The magic users their return journey after a few days of discussions. Tyrosh's strict regulations made it difficult for such lawless individuals to adapt to life there.
The Shadowbinder, Quaithe, would remain by Tyene's side. During the day, she served as Tyene's personal guard, while at night, she resided within the city.
Wright also arranged a residence within the city for the warlock, Paya Bolin. Since it was impossible to produce Shade of the Evening in Tyrosh, he now consumed alchemical potions brewed by Tyene daily. He had no complaints or resistance; on the contrary, he seemed to enjoy the intoxication they brought.
The group preparing to head beyond the Wall was set to depart in the coming days. Wright taught them certain talking points, leaving them room to improvise once they reached the North.
Meanwhile, the construction of the inner city castle in Tyrosh had begun. The project was divided into three phases: the first phase involved completing the ground floor—ensuring Wright's child had a home after birth. That alone would suffice for now. The second phase entailed constructing the upper levels, which would proceed gradually. The third phase involved inscribing magical formations throughout the castle, a task Wright would handle personally once the structure was complete.
Reports of Golden Company sightings were already months old and no longer reliable. The only solid lead was Daenerys's presence in Slaver's Bay, though her exact location remained unknown.
Wright had no intention of bringing Odahviing along. Instead, he planned to travel eastward from Volantis to Slaver's Bay on his skeletal steed, Arvak. His mission was to find someone, and Odahviing's massive size would only serve as a warning, allowing the target to escape. If he found himself in danger, he could always summon his dragon with a roar. More importantly, Odahviing could not leave Skull Isle for more than four days.
Odahviing had already laid five dragon eggs and was tending to them himself, greatly increasing the chances of successful hatching. Wright had come to an agreement with him: once his children were born, if any of the eggs hatched, one would be gifted to them. If he had only three children, the remaining two dragons would be raised by Odahviing. Since dragons lived for centuries, even a hundred years from now, Wright's descendants could seek out those two dragons and form bonds with them.
Upon reaching Volantis, Wright secretly met with Dofas Pennymion .
"I can eliminate the current Triarch of the Tiger Party without anyone knowing. If you say the word, I will do it for you."
Wright was clad in full Valyrian steel armor. A black cloak was secured to the specialized hooks on his shoulders, its vast fabric draping around him. When fastened with buttons at the front, it enveloped him completely. If he pulled up his hood, he could disappear entirely within its folds—a common style among armored knights traveling in the rain.
"I appreciate the offer, Lord Wright, but I do not require assistance. Our faction can overthrow him at any time. The only reason we allow him to remain in power is to uphold Volantis's bloodless tradition of political transitions. Next year, when the elections take place, all three candidates—whether from the Tigers or the Elephants—will be ours." Relying too much on Wright's help would only signify that Dofas had reached his limit.
Wright handed him seven Valyrian steel pendants. "Seven noble houses in Volantis have already sworn loyalty to me. Keep one for yourself and distribute the rest to the heads of the other families. The pendants are small enough to be worn on a chain and hidden under clothing."
"Thank you, Lord Wright!" Dofas accepted the pendants. Each was the size of a thumb, dark gray in color, featuring the head of a stag in profile at its center. A circular frame enclosed the image, with a dragon coiled around the outer ring.
Wright continued, "Moving forward, it won't just be the heads of families—everyone who swears loyalty to me will receive a pendant. There are three houses in Lys as well. All their male members were killed by your forces. From now on, cooperate with them rather than oppressing the widows they left behind."
"As you command, Lord Wright. From now on, anyone with a pendant will be recognized as one of our own." Dofas understood that Wright was no longer merely securing pledges of loyalty—he was formally extending his influence into both cities. Could this be the beginning of an eventual unification? A multitude of thoughts crossed his mind.
"Don't overthink it. This is merely a way to distinguish friend from foe." Wright knew that even among the seven Volantene houses who had pledged allegiance to him, there was no true unity. Each sought greater influence in his ranks, engaging in private struggles. For now, however, they needed to stand together to eliminate outside threats. Once all rivals were dealt with, they could fight among themselves to their hearts' content.
Wright asked, "Still no new information on the Golden Company or Daenerys?"
Dofas shook his head. "No concrete intelligence. However, Meereen has been growing restless. Several of its most powerful slave masters are mobilizing armies."
"I'll go to Meereen myself to investigate. I've kept Myr preoccupied for you—focus on strengthening your grip over Volantis and securing the southern sea routes. Pay special attention to Euron's pirate fleet." Wright patted him on the shoulder in encouragement.
Dofas reported, "From the pirates we've captured and interrogated, it seems Euron has sailed for the Jade Sea."
"The Jade Sea?" Wright narrowed his eyes. "The Golden Empire is in turmoil, fractured into three warring regions, each on the brink of conflict. Euron bringing his fleet there… he's bound to profit handsomely." Wright couldn't help but admire Euron's audacity and cunning.
