Chương 78: Book 2 Chapter 30 - An Uninvited Guest

Zoey was having a good time watching the tournaments. With no external magic allowed, both her and Jaden knew that he would beat her ten times out of ten. Her specialty was as a long-range mage, while his was close up fighting and magical body enhancements. They had agreed to just watch and help moderate, and not participate. The past few weeks had been amazing.

Dustin had agreed to pay them at the end of each week, which, on top of the higher-than-usual salary, meant they would have some spending money more frequently. The staff around the estate were as pleasant as they came, the food was fantastic, the other guards were easy to get along with, and Captain Soren was a great leader. Zoey had never been happier, and she wondered what she had done to get so lucky with the employment she had landed.

It wasn't as close to her home as she'd like, but she could make the trip back to Portish periodically to see them without too much effort. For now, she was in heaven. She loved her new job, loved the people around her, and she hadn't even had to compromise on the pay like she'd first assumed she would. She was already very loyal to House Yountal, and hoped to grow with them for years to come. House Yountal operated a bit differently than any other house she had seen before.

Her parents weren't all that wealthy, but they had employees. Zoey had always considered her parents to be exceptional employers, tough but fair, and great at what they did. In the little over a month that she had been at House Yountal, though, her eyes had opened to a completely new way of running things. Shian was absent quite frequently, training at the sword academy. That left Dustin to run the day to day workings of the house, as well as the businesses, and he made it look so effortless.

He delegated effectively, trusted others to work hard and get results, and didn't demand any kind of fear or respect from the staff like she had seen in some noble houses and even wealthy merchant houses. She had friends growing up from both of those circles, and had grown accustomed to a certain way of how things were done. Even the most lax of those houses demanded a certain type of hierarchical respect, punishing those who stepped out of line. She had always assumed it was the only way.

Here at House Yountal, she had been surprised to find both Shian and Dustin interacting casually and frequently with the estate staff. Today, she had seen the downside of that loose governance. The guards had been so focused on arguing with each other, that they hadn't been showing any kind of respect to the head of the house. That type of behavior in any other house would have resulted in people losing their jobs, or worse. Shian, on the other hand, had simply seemed flustered, unsure what to do.

Zoey wasn't entirely sure if she had done the right thing, unleashing that lightning bolt and thunderclap, but she wanted to make sure the guards showed Lady Yountal the respect she deserved. She had been delighted when Shian had smiled at her afterward, approving of her decision. She hadn't expected her actions to draw so much attention from the neighbors though.

It wasn't unusual for guards to spar and practice in the training grounds of an estate, but it was less common to hear a massive thunderclap or see a giant lightning bolt split the sky open. A few curious neighbors had come to investigate, seen the tournament and the gathered spectators, then spread the word. Now, the crowd was quite sizable. Zoey was standing on the edge of the circle nearest the estate entrance when she felt it. The aura of a powerful mage approaching.

She whirled around to see who it was, but didn't recognize the man. Then again, she didn't recognize hardly anyone in Easton yet, she had only been here for a short time. The aura grew stronger as he approached, which was normal. Why was he flexing his aura so blatantly though? That was normally considered very rude. Combined with the look in his eyes, Zoey suddenly felt very nervous. Most of the spectators were mortals, and couldn't bear up the increased spiritual pressure very well.

A few screamed in fear, scrambling backward, and some of the older ones slumped in their chairs, unable to sit up straight anymore. A few of the young children started crying from the sudden pressure. Zoey felt her strength and energy drain by half, and her cognitive speed slowed down. She quickly looked for Lady Yountal, ready to protect her if needed. She knew that Lady Yountal and Dustin were both mortals, and had hired both her and Jaden for this exact type of scenario.

She spotted Dustin first, on the far side of the circle. The sparring circle was large enough that the approaching mage's aura hadn't reached that far yet. It was, however, quite apparent that something was wrong by the way the spectators were reacting. Dustin was calmly watching the scene unfold, but then he looked to the side. Zoey followed his gaze, and found him watching Lady Yountal. He must be worried for her safety as well. Jaden had already seen what was happening and began making his way toward Zoey.

Zoey appreciated his support, but knew that the two of them would never stand a chance against this mage, whoever he was. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. An aura meant that he was at least tier 4, and that meant he could likely slaughter everyone gathered here without receiving a single scratch in return. Hopefully they could find a peaceful resolution to whatever this situation turned out to be.

If it came to a fight, Zoey would fulfill her contract, and not just out of obligation. She realized in that moment the depth of her feelings of loyalty for Shian and House Yountal. She began cycling the mana throughout her body, summoning a thin but powerful magic shield around her. Just in case. Zoey watched as the man's aura finally reached where Lady Yountal was moderating the spar.

