Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Ranks

“Can he tell the truth?” I asked about Agent Sah through the connection of union rings, afraid it would be easy for him to see through Marcus’ lie. “I know Morton wasn’t an actual agent, but he was able to tell.” 

“Who the hell is Morton?” Deckard wondered, to which I realized he’d only found out about the barracks attack yesterday when he came out of Falens Cry. “Never mind. Some kind of truth skill, huh? Yeah, these bastards tend to have them, so I’d watch my mouth if I were you.”

“Oh...” I let out an inner sigh of frustration when my concerns proved to be true. However, I had to put aside my concerns about the Chief Healer as Deckard’s warning brought my focus back to me. I should be the one very conscious of what I say. At least now, I knew it was pointless to make up some lies. 

Why would I do that in the first place? To make myself as little desirable to the Sahal Empire as possible. Captain Rayden and the others, for whatever reason, were skeptical of the Empire, and even though they didn’t outright tell me not to work for it, I got the impression that it wasn’t a good idea. So I brushed up on my experiences with previous interrogations and the meeting I attended. Those were hard lessons, but I learned a few things, like to say as little as possible or just answer the questions I’ve been asked, nothing more. Just don’t lie in the presence of agents!

“Can we get to the reason we’re here, gentlemen?” Rayden prompted them without a hint of respect. I knew she didn't have a shred of it for the City Lord, but I would have thought she would have treated the Imperial Agent differently since he had a higher rank than her. He did, right? Actually, I wasn’t entirely sure of his military rank. It was just my assumption that he was of a higher rank than her. 

So I chose the union ring. Seriously, I loved that thing. It was like having a mobile again. Just with only one number, I could dial. And there was nothing easier than asking Deckard when I was at my wit’s end.

“Well,” he paused when I asked him my question. “Agents don’t wear stripes. So before they start flaunting their credentials, it’s hard to tell. Their jurisdiction includes investigating Lords of all ranks, even generals, and I haven’t heard of or met any of them with a rank below captain. At least they don’t let them out into the world.”

So the Imperial Agent had at least the same rank as Rayden. 

“But...” Deckard stopped me before I could think about it more. “...you have to consider that the City Guards, while still part of the Army, are not regarded as so. It’s a place for retired soldiers and those who fear the battlefield. A place for those who want to protect the city they live in, not the empire. Why do you think most of the city guards have the class [Guardsman] and not [Soldier] or [Imperial Soldier] for that matter?”

Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. Now that he said it, it seemed obvious. Yet, it brought up another question. I haven’t seen anyone with the class of [Soldier] among the guards. Shouldn’t there be, based on what he said, retired ones among them? What about him?

“Didn’t you serve?” I asked while the Agent and City Lord’s gaze shifted to me. It was hard not to look away and even harder not to reveal my conversation with Deckard. 

“The General, the man we served under, saw the limitations of these classes. He’d be pissed if any of us picked a class like that.” Deckard recalled, his inner voice ringing with a tone of mirth. 

“Then let’s hear what this [Slave] has to say.” Baron Egerton spat out, completely baffling me with his attitude and demeanor. He didn’t act the way I remembered him. Yet even though it made me angry, instead of clenching my fists, I held my breath as my heartbeat went up, and my hands sweat. I was so anxious.

However, as they began asking questions and I started answering them, the butterflies in my stomach went away. Of course, I didn’t forget to complain about the inactivity of the city guards when I struggled in Labyrinth Square and during my enslavement. The City Lord blamed the Agent, who found his excuses in the interests of the Empire. I mustn't forget that I was promised some compensation. Though, I had to grit my teeth and suppress a growl when Sah called what I’d been through mere service, a duty.

“She was a mind mage,” I said when they asked me about the buyer.

Sah snapped to attention. “She?”

“It was a young woman hiding behind a mask,” I added quickly.

On that, he paused. “How do you know she was young? The voice can be deceiving.”

“After the guardswoman's attack, she lost her mask. She was wearing a scarf when she reappeared, but I could see her green eyes and white hair. She also mentioned her father a few times and the house where she trained her skills on beasts like mossbears.” I know I didn’t stick to the simple answers rule I decided to. It was just that I wanted this bitch and her father to get caught.

“And she used the return crystal for Vanquished’s Pride, that’s quite disturbing,” commented Agent when he connected the bitch to the return crystal Deckard gave him outside the woods. He did not elaborate further, though.

“Another mind mage?!” Baron exploded in rage. “That’s it! I want her out of my city.”

His sudden outburst of anger towards me took me aback. However, I had to admit it was justified when I thought about it. My mere presence in the city posed a danger to all of Castiana. After all, who knows when someone else will decide I’m worth kidnapping. A dreadful thought, yet a valid fear. 

Rayden scowled. “Before you kick her out of the city, you should hear the rest of what happened in Esulmor.”

Despite his anger, the Baron motioned for me to continue.

“You said there was a fight in which the mind mage lost her mask. How did this fight come about?” Agent Sah asked me to direct my recount of the events. I ended up skipping a few parts when he started asking me questions about the bitch. So I collected my thoughts and continued. “After she, the buyer, showed up...”

