Chương 84: Book 2 Chapter 36 - Village Meeting

It was Ron's turn to gather with the village elders tonight while Gentry got the kids ready for bed. Err.. at least Gabe would end up in bed. Ava was getting old enough now that she would still be awake when he got home, ready to hear the news. They didn't often have meetings like this, as everyone just pitched in and helped out when folks needed something. For the most part, everyone was self-sufficient around here, barring any major accidents.

With Edith having returned from Easton today though, the elders would be meeting in Farmer Hovel's barn. Ron had been surprised to see her and Ella at the village market in the afternoon, he hadn't expected them back before dinner. Everyone was antsy to hear the results of her meeting with the baron. The village wasn't large, but with at least one representative from each household, the barn was full. They had to sit fairly close together, facing the front, where Edith would present her report.

Ron found a place near the door, as he was late enough that most of the seats up front were already taken. Normally he wouldn't mind being near the door, as it wouldn't be as stuffy, and would allow him to leave quickly once the meeting ended, without having to wait for the crowd to disperse. Today, however, he wished he could have gotten a seat up front, since Edith couldn't project her voice very well, and he didn't want to miss any of what she said.

He wasn't the only one straining to hear though, so once Edith stood to talk, a deathly quiet settled in the barn, apart from the occasional cough or sneeze. He caught most of what she said, and was able to piece the rest together from context. Yes, she made it to Easton. No, she hadn't been able to meet with the baron. No, she didn't expect any help to come. Apparently she had been inundated with forms to fill out and papers to sign, followed by generic promises that someone would look over the matter eventually.

It certainly didn't instill any confidence that their current situation was going to get any better. Ron wondered where else they could find help with the bandit situation, and almost immediately had a flashback of watching Shian Yountal fight in Lord Grivalt's great hall. She had fought like the jaws of death itself, a flurry of fury and steel. Much of the fighting had honestly been much too fast for Ron to follow properly, but he had seen enough. One minute, Lord Grivalt and his guards had her surrounded.

The next, they were all dead, and she was not. Asking her for assistance would be so far outside the bounds of propriety though, that Ron immediately dismissed the idea. He wasn't even sure if she could help. Maybe she had simply got lucky in Lord Grivalt's estate. Maybe a group of fifteen bandits was simply too many for her to handle.

She did have a guard contingent at her estate, but asking her to bring her entire guard unit out to a random village to fight a battle that wasn't theirs, and especially one that many of them might not walk away from… no, he couldn't bring himself to do that. Maybe if things got bad enough, he would reconsider it. For now, they needed to consider other options. Most of the attacks had happened on the north side of town, and Ron wondered if perhaps the bandits were also harassing other villages.

He knew another small village lay a few miles to the north. The roads from either village connected about five miles away, toward Easton, so it was only a ten mile walk to the other village by road. If he left early enough, he could do it in a day, and be back by dinner. It wouldn't be fair for Edith to make another trip, and with the extra food that Lady Yountal had left them, Ron could afford a day away from the farm. The village meeting only lasted another fifteen minutes or so.

It was mostly people complaining about the baron's apparent lack of concern, along with a few fearful comments or questions with no easy solution. Ron didn't volunteer for the trek to the village up north just yet, he wanted to discuss it with Gentry first. Once he got home, he shared the news with Gentry and Ava. They sat on the back porch to keep from waking Gabe, who had just fallen asleep. If he woke up now, it would be a long night for everyone.

They took the news in stride, they had all been expecting about as much. Next, he proposed his idea for a trip to the village to the north. Gentry was on board, so Ron planned to leave early the following morning. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. What they didn't talk about that night, was Lady Yountal's offer for them to move back to her estate in Easton.

Ron needed more time to ponder it on his own, and Gentry and Ava both seemed to be in the same boat. They agreed without needing to verbalize it, that that conversation could wait until he was back the following night. With no lord ruling the village anymore, bandits were a real concern now in Ron's mind. There was a power vacuum waiting to be filled, and Baron Norshod didn't seem eager to fill it. Where had these bandits even come from?

