((The Mon/Wen/Fri Double -- page 2 of 2))
Asad wanted to keep a close eye on his brethren in the days to come. Hopefully, none of them would do anything stupid and jeopardize their union. The lessons of the War of the Three Sands should still be fresh in the mind of many reapers, so Asad wanted to be optimistic, but it was also good to remain vigilant with these types of things. He had never personally experienced disunity with his kin on such a level as to provoke violence, and he hoped he never would.
The next matter on his mind was Abolish.
They had been quite thoroughly and brutally routed from Sair--and in large part, without the Vanguard's help. All of the Sandlords had been concerned about the Vanguard capturing Abolishers who were present at Dunehall--or in other words, Abolishers who might be able to tell the Vanguard that the Rainlords had been there.
And so the Lords of the Drylands had given no quarter in hunting the bastards down. Asad had even caught wind of a few Abolish prisoners who DID get captured by the Vanguard, only to end up dead anyway under "questionable circumstances."
Asad had little doubt that one or more of the other Hahls was behind it, and thankfully, the Vanguard hadn't been able to prove anything so far.
And this, combined with the Vanguard's simultaneous eagerness to win favor with the Sandlords? It made for a very strange state of affairs, to be sure.
And then, of course, there were the Rainlords back in Atreya. What manner of trouble might be brewing there, Asad had to wonder.
On the one hand, the Rainlords had not been in the best of spirits when he last saw them--as anyone would be, after having been repeatedly battered, trampled, robbed, and humiliated. Even their unity might still be in question, he felt, considering the trouble that had transpired with House Blackburn.
But on the other hand, they were also now under the protection of the young Lord of Warrenhold.
A dark serial novel. Set in a modern fantasy world called Eleg. Mature language. Updates every day at noon PST by ~400 words.
Friday, January 3, 2020
Page 2003
((The Mon/Wen/Fri Double -- page 1 of 2))
Asad supposed he should start scheduling appointments for marriage counseling again. He was reluctant to resort to it, but looking back, it had helped before. And the reapers were only so helpful to that end. Samira didn't seem to trust them to tell her the truth, either. And being members of the family, it was probably difficult for her to see them as genuinely "objective."
He truly had to wonder why she believed he might ever be unfaithful to her, though. Historically, yes, Sandlords had often taken multiple wives and mistresses, but Asad had only ever had eyes for her. How could she not know that?
He decided not to dwell on it further. He'd already resolved to return to counseling. It was time to move onto the next matter that had been bothering him.
And that was Abbas Saqqaf, the Lord of the Golden Fort, and the new de facto leader of the Sandlords.
Abbas had been the most powerful of them for some years already, but it was never more apparent than now. Having captured the Salesman of Death single-handedly, the man's reputation was at an all-time high.
Which put him in a particularly precarious position, for several reasons--the first of which being the fact that Abbas Saqqaf was not a member of the Vanguard.
And boy, did they want him to be.
The other Sandlords who were part of the Vanguard were pressuring the Lord Saqqaf constantly. Asad, who was not a member either, hoped that the man would remain firm in his conviction to not join.
The second reason that Abbas' newfound fame was so dangerous was because of the potential for abuse of political clout. Asad didn't see eye-to-eye with him on several subjects, but he still trusted his judgment for the most part.
The same could not be said for all of his fellow Sandlords, however. Asad was quite worried that certain other Hahls would see Abbas' ascent as a threat to them in the long-term.
Because perhaps it was.
Asad supposed he should start scheduling appointments for marriage counseling again. He was reluctant to resort to it, but looking back, it had helped before. And the reapers were only so helpful to that end. Samira didn't seem to trust them to tell her the truth, either. And being members of the family, it was probably difficult for her to see them as genuinely "objective."
He truly had to wonder why she believed he might ever be unfaithful to her, though. Historically, yes, Sandlords had often taken multiple wives and mistresses, but Asad had only ever had eyes for her. How could she not know that?