It was exhausting. Especially the City Lord made it difficult with his constant inquiries and questioning of my words. When I described my encounter with Esu and the discovery that I understood him, he demanded proof. I have to admit, I was a bit stumped at that point. I didn’t know how I could prove it to him without Esu himself or any of the mothers being here.

“Grey, you talked to the horse on the way here, didn’t you?” Agent asked when he saw that Baron Egerton was adamant about me showing him my new talent.

“Yes.” But instead of nodding, I shook my head. “No. Well, it’s hard to describe. While Esu spoke in words that expressed his intentions. With the young mossbear and mare, I was only able to understand the meaning of their growls and neighs. Not actual words.”

City Lord smirked blatantly, creeping me out. I didn’t have to be a mind mage to know he thought he’d caught me in a lie. Too bad for him, he didn’t. Too bad for me, I had no way to prove to him I was telling the truth.

Help came from an unexpected source when Sah spoke. “It is a known fact that some beasts are more intelligent than others.”

Okay, I don’t think he was trying to help me but the City Lord to understand. After all, the Agent knew I wasn’t lying.

“Also that the higher the level, the more wary one has to be of them,” Deckard added, tapping his forehead to indicate the higher intelligence of the beasts. He was definitely talking about the experience he gained in the Labyrinth.

“True.” As much as Agent Sah didn’t like it, he had to agree with him. The City Lord, however, remained deeply skeptical. I’d say he didn’t want to accept it. “You believe she was talking to that beast, that he showed up when he hadn’t been seen in years? That’s nonsense. She made it up?”

I paused, realizing that it wasn't just about me talking to beasts. He didn’t even believe I’d met Esu. How should I react to that? So far, no one has questioned it. Well, come to think of it, it must have been because of Deckard. The City Lord didn’t seem to trust his word all that much, though.

“Baron Egerton.” I flinched when Sah hit the table. “Control your temper. I must inform you that as unbelievable as what you hear may seem, Grey has never once lied. What’s more, so far her words match the testimony of the slaves and the slaver Rutledge. Workhand Tate Cook confirmed the presence of Esu and the mossbear mothers.”

I was caught off guard, amazed that he’s already interrogated so many people. It was foolish of me to think he would sit on his ass for an hour. The City Lord didn't take it well, he swallowed and broke out in a cold sweat, yet his stubbornness did not give way. “I won’t believe this freak can talk to beasts until I see it.”

“The horse understood you, didn’t she?” remarked Deckard, who was at the time sitting on the same mare I was talking to.

And I was glad he mentioned it. “Yes, she did.”

“Forgive my intruding. Does this mean we’re moving to the stables?” Travis asked when he understood where Deckard was going with that. However, his well-meaning query missed the mark as he further infuriated the Baron. “You expect me to go to the stables?”

The assistant didn’t even bat an eye at his raised voice, apparently used to it as the Captain. “Sir, how else...”

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“Bring the fucking horses here!” He shouted at Travis. The assistant didn’t deserve it at all. Even I could tell he was just venting his anger on him since his outburst had no impact on the Captain nor her lieutenants. As he didn’t dare yell at an Imperial Agent, the only ones left were Travis and me.

The Captain, rubbing her temples, glanced at her assistant. “Get something smaller, Travis.”

“Ma’am,” he saluted and left the room, not pausing for a second at her command.

“Until my assistant gets back, I suggest we continue, shall we...?” Rayden suggested. A proposal welcomed by all but the City Lord.

So without further ado, I set about retelling my encounter with the King of the Woods, not leaving out the terms of my training. Not even the fact that the blood of a Mossbears was coursing through my veins or the gift that sat on my head between the antlers. How could I, when Agent Sah asked?

“Fairy tales.” Baron Egerton stated as I reached the point where we came out of the forest and met the Imperial Agent. “She’s talking nonsense. Just a slave girl trying to get attention.”

“Yet, everything fits with Mr. Cook’s testimony, and I haven’t detected a single lie.” With Sah’s words, the weight lifted from my shoulders, and Baron Egerton clenched his fists. He had expected the Agent to be fully on his side, but strangely, and to Lord’s displeasure, he had appeared unbiased, mostly so far. “That in itself is admirable, strange actually,” added Sah.

“Bad experiences with lying under interrogation,” I said truthfully, explaining this oddity. His nod told me he was aware of what I was talking about.

“This is not an interrogation, Grey,” he pointed out, yet despite his efforts to ease my caution, it was more than obvious to me that any lie told here would harm me. 

“If...” Barron raised a warning finger. “Is what the slave girl says true. She got the attention of the beast.”

Agent Sah nodded. “More investigation is needed, but for now, it appears so.”

“Then I want her out of my city by tonight!” he bellowed loudly and firmly like a true lord. Given his unbecoming behavior of a lord so far, it was surprising, not so much that he didn’t want me in Castiana.

