Inspection and revelation

The next morning, Eba had her scouts out checking the area for the sacrament. Meanwhile, Eba was preparing her troops to secure the area once the scouts returned with the status. Fari was out barking orders at villagers so the sacrament could be prepared. Emid had thought if he had been cowed and whipped, he may not be so bold. But he knew Fari may be bluffing since that was basically her job. He also understood it was imperative that she act like nobody had authority over her. He continued to Eba’s office. And saw some paper on her desk. At first he didn’t care, but her saw Cyni’s name in the title of a document. He had a significant interest in Cyni since Kimi was his best friend. He picked it up and snooped. He saw Cyni had been making deals with the most prominent farmer of the village to give her a discount and preferential deliveries. Emid knew Cyni commanded many people and food security for the staff was critical for nobles to advance their position to squash internal dissent. While he was happy for some of the staff that he knew well, he understood this was nearly the front lines of a potential conflict.

He knew he had uncovered something that wasn’t right. He thought he may have missed the context. Besides, he found it on Eba’s desk but it was addressed to the alderman, who clearly had objectives that weren’t focused on kingdom defense. Emid went back out to the square and waited until Eba was finished addressing her troops and asked her about the letter. Eba was **** to mention anything but she knew her brother was deeply involved in Cyni’s family. She told him it was a letter meant for the alderman but it was also a security concern. Eba had been looking for ways to gain leverage over Cyni without reporting her to royalty and ruining the rise of her house. Eba, like Emid, was sympathetic to Cyni but knew she had authoritarian tendencies, although not near those of Fari and Chup. They discussed and decided that Cyni was not a real threat but needed some kind of accountability to her reckless leveraging of rural food stocks to support her position. Eba suggested that Fari seemed to be working towards collective safety after being held “accountable” last night.

Emid knew what needed to be done. But he was still worried Cyni might turn it around and whip his ass. It’s not like she hadn’t done it before. But he was determined. However, for now he needed to focus on his mission and went to check on Fari and her daughters. Everyone was fine. He escorted them to the ritual that night. Otherwise, it was uneventful. Perhaps all the excitement of the trip had worn out the noble family, but everyone went to bed early and was up early the next morning. In the morning, Fari confronted Ruchi and interrogated her about her morning devotionals to see if she had made another misstep. However, Ruchi satisfied her mother and avoided another punishment. Following the spectacle, the family boarded the carriage and headed back to the capital.