Chương 196: You Care Too Much

They paid careful attention to the passing days, trying their best to speculate where the Ocean Queen was on a map based on the route planned and location of the merchant vessel harboring the members of the Hong and Varsha delegation. After two days, Eili told them that, as long as there were no delays in route, Deidre and the Ocean Queen should've contacted the vessel. The transfer of individuals would only take a few minutes, then the ship would turn around immediately and return to Viclya.

If all was going to plan, at that point, the ship would already be en route back. A day later was the earliest they could expect them. Piers had the concerned ambassadors kept up to date on the schedule, though there was no real way to confirm until they were close enough to be spotted by the watchtowers. There was also a chance that they had returned by sailing close to shore. If they did so, then they could stop at one of Soleil's eastern ports to communicate with Viclya on land.

However, they hadn't had any communication. Tori couldn't help but be tense not knowing what exactly was happening.

"Logically, you can understand the movement schedule better, but part of you will always be somewhat anxious," Eili told her as they sat in a private meeting room in the operations tent.

"This is normal to feel." Tori nodded mindlessly from where she sat. She really didn't like this feeling of the unknown. She was a planner, but if a plan went out of her control, she couldn't help but feel helpless. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Now, she felt a bit ridiculous after how confident she had been with Axton about the speed of the Ocean Queen. How did she get herself involved in this?

Sitting around a tense meeting room, waiting for a call to let them know that the retrieval had happened and that everyone was safe. It was bad enough if she was worrying alone, but now they were simply feeding off of each other's nervous energy. She should've tried to distract herself and gone riding with Layla like Sonia suggested. Sitting around and worrying won't help anyone. Might as well ride, Sonia had said. Tori raised her hand and gently grasped the water moon crystal dangling below her neck.

She took a deep breath and subconsciously grounded, as it seemed to relax her. Several pulses slammed into her, almost as if they'd push her off her chair. The air around her seemed to vibrate and she could feel it against her skin. The vibrations were coming from all directions and Tori's eyes flew open. Her hand dropped from her chest. Nothing in the room had changed.

Eili was still hunched over a map a few seats away, explaining to Axton and Piers the route and possible difficulties Deidre and the Ocean Queen could meet. Ambassador Wu and Ambassador Das were also with them with furrowed brows filled with concentration and concern. No one seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. Tori narrowed her eyes and slowly lifted her hand back to the water moon crystal. As her fingers closed over the warm crystal warmed by her body, nothing happened.

No strange feeling, no pulses or sensations in the air, not even a tiny shock. Was she having some sort of momentary illusion? Her lips tightened into a line, and she lowered her eyes to look at the hand holding the small, wire-wrapped crystal. She closed eyes once more and grounded. She felt the pulses once more. None of them were in sync and seemed to be coming from in front of her. Tori kept her eyes closed and continued to ground.

She sent out her energy, trying to isolate the source of the pulses by sending it in that direction. Her heart quickened in her chest as her energy moved over to her cousin. Master Ramos said that all things had an energy, it was just that 99% of the time, it was impossible for humans to sense them. At best, even crystal masters like himself could sense energy part of the time, and even then, the energy tended to be strong, like the energy vein of the delta. But she could feel a steady pulse coming from Eili.

And Tori knew it was Eili. Not from the fact that the energy had crawled in Eili's direction, but it strangely felt like her cousin. The pulsing was clearer now that she identified the person. Her energy moved over another, more familiar pulse. The energy she felt from Eili was electric. Every time there was a pulse, there was almost a gentle shock. Piers' energy was smooth, like ripples on a lake after one tossed in a pebble. Cool and steady.

Axton's was similar, but the ripples were more like slow waves and there was a warmth to him. The corners of her lips curled up a bit. How very fitting of the both of them. The next two pulses were clear, but Tori couldn't tell whose was whose. The two ambassadors were standing beside each other and though the pulses could be separated, they weren't easily identifiable. Perhaps it was because she was not as familiar with them as with the other three.

Ambassador Das' energy she eventually figured out, but if she didn't know Ambassador Wu was standing there, she would never have guessed it was him. After she identified the people in the room, she could almost see them in her head. The visual technique was always her preferred method of crystal energy work, so she supposed this is how it defaulted. She couldn't see their outlines, but she could see the energy that pulsed in waves from their bodies. They were relatively steady and constant, like a heartbeat.

