Supreme Magus

Chapter 4434: Throwing the Bait (Part 2)

"It connects the Barla estate to the highway. I-"

"Got it, thanks." Lith’s keen sight spotted the uniform grey of cleanly cut stones on the ground, and he pushed the lever up to five, cutting his guide short.

Hormak had yet to get used to that speed when Lith slowed down and started the landing at a safe distance from the main gate.

"I am Magus Lith Verhen, and I’ve come to talk with Count Barla. Notify your lord that I request an audience with him." Lith said as he stepped out of the DoLorean.

The artifact had already alerted the soldiers of the identity of the unexpected guest, and the pristine wings and robes only confirmed it. The two men standing at the entrance dropped their weapons, opened the metal gates, and got on their knees, keeping their hands above their heads where Lith could see them.

"What are you doing?" Lith asked. "I’m not here to arrest you or Count Barla."

"Thank the gods." The guards sighed in relief, glad they wouldn’t share the Frorl Household’s fate. "I mean, we don’t have a communication amulet, Magus Verhen. One of us should take the horse and report your arrival in person."

He pointed at a small shack hosting a buckskin and a saddle.

"It would take too long, and we didn’t want to waste your precious time."

"That would be rude on my part." Lith shook his head. "We need to follow protocol. Jump in. I’ll drive to the mansion, and you will announce me."

The soldier gave a salute and rushed to the passenger door. Then he saw the green robe of the Great Mage and opened the next door. Only then did he realize he had jumped from the pan into the fire.

Kamila looked at him in puzzlement, and the babies sniffed at him like hunting dogs.

"Wee-wee, Mama. Wee-wee!" Elysia declared as she handed a fresh diaper to the poor guard.

"Don’t worry, baby girl. The seats self-clean." Kamila replied, making the hapless man curse the earlier moment of weakness of his bladder.

"I’m so sorry." He gave the deepest bow he could without headbutting one of the children. "I-"

"We’ve arrived." Lith said as he turned around.

The guard was flabbergasted. In just the time it had taken him to make a fool out of himself, the DoLorean had crossed the external perimeter, the park, and stopped in the stagecoach area.

’Was it Warp, flight, or something else? I can’t believe I have to ask the others to tell me what I just experienced.’ The guard bowed again and stepped outside, inwardly swearing like a sailor.

He was still announcing the arrival of the guests to the butler when Count Agheus Barla walked out the door himself.

He was a man in his mid-forties, about 1,75 meters (5’9") tall, with ashen blonde hair and beard. He wore a silken housecoat with his family emblem embroidered in gold over his heart over a white linen shirt and black pants.

He had come rushing to the door so fast that he had forgotten to take off his fur-lined slippers and wear shoes.

"Who’s in there?" He asked while dabbing the sweat from his powdered forehead. "The Royals? Marchioness Distar? The-"

"Supreme Magus Verhen, Milord." Fernon, the butler, said.

"And his wife. They are both in high uniform." The guard said, making the Count fear for his life. "They are also accompanied by Great Mage Hormak and a few toddlers."

"Toddlers?" Barla felt life return to his limbs. "Let’s not keep our honorable guests waiting, Fernon. Have the cook prepare our best tea, and tell him that I want it yesterday."

"Yes, Milord." The old butler moved fast for his age, yet his steps didn’t cause a wrinkle in his perfectly ironed shirt.

Meanwhile, Lith and the others stepped out of the car, sending a cold shiver running down the Count’s back.

’The good news is that if they had come to kill me, they wouldn’t have cared about formalities, let alone carried the babies along.’ He thought. ’The bad news is that if they came here so suddenly and in uniform, this is not a social visit.

’I haven’t committed any crime worth the attentions of a Magus, but if Verhen is here for one of my friends and I try to protect them, he’ll kill my entire family. Remember the Frorls, Agheus, and don’t end up like them.’

"Magus Verhen, Lady Magus, to what do I owe this unexpected honor?" The Count bowed as deeply as his stiff back allowed him.

"Constable Verhen, please." Kamila said as she showed her badge. "I’m here in my official capacity. These are my assistant, Ytana Sokra, and my honor guard, Asani Trairen. My husband, Magus Verhen, has come to ensure my safety, as he still can’t leave our children’s side.

"I need to discuss important matters that require privacy and discretion with you, Count Barla. Can we move to your office?"

"Of course." The Count nodded like a frenzied parrot, leading his guests along the stairs and hallways that separated the entrance to his private quarters. "I hope this isn’t anything important."

"All matters regarding the Kingdom are important, Count." Kamila replied, putting an end to Barla’s attempts to gauge what kind of trouble he was in.

Meanwhile, Great Mage Hormak stood right next to the DoLorean, wondering what to do.

"I’ve not been invited inside, but I can’t leave without saying goodbye. What if Magus Verhen needs me to go back to Verka?" He asked.

Yet his real concern was missing the opportunity to talk more with Lith and maybe exchange runes.

"Don’t ask me." The soldier shrugged. "They closed the door in my face before I could finish my report. I’m not supposed to stay here, but I can’t go back until I’m dismissed."

"At least we can keep each other company." Hormak shrugged. "Let’s go back inside the DoLorean. There’s no point in staying here and freezing our asses."

Once inside, he took a flask of liquor and a few snacks out of his dimensional amulet.

"Help yourself." The mage said. "Do you have any idea why Magus Verhen came here?"

"Not a clue. The Count is a decent man." The soldier replied.

"That’s not what I’ve heard. It seems- What’s this smell?"

"It must have been one of the babies." The soldier lied through his teeth. "Don’t worry, Lady Verhen told me the seats self-clean."

***

At the same time, inside Count Barla’s office, Kamila had just finished explaining the reasons for her visit.

"I assure you that whoever reported our little problem to you blew things out of proportion, Constable Verhen." The Count said. "Esha is safe, and numbers don’t lie. The increase in the bandit raids is negligible."

"No, they didn’t, Count Barla." Kamila shook her head. "As you said, numbers don’t lie. As the criminals move out of Lustria, honest people move in. Also, while the number of raids isn’t much different from the past, their success rate skyrocketed.

"Only a few caravans reached their destinations in the past two months, and none of them came out unscathed. I’m here to understand what is happening and bring those responsible to justice, no matter if they took part in the raids or just tried to sweep the problem under the rug."