Archmagister by Kerns Robert M

Author:Kerns, Robert M.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Knightsfall Press
Published: 2020-04-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Unique among her fellow province capitals, Tel Cothos occupied a massive island in a lake from which the kingdom’s two greatest rivers flowed. The Vischaene flowed south to the Inner Sea, and the Cothori flowed west to the ocean through Wygoth Province. Strong breezes were common in and around the city, as the water of the lake leached the heat out of the air and the warmer air from the land rushed in to fill the ‘void.’

The Cothos Estate occupied a promontory near the island’s edge, with a translucent balcony that extended out over the lake and a large, prominent railing to help any visitors from experiencing vertigo. Lillian and Mariana stood in the estate’s courtyard, a happy smile curling Lillian’s lips as she closed her eyes and basked in the warm sun and light breeze.

“It is so beautiful here, Mari,” Lillian said, her voice soft. “I don’t see how you ever get any work done.”

Mariana laughed. “I suppose I’m immune to it by now. It never seemed anything more than home to me.”

Lillian opened her eyes to regard her friend. “Yes, I can see that. Goodness knows, I don’t see anything special about Tel Mivar.”

Movement drew Lillian’s attention, and she saw Mariana’s mother approaching them. A groom followed and accepted the reins of their horses and led them back to the stables.

“Starting the mission to the giants, dwarves, and elves?” Lyssa asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Lillian replied.

Mariana turned and met her mother, pulling her into a tight hug as she said, “I thought we’d visit on our way north, Mother.”

Lyssa smiled. “That’s fine, dear. You know I always enjoy seeing you. How long can you stay?”

“We were thinking of leaving tomorrow,” Mariana replied. “Has there been any response yet to Gavin’s new proclamations?”

“Not really,” Lyssa said, leading them into the manor. “It’s only been a few days. I doubt we’ll see much reaction for at least a week. When we finally overhaul the tax laws and implement those changes, I think people will start taking much more notice of Gavin’s reforms.”

Lillian and Mariana both chuckled. They hadn’t really discussed Gavin’s long-term plans too much with him, but they were aware that Gavin wanted to rework Tel’s tax laws to better distribute the tax burden across the various socio-economic levels of the populace. The challenging part of the plan was the phased roll-out over a period of time; the changes Gavin wanted were too different from the existing tax laws and might break the entire economy if he switched them all at once.

“How loud do you think the screaming will be?” Mariana asked, her expression almost smirking.

Lyssa shrugged. “There’s no way to tell, really, but I do think Gavin’s reforms will be more popular with the middle and lower classes. Once everything has a chance to take hold, I think everyone will see improvement in their finances…as long as they manage their money well. But that’s enough work chat for the moment. Let’s get you girls settled.”

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