Claiming The Remnant

Chapter 8

[ Garrett ]

The King's private office was not where I currently wanted to be. The dirt, the sweat, her blood was clinging to me much like she had many times before. I loathed presenting myself to the King in such a state for the second time today but there had yet been time to wash off the grime. Cleaning myself was not the only reason I wished the King had not summoned me. There was still much to be done. I needed to implement a guard rotation for Taiya's room and organise Willis as her escort for the castle and its grounds. It was a calculated choice. Willis was not only the best but their history would ensure that if Taiya was acting as I suspected she would be found out sooner rather than later.

Additionally my normal duties required my attention and I had not eaten since dawn. The only consolation was that King Leoré appeared in a much better mood than the one I had found him in this morning.

"Captain." The King greeted with a lukewarm smile. I had been waiting in his office to be addressed for at least 5 minutes.

"My King." I bowed, keeping my voice even.

"Do you know why I made you Captain of the Guard, Garrett?" His Majesty queried, his face as unreadable as ever.

"Because I am the best. My skill set is almost without rival.” I said with confidence. The question was unexpected but I had learned not to be fazed by King Leoré; he had a tendency to take an indirect approach.

“Indeed.” His Majesty regarded me with cool grey eyes. “There is another reason. Above all others I wanted you as Captain of the Guard because you do not have magic.” My jaw clenched and my hands curled into fists. My breath felt hotter in my lungs than it had a moment ago. The lack of magic within my blood was a sore point. The King did not continue right away and I realised he was waiting on me.

“My apologies, Your Majesty but I'm afraid I do not follow.” I kept my anger in check. The King would not tolerate such an infraction.

“You see Garrett…” He paused, moving some papers on his desk. It might have been for dramatic effect, it might have been to give himself time to articulate the thought fully without stumbling (that would not have been very regal) or it might have been to give me time to centre myself. I never knew with King Leoré. "Magic is not the be all and end all. In itself it can be wondrous and invaluable but it can also be a crutch, relied upon too readily, trusted too easily, called forth too quickly. Without magic though… a person must think more carefully, be more wary, plan around the possibilities. They must also work hard if they wish to stand out. You are those things Garrett Preston, making it not what you have but what you are not that gives you the edge."

"Thank you, My King." I say respectfully, despite the taste of metal in my mouth. That was a backhanded compliment if I ever did hear one.

"Tell me Captain - how did you come to suspect the woman you brought in?"

"Intel pointed in the direction of a traveller, recently returning to the city from Eternal Forest. Rumours circulated that he had returned without his travel companions. Strange occurrences of magic were reported coming from his location and further rumours of a Remnant being in his possession circulated. Upon investigation it seems he was either unable to control the stone or found it too difficult to wield. At any rate he attempted to sell it. He was found dead before he could be detained. The stone was not in his possession." I took a breath. Whatever it was the King was trying to gain from having this conversation again I couldn't work out.

"The girl, Captain?" He said a little impatiently.

"Witnesses place her at the scene."

"Did they not also place others at the scene? And what about the witnesses themselves were they not also under suspicion?" He quierried.

"Of course Your Majesty. All avenues were investigated thoroughly. All other parties were cleared of processing the Remnant. The relevant parties were charged for the murder of the traveller." I told him, focusing on keeping my voice even as I repeated myself. We had gone through this earlier today and almost everyday before that.

"What evidence do we have that the woman you brought in has it?" This question was new. His eyes pinned me, waiting.

"None, My King."

"Then why did you bring her in?" He blazed, the sharp eyes like silver fire.

"She was seen in the area and is a well known thief." I resumed, ignoring his anger.

"Ah so she was in the area not at the scene? If she is infamous as a thief, why was she still roaming my city streets?" The King dug in.

"She is difficult to detain, her complete identity shift appears to be the reason." That was the only explanation I was willing to give. I wasn't going to tell him we slept together, casual but regular. She also fed me some useful information about goings on in the city.

"It still doesn't answer my question. Why her? Why are you so certain she has it?" His Majesty continued to glare. "I am waiting."

"There is no solid evidence. It's just a feeling I have. Intuition, Your Majesty." I admitted. King Leoré eyeballed me for what must have been a full minute before moving on. If I wasn’t used to it I would have been unnerved.

"What else do you know about this girl?" He asked in a calmer tone.

"On the streets she is known as Blue Shadow. The name she gives is Taiya. We believe she is in her early twenties. And other than being aware of her criminal prowess there is nothing else on file." I kept to the basics.

"Blue Shadow, hum, how amusing. Did that not give a hint, not even a small one regarding her shifting capabilities?"

"A regretful oversight Your Majesty." s**t. I really did miss that one. I thought it was just a dumb nickname.

The King chuckled.

"So you didn't know at all that she could shift?" The King was not ready to let this go.

"I knew she had some but I thought it was small. No prominent features, no hair colour, no intel to indicate otherwise."

"What do you think of her current guise?"

"She is lying." I answered without thinking.

"You seem very sure, Captain Garrett, as though you know her well. Perhaps you've met her before? One of her brief incarcerations? Or even something a little more personal, a dalliance? You are a man after all and I saw her when you first brought her in." The King was very astute and right but his implication that I might have only been interested in her because she was ‘attractive’ irked me. I liked her dominance, her skill, her tenacity. It was nice that she was pretty but not the clincher. Her foul mouth was a turn off though. Most of the time I was with her I made sure to keep her gob busy… and not with talking. "Had you met her before?"

"In passing Your Majesty, as a cat may chase a mouse." A half truth, once the case but that time had passed.

"Indeed." The King eyed me somewhat suspiciously. "Lady Esther, as she is calling herself, is currently being guarded in her new quarters I presume?"

"Correct, My King."

"Excellent, she is to have free reign of the grounds and castle, an escort at all times and I will expect her at meals and so forth. She will be entertained as such is required." His Majesty stated dismissively and somewhat jovially.

"And the Remnant?" I spoke out of turn, earning a sharp look.

"It is only magic and as I have said, or did I not make myself clear, we are more than that. We were here before the Fae, we are here after the Fae. The magic will fade and we will only have ourselves. The Remnant is not important, if it existed at all." Flabbergasted I couldn’t help but stare. My King stared straight back. "I have never seen one. You?"

"No Your Majesty." I conceded but not fully. "What of King…."

"Ah, he postures! I shall do the same." He said with a sudden explosion of guesturisation. "You are dismissed, Captain. I suggest you bathe before anything else. I should like to have people think my Captain is civilised."

I left; entirely confused. The Remnant had been well… everything. Without it war was imminent but King Leoré had shrugged it off as if it had been a fickle desire, no more important than choosing between tea or coffee.

Making my way to my office I pondered this quandary. Finding the Remnant was important. Life and death. For the honour of My King I would ensure it was found. No matter what. The King had not told me to stop and I would not.

Remembering that I still hadn’t eaten, I took a small detour past the kitchens, swiping a plate when no one was looking. After the insanity of this morning I didn’t need to have an argument with Cook; he was sure to be pissed after I not only sent back the food he had prepared but orders with it. It was not my place, necessary, but not my place and he would be ready to rip my head off.