Her chest clenched. Her brows furrowed more so. Like a heartbeat?

"Tori, are you all right?" Eili's voice pierced her thoughts and the image in her mind dissipated like smoke. Her eyes flew open, and she blinked. Across the table, Eili and the others were looking at her with varying hints of concern. Tori immediately forced a smile on her face, making sure to keep it somewhat tired and subdued for the atmosphere.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about some things," Tori said. Eili frowned a bit.

"There is still some time to go before the earliest we'll hear from them," her cousin told her in an encouraging voice.

"Why don't you take up Sonia's offer to go riding?" Tori felt her head nodding.

"That's a good idea." She stood up and gave the ambassadors a small nod before walking out of the meeting room. No one stopped her and for a moment she wondered if they remembered that she was a seventeen-year-old. Although, she was prone to worrying as an adult, too. The rest of the operations tent was bustling, as until the town and county offices were completed on Rois, this was the center of operations and planning.

They were set to move to the new offices next spring, though many had already taken tours of what was currently up. Everyone gave her small bows of their heads and addressed her as Countess as she passed. When she left the tent, she heard a meow and looked down. Alexander was waiting by the guarded doors, sitting up straight with his fluffy tail curled around his feet. He seemed to fit in with the knights at the entrance.

"Waiting for me?" she asked with a small smile." Nyaow!" Her cat stood up and circled her legs once before trotting forward. He stopped and looked back after a few steps, as if asking if she was coming.

"We're going to the stables. Do you want to ride with me and Layla?"" Nyaow!" His meow was louder, and Tori took that as approval of her plan. The two, one petite human and one surprisingly large cat, made their way to the stables on the other side of the main road. Two somewhat amused knights followed them. As soon as the stable hands saw them, they asked if she wanted to ride. One of the stable hands immediately called Sonia, as a general precaution had been made to not let Tori wander off on a horse by herself.

She had rolled her eyes at the time, but she could understand their worry after she fell off a horse and nearly died three years ago.

"My lady, Ms. Vissage is unavailable, as she is giving riding lessons right now, but Mr. Vissage is free. He will be able to escort you," one of the young men said.

"Thank you. Is Alexander's basket ready?"

"Yes, my lady. A larger one has been prepared to accommodate for his future growth." Tori looked down at her massive cat. Alexander was already over a year old. Was he not yet fully grown? The stable hand put the new woven basket with what looked like a leather outer lining around the bottom on the floor and Alexander came forward to inspect it. He circled it, jumped inside, and did a another little circle. Tori watched him seem to knead the bottom of the basket before he jumped out and let out a meow.

"I'm glad you like it, Master Alexander. I will let the craftsmen know," the stable hand told the cat. Tori squinted her eyes. She looked at her cat and wondered what kind of secret life he lived when she was not with him. Layla was brought out and Tori asked the stable hands to have some apples and carrots ready for Layla and Nuage when they came back. She gently patted her horse's neck. Layla leaned over and Tori rested her head against hers.

"Yeah... I've been having a tiring last few days." Layla let out a small chuff and stayed still so Tori could rest her head against her.

"Let's take my mind off of it."

"So, where do you want to go?" JP arrived on top of Nuage. He seemed to have been out in the corral with Sonia, who was giving summer classes to village children on how to ride a horse. Tori had not yet considered riding instructors, but it was mentioned with the village council, as she wanted to provide activities for children, and occasionally adults.

Even if the villagers themselves could not afford the supplies, and in this case, horses, it didn't mean that the county couldn't provide them for communal lessons, which would be useful for everyone. It's just that she had to budget in the costs.

"The bridge to the east shore should be good. Let's check out the industrial zone," Tori said as she carefully put her foot on the stirrup, grasped the saddle, and heaved herself up. It was still a bit of a struggle, but she was not able to get her leg across without awkwardly having to scoot forward. JP rolled his eyes.

"You want to do work while you're riding?"

"It's not work. I just want to see how construction is going," Tori said with shifty eyes. JP sent her dull look.

"You need to take time to actually relax. You can't just do work when you have time to spare from other work," JP told her.