He thought he had recognized a few of them from his time at Lord Grivalt's estate, but he couldn't be sure. At any rate, if these bandits were taken care of, would more come? Was his family safe here any longer? Maybe moving to Easton wasn't such a bad idea after all. * Kiara hired the same tailor and seamster that had made her gown for the Marsant's ball to make a dozen more for her.

Each one was a different style, based on dresses that she found appealing, but each one came with the same requirements: she needed to be able to move and fight in them, if needed. She doubted anything like that would happen at one of these parties, but after her run-ins with Kane, she wanted to be ready just in case. They arrived at the Norse mansion fashionably late. She let Dustin handle the logistics of that, and he assured her that their timing was impeccable.

As tier 3s, Zoey and Jaden were both honorary guests at the party, although Zoey came in an official capacity as Kiara's bodyguard, and wasn't planning to dance. Unless something unexpected went down, in which case she assured Kiara that she was 'ready to dance'. Her eyes had glimmered with literal fire when she said it. Jaden, on the other hand, wore a perfectly tailored suit and fully intended to mix and mingle.

He'd been to a few parties of this caliber back in Portish with his previous employer, but never as a guest like tonight. When Kiara had offered him the option, he had jumped on it. He was hoping to catch the attention of a cute girl or two, and she was sure he would have plenty of success in that department. Easton was a pretty small pond, and he was a young, attractive, tier 3 mage from the big city. Their group drew quite a bit of attention as they entered the mansion.

Kiara and Dustin would have drawn attention either way, but now they were accompanied by two new faces. Word had spread about House Yountal's new retainers, and especially that two of them were tier 3 mages. Those two alone had catapulted House Yountal's military presence to the top of the list in Easton, not to mention the new tier 2s as well. Before long, Kiara spotted Jaden at a table with five gorgeous women who were hanging on his every word. She smiled at the sight. Good for him.

Zoey took up her post along one of the walls, keeping an eye on Kiara and occasionally scanning the crowd for potential threats. Dustin moved through the crowd, chatting easily with his business partners and acquaintances in the city. Kiara looked around for anyone she recognized. She spotted Henry from her sword class in the corner, seated at a table by himself, sipping from a glass. She made her way over to him to say hi. Once he saw her approaching, his eyes widened and his face drained of color.

He stood hastily and bowed as she drew near.

"Lady Yountal! It's an honor." She smiled mischievously.

"What's an honor?"

"Um.. seeing you, I guess?"

"Why is that an honor?" she couldn't help but tease him as she took a seat at the same table. He fumbled for a moment before she laughed to lighten the mood.

"It's good to see you, Henry. When did you get here?"

"Right on time, my lady."

"Mmm," she nodded sagely.

"Good for you. Hey, do you dance?" she nodded her head toward the dance floor. Henry blushed, but nodded eagerly.

"I would love to, my lady."

"On one condition," she replied. He stared at her in momentary shock.

"O-of course, my lady."

"Call me Shian from now on." He immediately bowed.

"Of course, Lady Shian." Eh, it was a start. Henry was a good dancer. His movements were a bit stiff though, as if he'd practiced the steps like he had his sword forms, but hadn't internalized them in quite the same way. He lacked the natural 'feel' for the music and movement that some of the other young men had. Kiara took a break in between each dance, but she never lacked a partner when she wanted to be out on the floor.

She danced with quite a few young men over the course of an hour, including a few she had danced with previously at the Marsant's ball. Marcus Tanner, whom she particularly remembered, asked her to dance again, and it was the highlight of her evening up to that point. The next man to ask her to dance approached from behind, asking before she could turn to see who it was. His voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she recognized it from.

She agreed instinctively as she turned to face him, only to find that it was Kane Vondeer.