Chapter 951: Employement

"So when is Davon returning?"

"Ludwig."

"He introduced himself as Davon."

"He lied."

"That sounds like his problem."

Celine nearly laughed. Correcting Timur had achieved nothing so far, and she doubted repetition would improve her chances. Ludwig could explain himself when he returned.

"He’ll come back when he’s finished."

"With what?"

"Studying."

Timur stared at her. The answer seemed to require more consideration than anything she had said about the attacks in Lotostra. He slowly lowered himself into the chair opposite her desk.

"Davon is studying?"

"Ludwig is studying, yes."

"That man used magic when we traveled together. He already knew magic."

"He knows more now. Apparently, knowing magic and understanding magic are different things."

Timur remained silent, looking toward the papers on her desk without appearing to read them. Celine wondered what exactly he remembered about their time together. Whatever it was, he seemed to be having difficulty fitting it around the image of Ludwig sitting quietly with a book.

"Fine. I’ll wait."

"That would be ideal."

He stood again and headed toward the door. Celine had just reached for another report when he stopped, looking around the office before turning toward the window. Some of the impatience left his face.

"Something’s missing from the estate."

Celine put the report down again. Timur had already moved toward the window, studying the settlement beyond the manor. She followed his gaze, trying to determine what had caught his attention.

"What is missing?"

Bastos remained far from the place she remembered. Most of its buildings were modest timber homes, workshops, and storage sheds, though permanent structures were gradually replacing the temporary lodgings. Roads were being widened, drainage channels restored, and old foundations uncovered wherever they could be used again.

More lights appeared every evening. More voices filled the roads, and more families arrived with everything they owned packed onto carts. The territory was becoming somewhere people could settle again, even if calling it a city remained an ambition.

Timur pointed toward the growing settlement. Celine looked from his hand to the buildings, then back at him. He seemed to think the answer ought to be obvious.

"Your knights."

"What knights?"

"Exactly. You don’t have an order."

"We have guards."

"Not enough."

"We also have adventurers and mercenaries."

"Adventurers leave. Mercenaries leave faster."

Celine looked outside again. There were people carrying weapons on the road below, but she understood the distinction he was making. Most of them had arrived to pursue their own business, and few had any obligation to remain.

"Who protects the roads, and who commands them?"

"Local patrols. The people in charge vary depending on the area."

"And trouble inside the settlement?"

"Usually whoever is available."

"That works while the place is small."

Celine said nothing because, annoyingly, he was right. Bastos had benefited enormously from the unusual people rebuilding it. Many had come from dangerous regions, while others were adventurers, nonhumans, or simply individuals accustomed to surviving things ordinary civilians never encountered.

When two drunk men fought in the market, someone nearby was usually strong enough to separate them. Dangerous animals seldom remained dangerous for long after approaching the settlement. Thieves tended to discover that they had chosen their victims poorly, and anything truly serious brought Ludwig or Celine into the matter.

It had worked, but too much depended on who happened to be present. Hundreds of people already lived here, and thousands might follow if the recovery continued. More farms, roads, caravans, and trade would bring disputes that could not all wait for the Marquis or the former head of House Bastos to intervene.

She had no desire to personally investigate every stolen horse. Nor could Ludwig be expected to abandon whatever disaster currently occupied him whenever a merchant decided that a neighbor’s wagon was blocking his shop. Ordinary problems needed people whose duty was to deal with them.

Celine rested one hand against the window frame. Centuries ago, Bastos had possessed its own knights, and she could still remember their insignia, the training yard, and the barracks. Most of those places were gone now, though some foundations probably remained beneath newer buildings.

She had spent so much time thinking about restoring the land that she had overlooked restoring that part of it. The old arrangements had disappeared along with the people who maintained them. Rebuilding homes would not bring them back on its own.

"When this becomes a city, it’ll be too late to start thinking about who keeps order."

"You’ve thought about this surprisingly deeply."

"I noticed a hole."

"A large one."

"Yes."

Celine turned toward him. Timur stood with his arms folded, apparently satisfied that he had identified something worth discussing. She considered him for a moment before smiling.

"Would you like to become guard captain?"

"No."

The answer came so quickly that she blinked. Timur shrugged, looking entirely comfortable with the refusal. Whatever she had expected him to say, he clearly felt no obligation to help her hear it.

"I was pointing out the problem."

"You don’t want the position?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I came here to meet Davon."

"Ludwig."

"Whatever."

The office door opened farther behind them. Celine looked toward it as a soft voice interrupted, calm enough that Timur initially seemed not to realize what had been said. Then his expression changed.

"He’ll accept."

Melisande stepped inside with her long hair tied loosely behind her back. She carried no obvious weapon and wore an almost apologetic smile, giving little indication that she might be comfortable around violence. Celine had already learned that appearances were unreliable with this group.