"We'll go, but you're not allowed to get off Layla and inspect things." Tori let out a small scoff as a stable hand picked up Alexander and placed him in his basket. She followed JP out on the main road. The bridge was further upriver, but could be seen from the end of the Promenade. There were two small islands dotting that portion of the river and the engineers and architects agreed that it would be a suitable place to build a bridge that spanned the river. The river itself was not at its widest point.

Construction had started a year and a half ago with additional funding from the Fekete and Alvere Duchies, as while the bridge was in Cosora, it would also connect the two duchies, which were on either side of her far smaller territory. It would take off at least a half day's travel from Granite Tower to Viclya. The bridge itself was made of stone and vaulted; a quite common way to build bridges since ancient times. It was given the practical name of Delta Bridge One.

The two islands that held the two thick main support structures in the river were named Alvere and Fekete. The bridge itself was not narrow. It could support a good five to six carriages lined up. The final railings along the elevated walkways on either side had yet to be installed and the light crystal posts that matched the ones on the Promenade also had yet to be installed, but they could now cross. It was still technically under construction, but pedestrians and horses were allowed to cross once approved.

The knights at their entrance to the gate gave Tori a slight nod as she and JP trotted past.

"The forest still hasn't been cleared past the industrial zone. We'll take some time to go through there. We can go up Deer Hill. There's a horse path there and it has a good view of the village."

"Okay," Tori agreed. The industrial zone was just on the other side of the bridge. It was busy with people focused on their work. Parts of it were already in use, as it was where crystal powered equipment was being made and tested. Craftsmen were also located in the area closer to the shore, where the worker's camp was located. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

After weaving through the hard packed dirt streets, JP led Tori towards a small hill where they'd often hunt for deer, thus the name Deer Hill. Alexander was quite familiar, as his tail was twitching excitedly." Nyaow?"

"No, you stay in your basket," Tori said in a firm voice.

"There is no need for you to hunt right now."" Nyaow!"

"What are you going to do with it? You've already eaten."" Nyraooww...."

"Don't take that tone with me, Alexander Hamilton de Guevera, or I will turn Layla around and we will go back to the tent." She looked over her shoulder and saw her cat pull back his ears and go quiet.

"He usually brings it to the nearest kitchen tent. And he doesn't hunt every day. It would be good for him to keep his skills sharp," JP said." Nyaow!" Alexander perked up. He stood on his hind legs and reached forward to push against Tori's back. Her cat was begging.

"You are allowed one small animal," Tori told him in a low voice. He jumped out of his basket and ran off.

"My lady, would you like one of us to accompany Master Alexander?" one of the knights who was following a few paces away asked.

"No, it's fine. He's used to the area, he'll be fine," Tori said.

"He'll find us." They followed a curving path up the hill and when they got to the top, there was a cleared area with a few benches that looked out over the delta. No one was there and Tori thought for a moment.

"I'm going to sit here and take a break."

"You've been riding for a while," JP said.

"You can keep riding if you want. I'll call when I'm ready to go," Tori told him as she carefully leaned forward, slung her leg back, and slid off her saddle. She dusted her hands and looked at the knights.

"Distanced guard, please."

"Yes, my lady." She handed the reins to JP so he could take Layla to graze, but Layla pulled her reins away and followed after Tori.

"Layla, you want to stay with me? Okay," Tori said before stroking the side of her horse. She found a bench to sit on and took a seat. Layla began to slowly circle the area, appearing to inspect the ground. Tori took a deep breath and closed her eyes, putting her hand over her little crystal necklace once more. She grounded without a word and felt a strong, healthy pulse coming from her right. It was moving around her, and she smiled to herself. That was Layla.

She sent out her energy and found the two knights not far away. Past them, she felt JP and another pulse, which was likely Nuage. I wonder if I can find Alexander. Her brows knit together, and she extended her energy out in the direction where they'd come from. There were arrays of tiny pulses, some no more than a faint spark. If she wasn't concentrating, she wouldn't have felt them at all. None of them felt like Alexander, so she continued to search for her fluffy natural killer, ignoring the smaller pulses.

