more powerful Houses; someone had either done their homework or had good instincts, because the spread of fishes and meats I was presented with, both raw and seared, was exquisite. We talked about nothing, little pleasantries, and I did what I could to draw the children out without making a fool of myself, making sure to mention my dear friend Lahnie and the semi-feral kids Kira and Ardek did their damndest to look after. I couldn’t say if it helped, really, or if they just slowly got used to me being there without hurting anyone, but by the end of the meal they were at least answering Mak and Zabra’s questions.

Of course, by then we were getting to the point that little Sevatina was getting cranky, and Temisson was pretending his best that he wasn’t tired. When the youngest yawned hugely Lady Vassaram took that as our cue to move on to business. Turning to the closer of the attendants, she asked, “Alni, is the pavilion ready?”

“Yes, my lady,” the woman replied.

“Very good. In that case, if you’ll excuse me for just a moment, dear guests, we can relax and talk there.”

With that Lord Vassaram had the children bid us good night, then did the same himself before he and the lady of the house brought them inside. Lady Vassaram returned immediately, and she and her as-yet unnamed bodyguard led the way to a nearby pond surrounded by drooping trees. In the center of the pond was a twelve-sided pavilion, with a complicated roof held up by a thin post at each corner. In the center sat a small, round table, on which a teapot sat, surrounded by four cups — a nice touch to include me, even if I could have used the cup for a thimble. The pavilion was only accessible via a wooden bridge, but a platform had been extended from the shore into the water, large enough for me to lie on comfortably and participate. I would have just as comfortably sat in the water, but I wasn’t going to tell our hostess that. I just made some appreciative noises and trusted that they’d estimated my weight correctly and built their platform accordingly.

All of a sudden Zabra, in a fit of girlish glee, ran ahead and plopped herself down very deliberately by one particular post. She ran her fingers along it in a particular spot, then turned and smiled gleefully at Lady Vassaram. “It’s still here, Lan!” she said, her voice overflowing with nostalgia. “I thought they would have painted over it, or polished it away, but it’s still here.”

“I know,” her friend said, sitting down beside her as Mak took a seat at an angle to the two, and I settled down on the platform — it didn’t so much as wobble. “It was one of the first things I looked for when I returned. I asked around, and it appears Father made sure they skipped that one spot when they repainted.” Then she seemed to remember that she had other guests as well, and explained, “We carved our names there, in the wood. Lady Tespril, her sister, and I. Before I was sent to Tavvanar to meet my betrothed.”

Her tone soured a little on the last point, which didn’t surprise me at that point. There was clearly no love lost between those two — at least not from her side. And I, unable to not pry, asked, “You hadn’t met him before then?”

“I’d seen a portrait and exchanged one letter,” she replied coldly, before remembering herself and continuing, “But please, don’t let me bore you with things that are past and settled. It worked out… fine. I have two wonderful children to show for it, don’t I?”

“They’re beautiful,” Mak agreed.

“Thank you. But as much as I would love to spend all night talking about my little darlings, that is not why I wished to meet with you. With you especially, Lady Draka.”

“I imagine not,” I replied.

She nodded. “It embarrasses me to ask, but do you trust the ladies Drakonum and Tespril with your secrets?”

“I trust them with my life,” I replied sincerely. “And I imagine you trust the silent fellow on the bridge.”

“Sargo has been my bodyguard since I was a girl. If I can’t trust him, I can’t trust anyone.”

“Right. Well, shall we get to it, then?”

“Indeed.” She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before saying, “I fear I am not on the Council entirely on my own merits. My candidacy was put forward in the hopes that my connection to Zabra, and hers to you, might allow me to make my way into your inner circle.”

“Lilanna?” Zabra asked, with hurt in her voice and worry in her eyes when she looked to me.

Vassaram immediately turned to her, taking one hand in both of her own. “I know what you’re thinking, Zabra,” she said quickly, “and I swear that everything I told you was true. Even if things have changed, I want so dearly to make up for lost time. The fact that they hope to use my connection through you to influence Lady Draka is completely separate from my own desires. Please, Zah. Trust me.”

“You know I do,” Zabra said, squeezing her hand.

I just huffed. This was disappointing, and I should have seen something like it coming. Sure, I had two absolute allies on the Council, and I would have expected to hear through them, but they may have been sidelined. “So who’s pulling the strings?” I asked. “Nahasia? Alster? Or is a whole coalition of opponents and fence-sitters? Who on the Council is trying to control me?”

“The Council?” Vassaram asked. “Oh, no! They — we, I should say — have nothing to do with it. I’m supposed to be influencing them as well. It’s Tavvanar that would use me.”

“Tavvanar?” I asked with genuine surprise, as Mak started swearing roughly in Tekereteki.

“Tavvanar,” she repeated with a weary sigh. “I’m supposed to entice you over into their service. And failure is not an option.”

Pretty happy with this title, too. Hey! That's two in a row!