Lora of Two Worlds

The road from Yorvik to Gibford was an official road. But land travel wasn't water travel. Carriages without suspension, every rut was a jolt.

Leaving the city, Lora surveyed the convoy. Three carriages, fifty-odd men and horses. Hers in the middle.

Twenty Turkic guards, Corin's people. Yesterday he'd asked: could he bring a few men who only ate, slept, and fought, no wages required?

Lora had wanted to test an idea anyway. She'd agreed.

Corin, Jian, and Mo moved among them, murmuring in Turkic, laughing. At the rear of the column, spirits high.

Following Linnie's carriage: Sheffield's man, Yannic Xavier, a staff officer with several guards and mining engineers who knew how to sink coal shafts.

The lord warden's order: start mining the moment you arrive. Get coal to market. He needed coin, fast.

Mining required a permit from the prefectural office, also the basis for the mine tax. So they stopped at the Gibford office.

"General Yannic! What brings you? Congratulations on the promotion, I haven't come to pay my respects!" The prefect hurried forward.

"Prefect Claude, I'm escorting the lord warden's lady."

"The governor's lady? Which one?"

Yannic Xavier signaled, pointed at the carriage, whispered:

"Are you trying to lose your post? This is the new favorite. She's land in Gibford, long abandoned. She's come to reopen the family business. Mine coal."

"Coal? Never heard of coal in Gibford. But if the governor says so, it's there! Do you have the deed? I'll have it surveyed, no trouble for His Excellency."

"Oh! It's you! No wonder someone came a few days ago, said the family had several unregistered plots from old land reclamation.

Paid for proper documentation. Why didn't you say it was the lady's land..." He lowered his voice:

"Oh! It's you! No wonder someone came a few days ago, said the family had several unregistered plots from old land reclamation. Paid for proper documentation. Why didn't you say it was the lady's land..." He lowered his voice:

"We wouldn't dare charge the lady!"

Fulke smiled: "Not at all. The lady insists, pay the full official price. Keep the extra as a courtesy fee for the prefect's office."

"Oh... ah, my, my... The lady is generous. Wait one moment, I'll have the registrar stamp these deeds. From now on, if you dig gold from that land, it's the governor's and the lady's!"

Yannic Xavier, listening from start to finish, was satisfied. The land was clean. The tax exemption was handled. He could report back to the governor.

That evening in Gibford, everyone relaxed. One question remained: would the land the young lady had bought actually yield coal?

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The guest house rarely hosted so many. And the lady had ordered: all staff get wine and meat. Unusual.

The innkeeper scoured the market for every cut of meat available. Fed the whole party, four dozen.

"Boss, these Su people have real money." A Black Eagle man gnawed a mutton rib: "If they really give us the mine to run, we eat mutton every day."

"You think about nothing but eating. They're this generous? The young lady asked for the boss's eldest son to come along. I think she's up to something."

Horn had expected this. Lora's request likely meant his eldest son, Chester Horn, would join them. He'd agreed, his people were few. Building strength required assets.

"Enough talk. Do your job. Cheney should arrive before us. We'll assess at Highgarden."

He'd barely finished when laughter erupted from the front courtyard. By the fire pit, Faye stood, holding a drinking tally, reading:

"Riding fine horses, wearing light furs, finest dress! Ten cups!"

Everyone looked at Linnie. Laughter: "Finest dress, who but the governor's lady? One big cup!"

Faye was thrilled, she'd drawn a tally that penalized someone else. Top draw! She grabbed the wine pot and went to Linnie, giggling, and poured her a cup.

Roland drew a tally: "In friendship, keep your word, ask a companion to drink! Ten cups." I invited a friend to share a cup.

He raised his glass, about to toast Leon. But Leon's eyes flicked toward Faye, returning to her seat. Roland understood, he'd overheard the carriage conversation. He raised his cup to Faye:

"A man of his word, that's the foundation of friendship. Lady Faye, may I share a cup?"

Linnie was delighted. Faye had just tricked her, now Faye was being tricked. She'd almost thought Lord Roland was interested in her.

Clearly, retaliation.

Lora glanced at her cousin beside her brother. He was looking at her, half-smiling. She ducked her head: Next draw was his. Please don't let it land on her.

Roland poured for Faye. She insisted on lining up two cups to compare levels:

"Too much, too much... too little, too little... no wait, too much again..."

Roland sighed. Another drama queen, cut from the same cloth as his sister.

Leon picked a tally from the remaining pile. Read: "Choose the good and follow it, great vessel... fifty cups!"

Lora revived: "Lyle! Fill your lord's cup, five times! That tally is five big cups! Hahaha..."

Lyle looked pained: My lord, you brought this on yourself.

"My lord, you can't handle quick drinking. Maybe..." Linn whispered. Roland reached for a cup to help. Leon stopped them both.

He poured all five cups into one large goblet and drank it in a single tilt.

"Good man!" Corin led the applause. Lora set the wine pot in front of him: "What are you laughing at? Your turn now."

"We don't do refined games. We use the Wine Barbarian, whoever it points to, drinks!"

Corin produced a figurine, a round-bottomed foreigner with a beard, right arm extended. Spin it, it wobbled and stopped, pointing at someone.

Corin spun. It circled, steadied, pointed at Lyle. Everyone laughed and rushed to pour his cup.

Pure drinking. Lora quietly stood and slipped away.

Away from the lanterns and the bonfire, it was truly dark. She didn't dare go far. She stopped at the corner of the gallery.

The stars above the Empire were beautiful. Myriad points, shimmering. You couldn't pick out constellations, there were so many stars the sky had no gaps.

Lora leaned on a pillar, face up. Then, a wave of wine breath from above. A man's heat closed around her:

"What did I do to make you dislike me? You'd give me away to someone else."

A man whose courage had been fortified by drink. Pouting.

So he had overheard. That's why he'd sent Roland to drink with Faye. Lora smiled, turned, and found herself enclosed by his arms, braced against the pillar.

"I wasn't..."

"Not... dislike me?"

"Actually, we were just... joking..."

Lora wasn't sure Leon heard the last two words. Because he was genuinely drunk. His arms, braced on the pillar, gave way. His head dropped onto her shoulder. No, his whole body leaned on hers.

"Cousin? Cousin, wake up!"

A figure leapt from the dark, grabbed Leon. Linn, mortified:

"Don't mind him, my lady. My lord can't handle fast drinking. This is the first time he's been like this. I'll take him. You, don't stand in the dark. Go back."

"I'm going."

Lora followed them toward the light and noise of the forecourt. Watching the man draped over Linn's shoulder, she thought...

She needed a drink herself. To clear her head.

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