A Timely Knight

A Random Meeting

In the cover of night, in a dark tavern, in a shady part of a broken kingdom, nine strangers converged in a back room and grabbed an innocent drink.

To any outsider, Arabella thought, that is what this seemingly random reunion must have looked like. After all, they have arrived separately; some had even taken longer and considerably more convoluted routes to get to the Steam and Steel tavern, in the edges of Gutterton, halfway between Ironport and Ivoryport.

Some had made sure to arrive earlier; two of them had even gone as far as to disguise themselves behind bushy red beards, rather ineffectively, she had to admit. Still, they had all done their best to make this meeting seem as random as possible. They could not afford to take any chances. They were all being watched. They knew that much.

Arabella's house in Ravenport had RoyalCorps stationed outside. They had not given any reason to justify their presence, nor did they need to. Buford had made sure they felt empowered enough to believe themselves untouchable. In a way, they were.

As Arabella drank from the ale she had ordered, she breathed a sigh of relief when the last of the nine to arrive, the buffoon who she was convinced was unable to take anything seriously, crossed the door and sat in between her and the dark-skinned Princess.

"Are we all here?" The woman with the raspy voice spoke, removing her cowl to reveal the rectangular face Arabella knew so well.

"It appears so," the late-arriving Master Eldon said, tapping on the table.

"Very well," Master Nilla spoke in no more than a whisper. "We all know why we're here. We need to make one more stand against the parasite. It's already moving against us."

"Our priority is to prevent Buford from being crowned King," Arabella said, her voice slightly muffled behind the veil that covered her face. "If he ascends to the throne, it will be all the more difficult to eliminate him."

The Viscount, hidden behind an old Aronportian helmet, spoke from the far side of the room. "Not only that, but he'll have full access to the Crown's considerable resources."

The sound of thunder shook the entire tavern, making the frail Princess shiver.

"And Viola's fate will be all but sealed," Livilla's shaky voice was barely able to overcome the sound of nature raging on the outside.

"Our future Queen is right," Master Eldon, who wore a silk scarf that covered his mouth and nose, said matter-of-factly. "Speaking of which, shouldn't we also prevent this lovely woman from returning to Ivoryport? Your husband is, after all, our main target."

"Absolutely not," Livilla replied firmly. "I need to be there for the coronation. My absence would only arise suspicions."

"Can we count on the SteelCorps?" Alder, one of the two wearing the ridiculous red beards, softly asked.

The Shark shook his head. "Negative. None of my contacts is willing to rise against the future King of Makina, not without definitive proof."

"What happened in the throne room wasn't definitive proof?" Princess Electa, who like Master Nilla wore a cowl, asked, rather scandalized.

"Buford remained on the outside during his brothers' plot. Indigo intentionally kept him side-lined so that all the suspicions, and attacks, would focus on the other three."

As the words left her mouth, Arabella's body shivered. They were now realizing just how challenging the parasite really was. It was not just the fact that it granted enhanced abilities to those it infected. It was actually cunning. It plotted, it anticipated and planned its strategies accordingly. And it had fooled them into having a foolish sense of false hope.