Chương 153: Tunmod

I sighed. Tunmod was going to cause me trouble. I didn't need to be a genius to see that. The bigger problem was finding out how much this man controlled, and how easily I could replace him, or if I could use him. Keeping a straight face, I matched his greeting.

"I am Sir Levi, and I am the thegn of these lands now." I thrust my mind back in time, recalling the names I'd rehearsed.

"Bounded on the east by Pilfith's Creek, on the north by Haem Ridge, on the west by the old Hide markers, and on the south by the beginning of the boglands." Tunmod nodded, then bowed.

"Sir, I am your humble servant. I have maintained these lands, in service of many thegns. You should know that I studied at the Eraen-Kalora Reeves' Academy, and have three decades' experience in these lands."

"You weren't born here?"

"Alas, I was not," Tunmod said.

"But I assure you, I know them like the back of my hand. You and I are probably quite similar, no? We know when to seize"—he clenched his fist—"a chance for greatness and improve our standing. How else could a Dupe have become a thegn if not for…a touch of well-placed pragmatism."

"Something like that." I paused, trying not to look hesitant or give away anything important.

"Well, nice to meet you, Tunmod. I won't be taking a tour today. I'd like to know what I'm working with."

"Working with?" Tunmod asked.

"What do you plan to do, sir?" I marched to the center of the hall, then motioned toward a table near the edge of the room. Brawl dragged it over.

"When I arrived here…well, let's just say this place has seen better days," I said.

"Tunmod, fetch me a detailed map of these lands. I assume you have one, correct?"

"Yes, sir. But I think you'll be mistaken. There's little that can be done about these lands. It's a shame, but they are simply poor and weak. Some problems are just, you see, too complex to be solved."

"Yeah, I'm sure," I replied with a flat voice.

"The maps, please."

"Yes, sir." As soon as Tunmod scampered away, Brawl said, "I do not like him, brother."

"He might be useful with his connections," I said.

"But we'll see. We can't act until we know more."

"How could someone like that be useful?" Anchor hissed.

"Well." I crossed my arms.

"I do think you guys are onto something here with public executions." My squad turned to stare at me. I'd spoken quietly enough that only they would hear me, though. We couldn't have the local guards, who were certainly more loyal to the portreeve, hear me.

"Now, now," I said.

"I don't mean we're going to draw and quarter him yet. But if we need to make an example of someone, I feel like we should go for the man at the top. The man in charge of letting it get this bad." A few seconds later, Tunmod emerged from the back rooms of the hall carrying a couple parchment rolls in his arms. He laid them out on the table and unwrapped them, and we placed our weapons on their edges to weigh them down and stop them from curling up. It may have also been a thinly veiled threat, but who could say?

"You should know, Sir Levi, that fetching maps is the job of a servant," Tunmod said, breathing through his mouth. He was doing his best not to look exhausted.

"Next time, I highly suggest you send a soldier instead."

"I'll think about it," I replied.

"Now, let's hear about these lands." I leaned over the table, pressing my hands down on the edges, and looked over the map. It provided an incredibly detailed layout of what I was dealing with, with almost every point of interest marked, as well as every parcel of land. Of course I wanted to help the people here. This obviously wasn't a healthy place, and though all of Gate was struggling, this place was worse than many. But I couldn't deny a slightly selfish reason, too.

Hinlaw would try to take these lands back from me. He'd try to cause trouble. If I wasn't careful, I would just be another in a long list of replaced thegns. It'd be easier to keep a grip on these lands and stave off Hinlaw's interference if I were to befriend the people here. What better way to do that than to improve their lives and living conditions? As usual, though, the problem was resources. Tunmod gave a brief overview, pointing out locations of interest. I took all of it with a grain of salt.

He could very well try to deceive me or omit important information. And I needed to figure out if he was self-interested or working for someone above him. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work! When he was done pointing out all of the ranches and 'beautiful landmarks' and (potentially) wasting our time, I asked, "So what resources do we have available?"

Tunmod's gaze instantly drifted downward, and he began picking his fingernails as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. After a few seconds, he replied, "As for taxes, you're collecting about sixty percent of your freemen's Hide revenue." I opened my mouth, about to point out that I hadn't meant just taxes, but I stopped myself and said, " Sixty percent? Over half?"

"They can spare it." I chewed my lip.

"And what do we spend our taxes on?"

"Improvements. Roads, houses, and such. And the yearly festival." I raised my eyebrows.

"I'm not seeing much evidence of improvements."