"No. I just said I wouldn’t."

"I heard you."

"Then why are you saying the opposite?"

"Because you’re wrong."

Timur stared at her while she approached the desk. Melisande gave Celine a small nod, apparently considering the matter settled. She did not seem particularly concerned by the man glaring at her.

"He’ll gladly accept. At least it will give him something to do."

"I have things to do."

"You’ve spent four days asking when Ludwig is coming back."

"Davon."

"See? He’s driving all of us insane."

Celine covered her smile with one hand. Beyond the open door, the quiet member of their group nodded once in agreement. Timur noticed immediately and turned toward him.

"You too?"

The man offered no reply. Apparently, the nod was all he intended to contribute, though it was enough to leave Timur looking thoroughly betrayed. Melisande waited with the patience of someone familiar with that expression.

Celine returned to her desk, giving herself a moment to consider the offer seriously. She had suggested it because Timur noticed a weakness that others had overlooked. The more she thought about it, the more useful his involvement seemed.

"The position comes with responsibility."

"I don’t want responsibility."

"It also comes with good pay, authority, and lodging."

"I have money, and I’m already sleeping somewhere."

"Access to the training grounds once we rebuild them."

Timur hesitated. Celine noticed, but Melisande was quicker. She turned toward the desk with the satisfaction of someone who had been waiting for exactly that pause.

"He accepts."

"I did not say that."

"You paused."

"I was thinking."

"Exactly."

Timur looked between them, finding very little sympathy on either side. Celine made no effort to hide her amusement now. Melisande seemed even less inclined to do so.

"This feels like an ambush."

"It is."

Celine sat down and considered what they would need. Timur knew Bastos and had fought here before. Ludwig trusted him enough to have traveled alongside him, even if he had apparently done so under a false name.

More importantly, Timur had identified a weakness without being asked to look for one. His first answer had involved wandering off to patrol roads, but that energy might be useful if directed properly. She could think of several tasks that would benefit from someone difficult to discourage.

A knightly order would take time. A proper guard force was a more sensible beginning, with people who answered directly to the Marquisate and understood which duties belonged to them. It could grow alongside the settlement instead of being hastily assembled once the existing arrangements failed.

"How many people would you need?"

"Depends on what you want protected."

The answer came immediately. Celine smiled, and Timur realized what he had done almost as quickly. Melisande laughed before he could retreat from it.

"I haven’t accepted."

"You’re already planning."

"I answered a question."

Celine leaned forward, giving the protest no more attention than it deserved. Timur had already looked back toward the window, though he seemed to catch himself doing that as well. She repeated the question before he could decide to leave.

"How many?"

"For the manor and the immediate settlement? Twenty to start."

"Too many."

"Then twelve. Six patrol pairs."

"For the roads?"

"Separate."

"You’re increasing the number again."

"You asked."

Celine rose and looked over Bastos once more. Ludwig had asked her to strengthen the territory, probably while imagining walls, patrols, and defensive wards capable of slowing whatever absurd enemy came looking for him next. Gluttony, assassins, and Usurpers had given him plenty of reasons to worry.

The people living here needed protection from ordinary trouble as well. A reliable guard could settle disputes, keep the roads safe, and give newcomers someone to approach when they needed help. Those duties would remain long after any particular threat had passed.

She turned toward Timur, who watched her with increasing suspicion. Melisande remained beside him, apparently content to let Celine finish what she had started. Neither seemed interested in offering him an escape.

"How about we start by recruiting a few people?"

"You’re serious."

"Yes."

"I haven’t agreed."

Melisande placed a hand on his arm. Timur looked down at it, then toward her face, as though hoping she had finally decided to support him. Her smile did very little to encourage that hope.

"You have. You’re the guard captain."

"I am not."

Celine walked around the desk and headed toward the door. There was no reason to spend the rest of the day arguing over a position he had already begun organizing. She paused beside him just long enough to try the title aloud.

"Captain Timur."

He closed his eyes. Melisande’s hand remained on his arm, and Celine suspected she was enjoying herself far too much to let go. Timur drew a slow breath before answering.

"Don’t call me that."

"Come along, Captain."

Celine continued into the hallway, followed immediately by Melisande. The quiet man joined them while the enormous barbarian shifted aside to let everyone pass. Timur remained alone in the office for several seconds before his voice followed them.

"I hate all of you."

Melisande looked back toward the open door. She waited until Timur appeared before offering him another gentle smile. Celine kept walking, unwilling to interrupt.

"You’ll need to work on how you speak to your officers."

"I DON’T HAVE OFFICERS."

Celine continued down the corridor, already considering where they might find the first recruits. That could be fixed.