She, and the two fighters had all been so engrossed in the spar that they hadn't realized the shift in energy in the crowd around them. Now, though, they definitely noticed, and the two fighters stopped sparring at once. Zoey knew that as the strongest guard present, it was her duty to approach the newcomer, and humbly seek a way to get in his good graces. If they could get him to mask his aura, that would be a good start, as it was heavily affecting the mortals present.

She was just about to move towards him when Lady Yountal began shouting.

"Hey! Knock that off." Shian began striding very purposefully towards the newcomer. Not hurriedly, but very confidently. Zoey was impressed at both her courage, as well as how well she was holding up under the man's aura. Zoey glanced at Dustin again, whose face was a mixture of excitement and worry. He seemed torn between the two. Zoey and Jaden both moved to intercept the man as well, and the four of them met just outside the ring of spectators.

He glanced briefly at each of them as they approached, but quickly turned his full attention to Shian.

"What do you think you're doing, Kane?" Shian demanded as she strode up to the man.

"I know you can reign your aura in, you jerk, stop harassing these poor people." Zoey and Jaden glanced nervously at each other. Shian's outburst screamed of blatant disrespect for this powerful mage. The man seemed to enjoy Shian's outburst, however, and for a moment Zoey wondered if they were friends or something. That notion was quickly disabused when she saw the look on Shian's face. She was livid. Kane glanced at the gathered spectators, then shrugged.

"Eh, they'll be fine."

"Get lost," Shian replied, "you aren't welcome here." Kane found that amusing.

"I'm welcome wherever I please, Lady Yountal." The tier 2 guards had all arrived now, and were standing protectively behind Shian. Shian glanced around at the gathered guards, as if she was calculating their chances of winning a fight against Kane. Zoey prayed she would realize they didn't stand a chance. Blessedly, Shian sighed in resignation, and turned back to face Kane. Zoey had the fleeting impression that Shian had done it not out of fear, but in order to protect her gathered guards from harm. Almost like…

Shian wanted to fight Kane, but was worried someone else might get hurt. Zoey immediately dismissed that idea as utterly ludicrous, and wondered where that errant thought had even come from.

"What do you want, Kane?" Shian asked, a bit more calmly now. Kane smiled with a predatory gleam in his eye, clearly pleased that he had the upper hand and everyone knew it. Zoey realized the man was simply pressuring everyone with his aura because he could, not that he had any real reason to. Her distaste for him grew monumentally.

"I caught wind of some kind of commotion here, earlier, a massive lightning bolt split the sky. I came to investigate." Zoey blushed and avoided anyone's eye contact, embarrassed that her actions had drawn the ire of someone this powerful. Shian gestured to the ring of spectators behind her.

"We're holding an in-house tournament. There's nothing to investigate." Kane nodded at the sight.

"Looks like you've drawn quite the crowd, I'd love to watch. Oh, and you have snacks too! Lovely, I'll have some." He moved to step around Shian, but she stepped in front of him, placing a restraining hand on his chest. He glared at the hand, but didn't remove it.

"Not until you mask your aura," Shian said firmly.

"What I do with my aura is no one else's business," he replied hotly, still glaring at her hand. She pulled her hand back.

"Please? Or should I report to Count Dremond that Baron Norshod has a tier 4 running around Easton bullying people?" Kane sucked on his tongue momentarily, then smirked and raised his hands defensively.

"Alright, alright, I'll reign it in." The aura faded slowly then disappeared altogether. Shian stepped aside, and the tire 2 guards behind her opened a path for Kane to walk through. He made his way toward the snack table, snickering to himself. Shian shook her head in disgust.

"Come on everyone, let's go finish the tournament." The tier 2 guards all made their way back into the ring of spectators, which had cleared a sizable bubble around where Kane was. Once the pressure from his aura disappeared, people had scrambled to move out of his way. Some of the spectators were even making their way to the exit. By the time he reached the snack table, no one else was there. The tournament resumed, but Zoey kept an eye on Kane. She didn't trust him.

He mostly ate their food and watched the spars, but occasionally he glanced up to make eye contact with her. A shiver ran down her spine each time he did, but she never let him out of her sight. He seemed amused by her vigilance like a parent would be amused by their child's attempts at beating them in a wrestling match. Zoey understood his sentiment. She knew, logically, that she would never be able to beat him if a fight broke out, but that wasn't why she was watching.

If he made any kind of move to attack Lady Yountal, Zoey was ready to intervene at a moment's notice, even if it cost her her life. Once the tournament ended and the prize money was given out, Kane left. Everyone watched him go with looks of either fear or relief. Shian called Zoey, Dustin, Jaden, and Captain Soren into the house for a meeting. Zoey wasn't surprised that she and Jaden were invited. With a threat of that level, Captain Soren would need their input.