Free The Book of Deacon: Book 02 - The Great Convergence by Joseph Lallo Page B

is on those papers? Spells?" she
asked.
    "Heavens no. I am no wizard. Any disguise
spell I could manage would only attract more attention to
you. No, these papers contain your new personality, by far the most
important part of the disguise. That and your instructions, but
those can wait. The driver will be showing up soon, and he will be
your first test. We need to lay the groundwork before then," he
said.
    "I don't understand," she said.
    "No need to worry. You will. You see, the
most commonly used phrase in the dispatches that describe you is
'poor, nomadic girl.' Even if you manage to completely change your
appearance, you would still fit that little phrase. And right now
you are dressed as a noblewoman. If you do not act as one, you will
draw attention even if you don't even remotely resemble a person to
watch for. You need to act appropriately. As such, we will start
from the bottom. Your name is Alexia Adriana Tesselor," he
began.
    Myranda tilted her head as she tried to
recall where she'd heard the last name before.
    "Of the West Kinsey Tesselors. It is a fact
that you are endlessly proud of. Given the chance, you will mention
it no later than the second sentence of any conversation, and as
often afterward as possible," he said.
    Myranda nodded. The Tesselors were an
exceedingly wealthy family on the west coast of the continent, so
much so that they practically owned the city that they hailed from.
Though they were not nobles, there was not a single leader in all
of the Northern Alliance that didn't have either a marital or
financial connection to the clan. Rumor had it that the King
himself owed a rather sizable debt to the patriarch of the
Tesselors for the cost of his coronation. Desmeres handed her a
piece of paper and a small bag of jewelry.
    "This is a family tree and a short
description of the most prevalent members. Memorize it. Lord knows
that they have. Rings, and necklaces, gold, all bearing the family
crest. Put them on. Now you know who you are. All that is left is
to teach you how to be who you are. Listen up. I am about to give
you the single most important piece of advice that you will ever
receive. There are only two things that you will ever need to
succeed, regardless of what you do: Confidence and experience. Of
the two, confidence is paramount. No one, no one , is more
confident and secure in their superiority than the extremely
wealthy. You need to exude obnoxious amounts of confidence in all
situations," Desmeres said.
    "Like you," Myranda said, mockingly.
    "Precisely," Desmeres replied, ruining her
joke. "I owe everything I have to, often unjustified, confidence.
Now, rather than trying to fill in things you already know, we will
do this as a test of sorts. First, what is your name?" he
asked.
    "Alexia Tesselor," Myranda replied.
    "Alexia Adriana Tesselor. Adriana
Tesselor is your grandmother and one of the more powerful members
of your clan. You will never pass up an opportunity to flaunt your
common name. Now, what is the name again?" he asked.
    "Alexia Adriana Tesselor," she said.
    "Right. Now, let us imagine that someone
tries to exert some authority over you. Also suppose that what you
are doing is wrong, and they are justified in reprimanding you.
What do you do?" he quizzed.
    "I don't suppose I follow their orders,"
Myranda said, rolling her eyes at what was obviously a wrong
answer.
    "You are a Tesselor. What do you do?" he
repeated.
    "I . . . bribe them," she said.
    "Better, but no. Criminals bribe. Besides,
bribing acknowledges that you are at a disadvantage," he said.
    Myranda thought hard, but couldn't find the
answer.
    "Threaten. Always threaten. The mere sound of
your name should be enough, particularly if you repeat it, which
you will. If it isn’t enough, mention any name in the family line.
On the off chance you have particularly duty minded individual, the
implied wrath of the patriarch of the family, Vander Tesselor, will
stave off almost any authority figure," Desmeres