She felt a familiar pulse and focused her energy on it. The warm energy she felt was definitely that of her cat. His heart was rather fast. Cats typically had faster heartbeats than humans, but even now, it was racing. There was a burst of energy and she felt it slam into something else. Alexander's pulse shot up and Tori felt it was entangled with another racing pulse. Eventually, the other pulse slowed. After a few counts, it vanished. Tori's eyes shot open, and she sat up straight. Her cat killed something.

"And I felt it die...." She looked down and opened her hand, staring at the crystal resting just over her chest. She swallowed hard. She had yet to show the crystal to Master Ramos, as he was still in Anlar and wouldn't be back for a few more weeks. Instructor Ignatius and the other two masters on Anahata Island hadn't seen the water moon crystal before, so none of them could tell her what it was used for. Her only information came from Ambassador Izel.

The crystal in its native name meant water, which was synonymous with life to the locals. The pulses weren't just waves of energy naturally emitted; they were actual heartbeats of living things. She wanted to run a few more tests to see if her theory was correct, but even if it was, she wasn't sure what she could do with it. Perhaps sense living things when she couldn't see them normally? Her shoulder slumped and she furrowed her brows. It was a cool ability to have. It was exciting, even.

If she played hide and seek with Ava and the kids again, she'd find them for sure, but she didn't want that to be the only thing she'd use it for. She pursed her lips. Still, it wasn't as if it was a bad way to practice. She dug into her pocket to call Ava, only to see it flash in her hand. She drew her head back and flipped it open to see the name Eili O'Tuagh.

"Cousin?" Tori asked as soon as she slid her finger across.

"The East Watch Tower has sighted the Ocean Queen roughly two hours from shore by normal ship speeds. They'll be here soon," Eili said.

"The green flags are up." Tori's eyes reddened as her heart skipped a beat. The tension in her heart eased.

"They're up?" Eili chuckled.

"They're up. The mission was successful." They had almost left behind Alexander on the hill, but on their way down, Sir Lloyd, who'd followed her to escort her, spotted him trotting up the path on the way to the view point at the top of the hill with his tail up high and a pheasant gripped in his little jaws.

Tori had told him to get on the horse, but he couldn't make it with the pheasant, so Sir Robertsen had to get off his horse, pick up Alexander and the pheasant still in Alexander's jaws, and put him in the basket. They then rode quickly, directly to the plaza to get to the awaiting boat to take them to the embarkation island. Tori still wasn't used to galloping, so after a few seconds of bouncing up and down, she had to give in and had to slow down. Alexander didn't seem to have a problem at all.

JP took Layla's reins as Tori slipped off. Sir Dobchek and Sir Atienza were waiting for her, and they traded off with the other two knights and joined Tori on the boat.

"Where are the others?"

"They already set off for the island, my lady," Sir Dobchek reported. Tori nodded. The Ocean Queen would be arriving within an hour or so, as it tended to slow down when in shallower and busier waters, such as the area close to the islands. When Tori reached the embarkation islands, her cousin, Piers, Axton, and the two ambassadors were waiting at the waiting building. Mr. Farkas was speaking to the two ambassadors and Piers about the paperwork.

The entry documents for both Viclya, a closed settlement, and Soleil, for foreign visitors, had been prepared and approved. Tori reached them and Eili slung her arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze.

"I know my wife," Eili told her with a bit of undisguised pride in her voice.

"There are few in our navy that can maneuver a ship like Deidre. She was the right person for the job, and that's your skill, isn't it? Putting the right people in the right place?" Tori grinned, but shook her head.

"She was the only person we could send out at the time, and she had her ship. We were lucky."

"Luck is a skill, too," Eili replied.

"And it's one you can make with the right preparations."

"My lady, the Ocean Queen has entered the delta," one of the staff members came to Tori.

"Thank you." Tori gave her a curt nod.

"Prepare one of the meetings rooms at once in the operations building and call for inter-island transport boats: two passengers and two cargoes." She called the mainland operations tent and had them prepare two apartments in town, as well as ordered food to be brought over to the island. The food was still being brought over on a transport vessel when the Ocean Queen appeared.

The sleek ship looked untouched from when Tori had seen it last, and as Eili told her, on the tallest mast of the ship, there were three successive flags, and all were the brightest green she'd seen in Soleil. Andy had told her that three green flags meant a successful mission, little to no injuries, and little to no damage to the ship. The personal vessel was docked quickly, and Deidre stood on the side of the ship, still in uniform.

