Chapter 1 : The Feast (Part 5)

By the time all of the performers were through and most of the guests had finished their second or third course of dessert the feast had been going on for several hours and the guests had been thoroughly involved in their revelry undisturbed for much of that time. Vasper took the opportunity to make use of one of the more unique features of the great hall by employing a special technique that he had discovered by accident several years earlier.

Sitting back in his chair, Vasper closed his eyes and willed his body into complete relaxation and internal silence. Immediately he was immersed from head to toe in a complex cacophony of noise – the result of a quirk in the room’s design that somehow gathered, amplified and perfectly relayed all the myriad sounds in the hall onto the very spot where Vasper now sat. Slowly, Vasper willed his mind to filter out all that was unnecessary – ambient noises that seemed to have no particular origin, the busy sounds of his servants as they went about their duties and even the gentle blowing of the snow that fell outside.

Vasper analyzed a hundred different conversations about nothing particularly important. At one table he recognized the raised voices of Lords Dalbro and Florav in heated debate about Unver’s controversial political alliances, while another table hosted a casual conversation about the state of farming in Serapis in which Baron Meris claimed that there were far too few cattle being raised in the northern marches and Lord Tiralan asserted this was because sheep were the only livestock worthy of Unverian farmland. Meanwhile Lady Treala was having a wonderful time gossiping with friends and acquaintances about various ladies of court that Prince Fedyk had supposedly gone to bed with.

Vasper flashed quickly from conversation to conversation, sorting useful information from useless information until he heard one of the voices he had been searching for. Willing himself to filter out every other sound in the room, Vasper concentrated all of his focus and attention on the whispered conversation:

“..should do it now!” Madray was clearly agitated.

“Cease your ridiculous prattling and use your brain for once,” came Bey’s response, “the thane is not defenseless.”

Madray sounded incredulous, “Be reasonable! Vasper’s pathetic band of guards against all of ours? We’d roll that miserable sack and his soldiers over in no time!”

Vizina’s sultry voice interjected, “The baron has a point, my lord. With all our supporters behind us we would certainly be victorious.”

“Oh indeed we would, my lady,” Bey replied sardonically, “and once the resulting bloodbath had subsided we would find ourselves the rulers of a large pile of noble's corpses.”

Vizina responded nonchalantly, “I could use my feminine wiles on the poor, lonely thane. No man has ever resisted--“

“--Absolutely not!” Madray was livid, “I will have to be dead before I'd let that greasy bone-bag touch you!”

“Be careful what you wish for, Madray. That kind of thing can be arranged.” Bey’s voice brought calm back to the conversation. “However it wouldn’t work anyway. The only weakness he has for the weaker sex is a penchant for maiming and torturing them – hardly productive.”

“Well what do you suggest then?” Madray asked.

“That we use his weaknesses against him. The key to Vasper’s undoing is a delicate thing and one that requires a certain finesse.” Bey lowered his voice to a barely perceptible whisper, “In a few minutes I am going to have a little talk with our thane, and the rest of you are going to --“

“--My lord-“

Vasper’s delicate concentration shattered at the sound of a servant’s voice in his ear.

“Count Bey requests a private audience with you to discuss matters of mutual benefit.”

Vasper took a moment to collect himself and then nodded his assent.

“Very well, tell the Count that I will meet him outside on the eastern walkway in a few minutes.”

“Yes my lord,” replied the servant before walking off toward Count Bey’s table.

Vasper gave instructions for the servants to continue dispersing food and drink as necessary and then stood to go to his audience with Count Bey. As he headed toward the stairs Vasper felt a strong grip on his arm and stopped to look back at the hulking and heavily armoured figure of his guard captain. Kast was easily the most physically capable man Vasper had ever met and was unflappably loyal to his lord – qualities that had allowed him to rise quickly through the ranks of Serapis’ royal army, into his current position as Vasper’s personal bodyguard. Vasper had taken pride in teaching his captain the arts of subtlety and perception, which Kast had picked up quickly despite his thuggish appearance.

“I don’t like you going out amongst the vultures without protection. I think it’s a very bad idea – as like as not to get you killed. Or worse.” Kast whispered as he gazed across the hall with a heavy lidded glare that would have caused most men to soil themselves, were it cast in their direction.

“I don’t doubt every one of these ignoble snakes has a fang or two up his sleeve with your name on it, especially Count Bey. I’ve been watching him all night and I’ll scourge myself for a week if he isn’t the most poisonous adder in the pack. Mark my words, my lord - if you go down there unguarded you’ll live to regret it. Or maybe you won’t live long enough for regrets.”

Vasper nodded knowingly and whispered in response.

“Your senses are quite correct, my friend – Bey is exactly what you suspect and more. But do not forget whom you are talking to. After all, was it not I who taught you to sense such things? Do not trouble yourself overly about the count. There is little that goes on in his mind that I do not already know about. Everything will go as planned, just be ready when I need you.”

Kast reluctantly let go of Vasper’s arm.

“As you command, my lord. I’ll be ready.” Kast watched as Vasper walked down the dais stairway and disappeared out the eastern doorway.