Last Rank

Chapter 2

- Jake -

Jake had never understood the reasoning behind the sitting order on great tables. He had never understood the need for great tables in the first place.

When he had been little, he had sneaked around the castle often, much to his mother's dismay, and on one such voyages he had observed one very particular fine dinner. Jake couldn't remember names or faces, just that they must have been important, because the biggest dining room had been chosen.

The guest on the one side of the table had needed a servant to speak for him across the room to the man on the other end, because he could not manage to raise his voice enough to be clearly heard above the chattering of side-guests, that had of course been needed to fill all the seats of such a great table.

Utterly ridiculous.

The Baron had only one dining room and he did not have many more fine guests, besides his family, to fill up seats. The table was still great enough for Jake to feel uncomfortable about making proper conversation with the man sitting exactly on the opposite and he wondered if exactly that hadn't been the Baron's purpose. The tension could not be fully covered by the politeness the man and his family had put to display the entire day, which fuelled Jake's suspicion even more.

"I hear you travel a lot?" the Baron's eldest son to Jake's right asked. He gave a strained smile.

"Indeed," Jake said. "There are not to be many places in this kingdom I haven't seen yet." His eyes darted to the map painted on the wall of the one side of the dining room. It must have cost a fortune, the roads sparkled in gold and every town or village was marked with a different sparkling gemstone.

Such a waste of money.

"How wonderful," the Baron's son said. "I used to travel much myself, but lately my father requires a lot of assistance in the castle."

Jake glimpsed at the Baron. He was indeed an old man with grey hair and a grey beard, had a bad hip, but his mind was still sharp. Jake guessed that the son rather was greedy to take over the reign.

"What was your favourite place?" Jake chose to ignore the comment for diplomatic reasons. He couldn't afford to get on the bad side of either of the men until he knew what exactly he was dealing with.

"There is not one specific, all of the lands are beautiful. If I had to choose my favourite place though, it might just be this little fleck of earth," the man said. He tapped his hand on the table like he meant this seat in specific.

So the Baron's son hadn't travelled much at all. Otherwise, he would have known how not-beautiful most places were. "It is indeed a rich land," Jake said, trying not to look strained.

"How is your home? I've never heard much about it."

No wonder. It did indeed not exist. It was as made up as the rest of Jake's story. "It is rich on ores and its business. A small stretch of land along the mountains to the northern borders," he said.

"And you do never miss it?" the Baron's son said.

Jake regarded the man with a smile, well aware that the question ought to have been another. "I sometimes do, but I know all is well. Rutger van Hoellen, the man I left in charge, has my deepest trust. He knows me very well and has not made one decision yet I would not have made so myself."

"And you never thought about settling down?"

"Many times," Jake lied. "But it seems I am too picky when it comes to women."