He decided not to dwell on it further. He'd already resolved to return to counseling. It was time to move onto the next matter that had been bothering him.
And that was Abbas Saqqaf, the Lord of the Golden Fort, and the new de facto leader of the Sandlords.
Abbas had been the most powerful of them for some years already, but it was never more apparent than now. Having captured the Salesman of Death single-handedly, the man's reputation was at an all-time high.
Which put him in a particularly precarious position, for several reasons--the first of which being the fact that Abbas Saqqaf was not a member of the Vanguard.
And boy, did they want him to be.
The other Sandlords who were part of the Vanguard were pressuring the Lord Saqqaf constantly. Asad, who was not a member either, hoped that the man would remain firm in his conviction to not join.
The second reason that Abbas' newfound fame was so dangerous was because of the potential for abuse of political clout. Asad didn't see eye-to-eye with him on several subjects, but he still trusted his judgment for the most part.
The same could not be said for all of his fellow Sandlords, however. Asad was quite worried that certain other Hahls would see Abbas' ascent as a threat to them in the long-term.
Because perhaps it was.
Thursday, January 2, 2020
Page 2002
Asad sat down in his favorite chair and closed his eyes. It was finally the end of the day. All his meetings were either done or postponed, and he very much looked forward to getting a good night's sleep.
But a few things were still bothering him, and he wanted to take some time to sit here and think.
Not to meditate. He should probably do a bit of that, too, before going to sleep, but no, this was a ritual that he learned from his father. It was an opportunity to stop and take stock of things. To reevaluate them.
With so much going on around him, it was easy to become overwhelmed. To let things slip by, unnoticed.
He tried to focus his mind. To concentrate on what was bothering him.
There were actually more than a few things, he soon realized.
There was his family. Specifically, his wife, Samira. She was being... rather difficult to please, again.
When they had first gotten married, she was always so happy. And her happiness was his happiness. In retrospect, it was perhaps naive to think that time would last the rest of their lives. Especially since they were both servants.
But still. The extent to which she had changed troubled him.
She was fearful of so many things, these days. That always seemed to be at the heart of whatever foul mood she might be in. Today, for instance, she had accused him--and not for the first time--of adultery.
She hadn't come right out and said so, of course. That wasn't her way. She had instead asked, "Who are you trying so hard to look good for?"
He had smiled at first, thinking it to be a surprisingly sweet compliment. But the look on her face quickly killed that notion. And when he had tried to have a conversation about it with her and explain, again, that he would never be unfaithful, she had refused to say anything more.
It was difficult not to hate her, sometimes.
But a few things were still bothering him, and he wanted to take some time to sit here and think.
Not to meditate. He should probably do a bit of that, too, before going to sleep, but no, this was a ritual that he learned from his father. It was an opportunity to stop and take stock of things. To reevaluate them.
With so much going on around him, it was easy to become overwhelmed. To let things slip by, unnoticed.
He tried to focus his mind. To concentrate on what was bothering him.
There were actually more than a few things, he soon realized.
There was his family. Specifically, his wife, Samira. She was being... rather difficult to please, again.
When they had first gotten married, she was always so happy. And her happiness was his happiness. In retrospect, it was perhaps naive to think that time would last the rest of their lives. Especially since they were both servants.
But still. The extent to which she had changed troubled him.
She was fearful of so many things, these days. That always seemed to be at the heart of whatever foul mood she might be in. Today, for instance, she had accused him--and not for the first time--of adultery.
She hadn't come right out and said so, of course. That wasn't her way. She had instead asked, "Who are you trying so hard to look good for?"
He had smiled at first, thinking it to be a surprisingly sweet compliment. But the look on her face quickly killed that notion. And when he had tried to have a conversation about it with her and explain, again, that he would never be unfaithful, she had refused to say anything more.
It was difficult not to hate her, sometimes.
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