"Well, yes." Tunmod gave a soft chuckle, then leaned forward. He whispered, "If you hand-pick the right guilds, they often… return some sceats to the pockets of the officials who helped them get the commissions. It's just the cost of doing business, you see… but it does raise the costs." I swallowed, but didn't protest for now. That was pretty blatant corruption, but I didn't want to protest too soon, lest Tunmod be less open with me about what he was up to.

For now, I needed him to think he could convince me to take part. He'd tell me more that way.

"And this festival?" I asked.

"The rivers in this area are prone to flooding," Tunmod explained.

"We suspect it's the local river spirit. If we keep her in good spirits, the floods aren't nearly as bad." He folded his hands together.

"The local seer picks a young lad every year. We dress him in formal garb—it's not cheap, you know—and float him out on the river on a boat. It goes over the falls, and the spirit is satisfied."

"How tall are the falls?"

"Fifty feet. It's a rocky maw at the bottom—local myth says that the maw is the mouth of Unna. That's the spirit's name." I inhaled sharply. It was a human sacrifice.

"How long have you been doing this?" I asked.

"Ten years."

"Do any other regions do this?"

"I wouldn't know." Tunmod cast me a smile.

"Does it work?"

"As best we can tell, the floods aren't nearly as bad. But people have a poor memory for that sort of thing, you know. If you insist that the rivers were higher last year, and the year before, well… eventually, the folks out here start believing it. People aren't that smart. But even if they were, my men have the authority to arrest anyone who questions the effectiveness of our spirit-taming. Public safety is key, and we can't have them causing harm with ideas like that."

He took a breath, and before I could interject, he added, "Since you're here, sir, how would you like it if we pushed the festival forward a few weeks to welcome our new thegn?" I nodded slowly at first, then made myself look more eager and nodded faster.

"Yes, go for it. Let's do that. I'd love to see what the fuss is about. I assume there will be food?"

"Oh, yes. Though some of the funds we collect for the festival go to the local seer, and he spreads it back around the higher-ups quite fairly." Tunmod's coat was certainly clean and well-kept, and the dark gray embroidery on the collar and hem were in perfect condition—plus, they were very intricate. Something about it made my eyes itch the longer I looked at it, and every so often, it rippled, just like my helmet would. Was it enchanted?

"I'm counting on it," I said. My squad, especially Brawl, gave me a suspicious glance, but they were disciplined enough to not say anything.

"Go make your preparations, and push the festival forward. Make them happen as soon as possible. We'll all be in attendance, of course."

"It will be done, Sir Levi," Tunmod said.

"I look forward to working with you further. I'm sure we can make our new deal…quite lucrative for the both of us."

"Let us show you to your chambers," the guard who had stopped us in front of the hall said.

"Sir Levi and his closest men may use the hall's amenities, and we will find room for the rest of you in the local barracks." After retrieving our weapons from the table, I followed the guard to the back of the hall. Romance and his riders left with the rest of the guards, and I took my squad with me.

"This is the thegn's chamber," the old Dupe said, motioning toward the door.

"Hinfic rarely slept here, so don't worry about taking the bed of a dead man." It wouldn't be the first time, I thought, but I said nothing.

"The rest of your squad can sleep in the guest room," the old Dupe added.

"It was also unoccupied all throughout Hinfic's reign."

"What did Hinfic usually do?"

"He usually spent most of his days in the Domain capital with his father," the Dupe said.

"I couldn't tell you what they did there. Do you have any equipment to unpack?"

"Nothing much," I said, then patted my kit bag.

"Most is in here. Anything else in Burr's saddlebags, I can deal with tomorrow." I turned to him and leaned closer.

"If anyone hurts our horses, I'll have their head."

"Y—yes, sir."

"Dismissed," I said. Once he was gone, I waited in the hallway outside the room with my squad. I listened, extending my Perception as far as I could. There was no sign of anyone else nearby—the closest was a pair of guards in the hall, standing by the door. I said, "I don't suppose sacrifices are common?"

"King Aelfwine outlawed the practice when he took power," Anchor said.

"So they're technically breaking the law?"

"Technically," Sage said.

"But anyone who would enforce the law is under Tunmod's thumb." I chewed my lip.

"This festival obviously isn't actually appeasing the river spirits, and something tells me that entire story is made up. But this isn't unworkable."

"You have been slimy today, brother," Brawl said.

"You lied to him."

"Sorry, but it had to be done. We'll need Tunmod just a little longer."

"What's the plan, Sarge?" Anchor asked.

"I need you three to check our rooms. Make sure there are no traps, nothing to let anyone listen in on us. I'm going to go investigate the city and talk to a few people. If we're going to fix any of the problems here, we need to know what they actually are—and from someone who isn't Tunmod." I put my hands in my pockets.

"If anyone asks, I'm still in my room, relaxing after a long ride."