Dofas handed over a note. "This is our contact in Meereen, as well as our secret informants. Lord Wright, you can find them if you need anything."
"Thanks. Also, prepare a few books for me to study the Slaver's Bay languages," Wright requested. He had learned a bit, but he wasn't very fluent and needed to improve.
"They are already prepared and placed in the guest room."
"Well done."
---
At the same time, in a pitch-black cave, a voice called out, "Come and take the food away!"
"Lunch is ready!" Ramsay Snow pushed a small wooden cart, on top of which were several small wooden buckets containing leftover, foul-smelling food.
The cave's ceiling was under 1.5 meters high, forcing Ramsay to walk hunched over. A few dim oil lamps were the only sources of light. A large group of ragged people, upon smelling the food, emerged from various side passages and began scrambling for it.
Ramsay stepped aside, reaching into his oil-stained burlap clothing to pull out a loaf of bread. He whispered toward a small hole, "Cripple! I brought you something to eat!"
A face appeared from within the hole. In the dim light, it was clear that there was very little flesh left on the face.
"Be quiet, come inside," said Littlefinger, missing his left ear. He grabbed the bread and pulled Ramsay into the dark hole.
"Any escape routes?" Littlefinger asked, biting into the bread.
"There are three guards blocking the escape path. We'll need to kill them," Ramsay replied.
Littlefinger thought for a moment, chewing the bread. "We can't open the iron door! All tools are confiscated in advance."
"I have a plan, but I can't do it alone. We need everyone to rush out together!" Ramsay's eyes glinted with cold determination as he looked at the starving, ragged people.
"They've been tortured into numbness. It's hard to convince them," Littlefinger replied, finishing the bread and licking his fingers for any remaining crumbs.
Ramsay was angry but lowered his voice. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have come back to this hellhole. You're the only one here now, you have to come up with something!"
"Fine," Littlefinger muttered, fed up. Staying here meant certain death.
"I have to push the cart back up now. You need to deliver enough ore today, and we'll plan tomorrow!" Ramsay, missing an arm and part of his right ear, struggled as he slowly lifted the wooden buckets and pushed the cart out of the cave.
Littlefinger grabbed a mining pick, ignoring the blisters on his hands, and dug into the silver ore. It hurt terribly, but if he didn't deliver enough ore by the next meal, the punishment would be either starvation or a beating.
Ramsay, missing an arm, an ear, and having been castrated, couldn't do heavy work. His job was to deliver food. He couldn't reach the surface either; the foreman sent the food cart down to the lower level of the mine, where Ramsay usually stayed, safer than Littlefinger, who had to worry about cave collapses.
---
It all started after leaving Riverrun. The two first stole some clothes from a farmer to change into. With their obvious slave brands, they couldn't walk on main roads, so they followed the Red Fork downstream, reaching Harrenhal.
Harrenhal, now a ruin, belonged to House Whent. Littlefinger had no interest in the place but came here because his treasure was buried nearby.
"Why did you bring me here? I need to find somewhere to treat my wounds!" Ramsay had wrapped his injured groin in cloth. The wound hadn't healed yet and was still leaking urine and pus, making his walk look very strange.
"I'm here to find someone. Once I do, I'm heading to Essos. Do you want to come?" Littlefinger asked, leaning on Ramsay's arm as they limped along.
"We've been through hell together, I think we should be honest with each other!"
Ramsay, feeling defeated with one arm, one ear, and his masculinity lost, would have considered ending it all if not for Littlefinger.
"I'm a fugitive, you could sell me for a good price."
Littlefinger stopped and looked at Ramsay's forehead. "Once we reach the Eastern continent, we won't be fugitives anymore. But with our brands, we can only go to Braavos. That's the only place that accepts runaway slaves."
Ramsay, having no knowledge of the Eastern continent, had never heard of Braavos. For the first time, the desire to live was kindled within him.
He had just revealed his status as a fugitive, so now he needed to hold something over Littlefinger to ensure the man didn't sell him out.
"You have an interesting past too, noble lord."
"Me? I guess you could say that," Littlefinger replied after thinking for a moment.
Ramsay looked at the skin on Littlefinger's neck and face, the slender hands, and decided to try to deceive him. "A noble turned into this, life must be tough for you, huh?"
Littlefinger froze. "How do you know I'm a fugitive?"
He neither confirmed nor denied it, but Ramsay knew the truth now. He pressed on, "These are just small problems. I'm thinking of heading south. I heard there are many bandits on Roseroad. I'm thinking of joining them."
The two of them tested each other, and up until now, neither knew the other's real name, only that the other was a wanted criminal. After some conversation, they parted ways in Herrenhal.