Captain Rayden, however, did not acknowledge his command, smiling ruefully, waiting for the Imperial Agent’s response. She knew as well as her lieutenants expelling me from the city would be much more complicated than the Baron thought.

“Why are you just sitting there, Rayden?” he rebuked her. “Her actions put the city at risk. Just her presence here threatens the safety of it. Put her in a cage and take her out of the city. It’s your damn job, so get off your ass and get rid of her.”

She just smirked. “Egerton...”

“Save your breath, Captain.” Agent Sah cut her off. His sharp tone silenced both her and everyone in the room. “I am well aware of what my misjudgment has brought upon this city. No one will blame you for that, or you Grey.”

“Frankly, I didn’t expect to hear that from you, Agent,” the Captain told him bluntly.

“You’d be surprised, but people often misjudge me just as they underestimate you. I am well aware of your reputation and that further escalation is in no one’s interest,” he said and thought. “When the opportunity arose to track down the mind mages in Sahal, I took it. You know best what they’re capable of.”

The Captain frowned, leaning forward. “Then why did you ‘underestimate’ them so fucking much?”

“Did I?” He asked back, confident he didn’t. “I never intended to confront them directly. I’ve kept an eye on Grey since she scrambled out of the labyrinth, put tracking runes on her. I just didn’t think Ward was crazy enough to take her to Esulmor Woods. Smart move by the mind mages.”

“Piece of advice, always assume they’re smarter than you, one step ahead of you,” Rayden told him, then smirked. “Fortunately, they’re also arrogant.”

Agent Sah didn’t say thank you but acknowledged her advice with a nod.

On the other hand, I instinctively looked down at my body, wondering where the runes could be, what’s more, when he put them on me. How did he do it? Shouldn’t I have noticed something like that?

“There is nothing on you anymore,” Sah said as he saw me searching my body for the tracker. “The runes disappeared while you were in the woods. I believe when Esu removed the magical shackles of the Labyrinth square, as you mentioned.”

“Oh...” I breathed out in understanding. I was glad he cleared that up for me. That he intended to leave me in the hands of the mind mage and let me lead him to their hideout did not elude me, though. I hated him for that and what he put me through.

“I don’t care who gets the blame, Rayden. I want her out of my city!” Baron Egerton pointed at me, yelling at the Captain. She gave him a questioning look, not moving an inch or speaking up. 

That stirred up even more fury in him. “I couldn't care less who you were or what my father promised you, I’ll have you court-martialed. I’ll make you a fucking slave.”

“Don’t worry, girl,” Deckard’s voice echoed in my head. “He threatens to do that almost every time. The thing is, he can’t do that. All he can do is file complaints. Which I wouldn’t be surprised if he did it every day.”

Okay, I wasn’t the military type. So everything about the military structure went beyond me. “I don’t get it.”

“City guard captains are assigned by the Army to protect the cities of the Empire and its people. Although they are obliged to obey the orders of the City Lord, only the Army can judge them. City Lord, no matter his title, can only complain.” Deckard explained and looked at Baron. “He may as well burst red with rage, but it will never happen.”

“Why? What about the complaints, then?” I couldn’t imagine why her position was so unshakeable in his eyes. Did the Army usually ignore Lords' complaints? Or was it his title? After all, he was only a Baron.

“San let herself be transferred here,” he said with sadness and nostalgia in his voice. “She used to be a general.”

“What?!” I blurted out so loud my voice echoed through the room. “Sorry,” I mumbled in apology when I noticed that everyone present was staring at me. This time I completely ignored them. I was too astounded by what I just learned to give them any more of my mind. General, bloody hell! Rayden used to be a Sahal general?! 

“Insolence!” roared Baron Egerton, at my audacity to shout at him, to speak back. He thought I was responding to his demand for my ‘exile’. “I won’t stand for this. Send her away now.”

General! Why would she give up such a position? Why was she willing to go against the Empire now? My mind was racing coming up with possibilities. The most likely one I could come up with was that something happened, making her lose trust in the Sahal Empire.

Agent Sah raised his voice this time. “I told you to control your temper, Baron. This matter requires further consideration, decisions that are not in my hands alone and beyond my authority. Or yours, for that matter.”

“Are you saying she has to stay in Castiana?” The City Lord asked in disbelief.

“Whether Grey’s claim that Esu is not a threat needs to be further verified. However, the fact that he requires her to return to the Esulmor Woods every full moon makes things complicated,” Sah stated, and when Lord tried to object, he raised up his hand to stop him. “I should also remind you that Lord Wigram will be here tomorrow. I imagine he wouldn’t be thrilled if he hadn’t found Grey in the city.”

As the full implications of his words hit the Baron, he turned white. His intention was to present himself to the Imperial Chief Healer in a good light, to win his favor, not his ire. In his rage, he completely forgot about him and his reason for coming. Me.

Though I was no better off than he was, white as a sheet, drenched in a cold sweat, I thought about Rayden and the others. Didn’t Deckard say they served under a general? Was he talking about her, then? So what did that make them? Majors? Colonels? What had Deckard been? Could I trust them at all? Could I trust him?

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