Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Divine Guidance

We eventually drifted away to get some finger food. Justin paused in the middle of putting a couple small sandwiches on a plate for me. “Thanks, Scaleen, for stepping in. I think I might be a bit of an oversharer. I kind of forgot how much intrigue plays a role in, uh, everything past the start.”

I suspected this would be a continuing problem for the outsider who hadn’t had friendly or complicated conversations for nearly a decade. “No worry. I don’t care how you share incidental information but anything… pressing or political could make for dangerous chatter.”

“Ha, you are so right.”

It wasn’t long before that warning had purpose. While we managed conversation with a few lower level delegates from various bureaucracies and lesser nobles, eventually, we wandered into the orbit of a Royal Knight dressed for the party and a Cleric of Divine Right. 

More, they seemed to find our orbit intentionally, as Justin and I certainly had no particular intent to grab their attention. 

The knight - Human: wiry, tall and winsome, as far as Humans went -  introduced herself as Florince, dressed in the royal blue of the army with a reserved suit. She looked familiar, but I didn’t place her immediately and I didn’t want to be caught staring for too long. The middle-aged, silver-haired Human cleric said he was a bishop, but told us to simply call him Senior Sarioff, and wore the traditional pink, red, and yellow colors of the crown, as their god was to the abstract concept of divine rule. Part of the trinity of the Empire’s official deities and the primary god of nobles. 

I made myself innocuous, not having anything to say to clerics of tyranny, but Justin was another thing.  

“It is an honor to meet you, Florince. I have not met anyone from the Royal Knights yet, but the Sanctum elders speak of your might with no little awe or concern.” I wondered if Justin was picking up my simpering approach. It was fine, for now, but in the long term he couldn’t be deferential in the way I had to be.

Florince, a very tall woman indeed, gave a small smile, but was not quite so amenable to flattery, likely used to dealing with a number of people petitioning for assistance. “Thank you, Justin. I imagine not, but then, I’ve never seen so quite a young mage able to, hm, manipulate an Orb of Elimination in such a manner.” 

“Such vilely powerful objects should only be in the hands of those with the authority to wield them. It is quite troubling and… informing that such a mongrel group of  heathens could acquire, let alone use such a device. Did you learn from whom they stole such a thing?” The senior priest managed to sound both pious and sneering at the same time. I was used to this sort of thing, but I could be impressed by mastery all the same. 

Justin shook his head, “I didn’t stick around to ask them. I was just trying to stop them.”

“Indeed. It is a shame none of them survived to be interrogated by the crown..” 

Florince seemed to be less taken in with the priest’s approach. Either that, or she could see Justin’s unspoken disagreement somewhere in the Bishop’s statement. 

I really needed to work on his Deceive skill. 

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“It was a good action,” the knight offered, “Sanctum may think itself sovereign, but they are Empire citizens all the same. And if there were rumors of a functional, dangerous cult in the countryside, the Royal Knights would be sent out en-masse even during the coronation.”

“Indeed, and I am not sure yet that they shouldn’t. The Crown Princess is young, and one wonders if the people will accept her rule without reminders of who is in charge.”

At this, I wanted to speak before Justin, who looked indignant enough to address the princess by her first name again. “The empire’s reach is long, and there are still yet many who recall when the current Empress, may she live forever, first ascended the crown at twenty-six. Especially our foes. I scarcely think that they won’t consider the difference between three years as some indication of our divine right waning.” I didn’t drip with sweetness, instead projecting some authority, emulating that confidence by which the priest spoke. I had hoped it, along with my presence here as Justin’s equal, would keep them from treating me like some handservant.

My head buzzed as Senior Sarioff wanted answers for why a Kobold would speak with such presumption. It didn’t hurt like high level Inspect skills, but I was thankful for several Hidden feats all the same. I must have indicated my agitation more than I intended, or else Florince knew enough Kobold body language to Discern my reaction, as she covered for the priest’s rudeness before I worked up the fury to respond.

“Indeed. The Crown Princess is also very well liked by the people, so much so that even she has, hm, fans that wish to meet her well above their place, so I understand.” Florince watched Justin at this, seemingly having decided his motive. Justin had the graces to look embarrassed. “I saw your name on the invitation list, Scaleen Fortuna. I hadn’t expected but am glad that you made your way here. Very rarely is someone offered three inductions into the Clergy of Knowledge and so politely refused.” I managed to hide my surprise at her knowledge of my past, but she winked anyway, “My sister is Teacher Dlorince. No, our parents were not particularly creative.”

I nodded, noting that Florince also knew enough that I wasn’t an officer anymore. “Teacher Dlorince was an exhaustive and peerless teacher of the Empire’s historical excellence. I’d known she had a sibling in the Knights, but she was always humble regarding who… The temple’s offer was more than gracious. It wasn’t lightly that I declined, but that I felt that my place was not to serve the people of the Empire in that form.”

Discern vs Deceive skills were more complicated than simple numbers, regardless of what ardent Dieties’ Guidance advocates would declare. Cultural differences muddle raw score calculations, and partial lies matter. Discern could not, ultimately, divine understanding from what was unexplainable. I did not, as it turns, wish to serve gods that had served the subjugation of my people. But that was hard to explain even to peer Kobolds. 

Florince seemed amused by my answer, but Senior Sarioff nodded sharply at that. His face still twisted in such a manner that he wasn’t sure that I had a place to speak, but accepted the knight’s response, “Just so. We all find ourselves as tools to the Empire’s work. It is best to work with the gears, with finer motion than the most extravagant Dwarven trinket.”

A Dwarf - a merchant solicitor, by the looks of her clothes in a conversation facing away from us behind Senior Sarioff - twitched at the implied insult. I believed that the Royal Knight Florince had as well. She made pleasant goodbyes, and steered the priest to less choppy diplomatic waters. I was not sad to see them go, but Justin’s gaze followed the knight’s back. 

As I sidled to close our meager ranks, Justin asked, not of me, but the air, “How does she move so effortlessly in that attire?” I glanced back to Justin but didn’t say anything, as he became embarrassed by his own words. He coughed and said, “And why was she wasting her time with that asshole?” 

“The Sovereign is the Empire’s god, Justin. She was likely trying to be political.” I paused, “You can learn to be that graceful too. You are more than skilled enough for it.” 

Justin looked a little ashen at the thought. “I, but, I mean, not in a dress and heels.” 

I didn’t push him at this, but I was getting the idea at this point. “Come, let us make our goodbyes to the host, and- ah.” A guest I’d been steering us away from all hour finally caught up to us, casting a shadow over the exit to the ballroom.