Littlefinger's treasure was buried near Herrenhal, and since he was injured and unable to do manual labor, he decided to first lure the soldiers out of the fort to avoid their patrols. That would give him a few days to dig.
Littlefinger stole a piece of clothing, smeared it with mud, and wrote on it: "Wanted criminal Petyr Baelish spotted in the Riverlands, missing one hand, heading south."
That night, he threw the clothing into the gatehouse of Herrenhal, and sure enough, the next day, a large group of knights rushed out of the city, heading south.
Ramsay, on the other hand, was heading north to Lord Harroway's town. He planned to take a ship from Salt shore, but first, he needed to draw the pursuers away. He hired a child to inform the lord: "Ramsay Snow has been spotted in Herrenhal, with one ear missing."
The two of them were trying to outsmart each other, and the lords in both locations wanted to claim the reward and glory for themselves. But news always leaks, and more and more people learned of the information, attracting all kinds of individuals.
Wanted criminals from the Seven Kingdoms, once they reach Essos, can roam freely, even becoming local heroes.
And fugitives from Essos, naturally, would head to Westeros. One of the most famous groups was a mercenary band that often operated in the Riverlands: the Brave Companions. Known for their brutal methods, the locals called them the Bloody Mummers.
The Bloody Mummers took on all kinds of jobs, completing tasks at an unusually high success rate thanks to their ruthlessness. If no mercenary work was available, they resorted to crime, such as slave trading.
They originated from the Nine Free Cities or Slaver's Bay, and most were thieves or bandits. When Ramsay arrived at Salt shore, he was not very skilled at thieving, and during one theft, he was spotted by members of the Bloody Mummers. After a beating, he was thrown into a prison cart.
Littlefinger's treasure was hidden in a very secret location, but near King's Road, there was farmland and a small forest that the local lord had kept for hunting.
Finally, Littlefinger found a chance to dig. He burned the treasure map he had on him and went to work under the cover of night. However, the chest was too full of gold for him to carry alone. After thinking for a moment, Littlefinger took only a few gold dragons and spent the rest of the night burying the chest again.
He went to Hog's Corner, bought a new set of clothes, a black cloak, and a wooden mask, disguising himself as a mage.
"Captain Vargo Hoat, I am a mage from King's Landing's magic school. I need to talk to you about something," Littlefinger said, setting up a meeting at an inn.
Mages were usually mysterious, so eating with a mask on was not unusual.
"This mage here, we in the Brave Companions are very well-known in the Riverlands, with an excellent reputation. There is no task we can't handle," Vargo Hoat said.
He was accompanied by other members of the Brave Companions: the deputy captain, Urswyck; Shagwell; and Zollo, all of whom were fugitives from the East.
"I need to go to Myr with some cargo. Do you think you can find me a ship?" Littlefinger asked.
"To Myr?" Vargo Hoat looked at the hooded, masked mage, confused. Going to Myr could be done at any port city. Why would he come to us? And this person is a cripple, so something's off.
"No problem, but all ships passing through the Stepstones must undergo inspections. We still don't know your name," Vargo Hoat replied.
Littlefinger replied, "I'm Tesso..."
Zollo suddenly pulled off Littlefinger's hood from behind.
"What are you doing?" Littlefinger said angrily.
"Just a joke, Mage, don't be mad," Fatty Zollo said, hunched over with a smile of feigned politeness. He had been given a signal from the captain to test Littlefinger.
"You're being unreasonable. I'm ending this deal," Littlefinger said, getting up to leave.
This kind of test was common among those living at the bottom. If the other person was powerful, they would immediately surrender and beg for mercy when their hood was removed. But someone who just got angry and tried to leave was clearly a coward. Vargo Hoat grabbed Littlefinger's arm and said, "Don't be hasty, let's continue talking!"
He gave the others a signal.
"What do you want? I'm a disciple of Wright Baratheon!" Littlefinger shouted.
Smack! A rough hand yanked the cord off Littlefinger's mask from behind.
"Damn it, a runaway slave! Grab him!"
The West had many mines—gold, silver, and iron. Knights would never do the digging work. Ordinary folk, working for wages, would only dig in the larger and shallower mines. The toughest and most dangerous work, at the deepest levels, was left to slaves.
The Seven Kingdoms had outlawed slave trading, and the king would never send people to investigate the deepest parts of the mines. Thus, the Bloody Mummers prepared to sell Ramsay and Littlefinger as slaves to work in the mines of the West.
These people had no morals. Realizing escape was hopeless, Littlefinger quickly said, "Wait, I know of a treasure location. If you let me go, I'll draw you the map."
But things didn't unfold as Littlefinger had hoped. The Bloody Mummers only gave him a severe beating and tortured him for information.
Covered in wounds, Littlefinger couldn't take it anymore. "Give me paper and a pen! I'll give you the treasure map!"