Along with her were several foreign faces, all looking excited as they saw the ambassadors waiting below. Deidre escorted them down, first officially greeting the highest ranked person present: Piers.

"There is a room prepared in the office for debriefing," Tori said as she stood to the side, watching as Ambassador Wu embraced his flustered son. They arrived at the meeting groom just as a meal had been delivered. Tori stepped out a bit with Eili to let the ship's crew know that a meal was waiting for them at the reception dining hall on the island, which doubled as an emergency gathering location. The medical team was escorted back to the mainland and told that a meal was waiting for them at Henrik's restaurant.

They thanked her and once everything seemed to be sorted on the dock, she went back to the meeting room on the second floor of the operations building. When she entered, someone was in the middle of a story. They stopped at once and before Tori could tell them to continue while she quietly took her seat, those who were seated stood up.

"Countess Guevera," Ambassador Das said.

"Thank you for your assistance. Let me introduce you to our delegation." Okay, I guess we're going to go with introductions. She much preferred to find out what happened first, but formalities needed to be done. The two men and one woman from Varsha were introduced, then the two men from Hong were also introduced, including Wu Yichun, the Ambassador's son.

"I only did what was necessary at the time," Tori said in an even voice.

"I am Victoria de Guevera, Countess of Cosora. You are welcome to rest and recover in the capital of my territory, Viclya. Apartments have been prepared for each group on the mainland. We will return there after the debriefing." The delegation was not at all surprised to see how young she was, and Tori figured that they'd been told in advance that she was a teenager. She took a seat at one side of the table with Axton across from her and Piers at the head.

Deidre and Eili were seated on Axton's side and the visitors were on the other end of the table. Tori listened to the delegation go through their experience, highlighting their confusion as to why they were rejected. They had arrived two weeks prior, roughly at the same time, and originally had appointments to meet with Pargath's trade minister regarding the sudden change in policy. They had arrived at the designated time and were turned around.

At first, it was said that the minister was ill, but in the past, they'd also worked with vice ministers and members of the trade council. They had waited for news that their appointment was rescheduled, but no one came to inform them. Their aides returned to the ministry to inquire and were turned away. They were told that the minister would not meet with them. Confused and upset, the delegates went to find out for themselves and were turned away by force.

They appealed to the court, but their appeal was returned to their inn. The envelope had not been opened. The day after that, their inn had been surrounded and a royal messenger gave them the ultimatum: leave Pargath or they would be arrested. It was then that they called the ambassadors closest to them, who were the ambassadors to Soleil and Nazaria. The Hong delegation contacted Ambassador Wu first, as Wu Yichun was his son and would naturally go to his father first.

The Ambassadors in Soleil were also the first to reply. It was lucky for them that they were both in Viclya at the time, and could get an immediate audience with Piers and Tori, and extremely lucky that Deidre was visiting as Tori's extended family. The delegation was still trying to arrange a ship, as they'd come by caravan and were not allowed to leave through the land route when Deidre had set sail. The merchant vessel that responded to them was a trading partner of Viclya.

Tori knew this because later that day, she'd received a call from the Nazarian trading ship's captain before they left port. She knew them because of Grammie; the owner was a wealthy aristocrat who funded historical research and was a good friend of her grandmother. Networking is amazing.... Tori had thought to herself when she confirmed that the trading ship was willing to pick up the delegation and take them outside of Pargath waters.

In fact, the Ocean Queen had arrived faster than anticipated because the trading ship had taken them a good distance away, following the instructed route. For their assistance, Tori had arranged to waive the port fees for the next full year. Tori asked to keep the entire situation quiet. Outside of that conversation, Piers was the only one who knew.

"Why didn't they let you return by land?" Axton asked with narrowed eyes.

"We don't know," Wu Yichun replied, looking equally uncertain.

"They had no problem letting us in days earlier. Our personal belongings were not confiscated, and we were allowed to come and go from the inn. Except for the last day, when the soldiers surrounded the inn, we assumed that is how we could leave."

"Was there any effect on caravans entering the kingdom?" Tori asked.

"The typical process to transfer goods from the caravans to a ship is three days. This includes time for Pargath to record the items that went through, be paid, and have the goods physically transferred. We always have contracted ships waiting for a window of time," Mr. Singh of Varsha explained.

"The ships wait in the bay and once the awaiting caravan has entered, they report to the port to arrange for the ship to come."

"What happens if the window of time expires? Say a caravan is unable to move their cargo during that time," Tori asked. Several heavy sighs filled the room.

"Then we have to look for another vessel or try to negotiate for an extension, which will cost more money."

"Have there been a lot of losses?" Eili asked.

"The reason we came to Pargath was because there have been a significant number of losses because of this and because the entry and port fees have risen," Wu Yichun replied.

"When we arrived, things only got worse."

"Caravans did not only have to pay their fees to enter, but once they reached the port, they were suddenly required to leave a portion of their cargo. Mainly spices and raw goods," Mr. Singh replied.

"This has not happened before. Goods were only used as payment if the fees could not be met by normal means."

"When we were arriving, there were many caravans stopped outside. Normally, the process is quite smooth. Pargath has been doing this for centuries, after all, but I've never seen so many groups scattered outside. We walked through them for almost a day to get to the kingdom," Mrs. Ghosh of Varsha said with a frown.

"Something is wrong. I'm sure of it. Why would so many caravans be unable to enter? It cannot be only the astronomical fee."

"Did any turn back?" Tori asked.

"There were groups who sold their goods outside the kingdom gates," Mr. Singh said as he glanced at the others. He furrowed his brows.

"There were many people buying and selling.

"I had assumed it was to get rid of goods with as little a loss as possible if they could not get to the port." Wu Yichun looked at Tori and the others.

"It is quite common for smaller merchants to sell their goods at port for slightly cheaper to larger merchants. It saves them the cost of overseas transport and import fees."

"Time is money," Tori said with a heavy breath.

"Sitting around, waiting to get into Pargath is costly. They have to use up their supplies and are just sitting on goods. I can see why you all would be worried." Her eyes lowered and Piers seemed to give Axton a subtle nod.

"We've taken up quite a bit of your time already," Axton said as he rose to his feet.

"I'm sure it's been an exhausting and near terrifying ordeal." That was the queue to send their guests to the mainland to rest.

"My staff is waiting in the hall to escort you all to the transport boats that will take you to the mainland. Upon arrival, Viclya guest services staff will take you to your apartments. They're close, just across the plaza and down the street. Your belongings have been sent there and a pair of service staff will be present to answer questions, give you your guest packets, and even take you on the tour," Tori told them with a warm smile.

"But I'm sure Axton is right. You must all want to rest. If there is anything I can do for you, please inform the service staff." A series of grateful words came from the delegation and they and the ambassadors were escorted out. Deidre followed Eili back, as she'd slept little on the mission and needed to rest. The door closed behind them, and Tori leaned back against her seat. Axton walked to the window to look out towards the main plaza of the island.

Across the way were restaurants, an inn, recreational area, and some shops for ship crew. Tori was quiet, her mind putting together all the new information and feeling a ball of dread knot in her stomach. Piers looked over.

"What are you thinking?" Tori tapped her fingers on the table and stared out into the open table in front of her.

"I think Pargath is allowing the Duraga Federation access to supplies, including food and raw goods, to stockpile in preparation for an aggressive attack that will lead to a drawn-out war, as well as holding back the highly lucrative spice trade to disrupt the economies of several countries that heavily export and import them." Piers raised a brow and Axton drew his head back.

"They're just spices...." he said in a hesitant voice. Tori raised her eyes.

"They can also resell them at much higher prices, accumulating wealth and gaining favor in exchange for a very sought after good. A nation with money can not only spend it on the betterment of their citizens' lives, but they can also put a lot of resources behind their military. I am a Guevera, Axton. Our March's armies and navies, and entire security infrastructure, would have a big problem if we didn't have the money to fund it." Axton was quiet and Piers was still.

"I thought you were going to concentrate on Lycée and leave the politics to me." Tori shot him a withering glare.

"It's kind of hard to ignore when things like this are happening in my village, Piers. Don't you think I'd like to concentrate on my baking and international food plazas instead of dwelling on an impending conflict?" Piers looked away.

"Lady Ilyana was right." He frowned a bit.

"You care too much."