by J G Jerome
43
Learning things
I bark, “Josie, put him in with the other two.”
Josie responds calmly, “I have him, Will.”
I hurriedly capture Ilara’en’s soul. Her ghost shakes her head at me.
I tell her, “I’m sorry about this, Ilara’en. I couldn’t imagine a healer would harm you.”
Her ghost tells me. “There’s no way you could have known, Lord. Valya has machinations that defy belief. I think Feliz was onto something. I too have had enough. The Summerlands sound perfect for me.”
“I’ll release you to leave in a moment,” I tell her. “What didn’t you tell me about Valya’s plan?”
The spectral elf responds, “Nothing, dear Lord. Sadly, she didn’t confide in me. I wish I knew more, so I could tell you. I still despise humans in general, but you, your family, Mistress Bernadette, and her staff have all been kind to me. I would help you if I could.”
I whisper, “Give my regards to Feliz. Safe journey, Ilara’en.”
I release her soul, and she slowly disappears.
I look to Josie. “Let’s see what he has to say for himself.
She nods and pulls the healer out of the bolt. She holds his ghost until his screams drop to a whimper.
Josie pulses power into him and he shuts up. “Answer my Master’s questions, and I won’t put you back in there.” The ghost nods.
“Why kill a wounded person? I thought you were a healer,” I say.
Rallent’or’s ghost says, “There is a standing bounty on anyone from House Valeran that reaches for a healer outside the house. It’s high enough that I’ll be able to afford to feed my family for ten years at current prices.”
Audrey asks, “Did Chrysilla know about this standing bounty?”
Josie says, “Questions from my Master’s women are the same as questions from him. Answer them, or I put you back in there with those two wolves.”
Rallent’or shivers before turning to Audrey. “Maybe? She does book a variety of skill sets. I work through her a lot. We’ve never discussed it, but I’ve never had a House Valeran patient before.”
“What else do you know about House Valeran and their plans?”
He responds quickly, “Nothing, sir.”
I ask, “What did the boys in the bolt say about them?”
Rallent’or shakes his head. “Nothing. They were more interested in tormenting me.”
I say, “Maybe we should pull one out and let you torture the other for information?”
Rallent’or says, “Oh, no! They are individually evil bruts. Together they are insurmountable.”
I think quietly for a moment. Look at Josie. “Want to juice up?”
She looks at Rallent’or for a moment. “Okay.” She drains the energy right out of the soul nearly as quickly as I would.
I comment, “You’re getting faster.” I start animating the healer’s corpse.
Josie says, “Not breaking it down makes it easier. It blends with what’s already in my well.”
“Yes, I just discovered that recently myself.” I tell her. “You and I need to chat about what Magnus told me.” After a couple of seconds of energizing the body with life energy, I’m ready to write my glyph on him. “Remind me when we get home. Rebecca and Audrey, too.”
Carla enters with the Argos, Hermes, and Xerxes. “Any last minute instructions?” she asks.
I look at them. “Recon first. Find the house holding the elves. Check all of the neighboring houses. Don’t hurt any humans unless they try to hurt you. If you do, try to make it look like the elves did it. Bring back any electronics and two elf corpses back to me. You can do what you want with any other corpses. Clear?”
They salute, “Yes, Master.”
I tell them, “Go.” They disappear at a run. “Carla, what do you think about the critters possessing zombies for recon work?”
She shrugs prettily. “I don’t think they would mind, but their behaviors would likely destroy the ruse.”
I look to Bernadette. “Do you have a need for an elven zombie housekeeper?”
Bernadette’s lips twist into a moué. “Despite her dislike of the work, she did a good job,” she answers with a nod.
Audrey says, “She probably won’t be able to cast a glamour to look human.”
I frown. “That will also be a problem for the ones I plan to send for recon.” I look at Josie, “Pull Reddy out, and let’s chat.”
Josie says, “OK.” She pulls him out and energizes his ghost enough for everyone to see him.
Reddy takes in his surroundings for a moment before he rushes toward me. I grab his soul and take control of him.
I tell him, “You can answer our questions, or I can shred your soul. You will have no chance at the Summerlands.”
Reddy responds, “What do you want?”
“When you are in Valya’s stronghold, do you wear a glamour?” I ask.
Reddy sneers, “What would be the point? Everyone of importance can see through it anyway.”
“Where is the portal you are using to move here?”
“What do you mean?” he asks.
He’s pissing me off. “You came through a portal to arrive on this planet. Where was it?”
Reddy dissembles, “In the stronghold. How stupid are you?”
I answer, “Apparently stupid enough to think you know anything worth keeping you around.
What floor of the building?”
Reddy barks, “Thirteen.”
“How is it guarded?” I bark back.
Reddy fires back, “A squad, plus the Court Magician and his staff.”
“How many human guards on the first floor?”
Reddy is loosening up a bit. “Teams of six that rotate every eight hours.”
“Do they live on the first floor?”
Reddy answers, “Only about half do. Most prefer their own apartments elsewhere. You humans are spoiled for space,” he sneers.
I nod, “That’s probably true. Then again, we have learned not to breed like rabbits. Anything else useful?”
Reddy perpetual sneer amplifies. “Why would I want to help you?”
I shrug. “Fair enough.” I shred his soul and absorb the life and death energies.
Josie comments, “You did it the hard way.”
I let my anger show. “I wanted him to feel the pain as I tore his soul to shreds. You heard him react to the pain. You want to do the other one?”
She smiles at me gently. “Sure. Shall I shred him at the end of it?”
“Definitely.” I may be lacking a sense of humor at the moment.
Josie pulls Yoren out of the bolt and energizes him enough for everyone to see and hear. He comes at me just like Reddy did, Josie pulls him up short. Josie asks the same questions and gets the same answers. She shreds his soul when she is done questioning him.
She says, “That is quite a satisfying way to end an evil soul.”
I agree with her. “It doesn't leave me feeling any worse for doing it, and it prevents them from any kind of reincarnation or afterlife. I kind of wish I had done that to the fuckers that hurt Viktorija.”
Jack chuckles evilly. “Remind me not to piss you off, Will.”
I grin back at the fierce Hunter. “Back at you, mister.”
Marissa shows up with pizza and hands it off to Audrey.
Audrey summons Chrysilla. She shoves the pizza box toward the elven woman. She snaps, “Your fee, Chrysilla.”
Chrysilla asks, “Audrey. What happened? Why are you angry? Did something happen to Rallent’or?”
Audrey growls, “Your healer killed my friend. He pulled a knife and slid it into her heart before we could stop him. Fortunately, my master killed him before he could do further damage.”
Chrysilla gasps, “Oh my. I’m so sorry, Audrey. I guess he heard about the House Valeran bounty.”
“You knew about that?” Audrey yells at her. “I contracted you to find me a healer, not an assassin!”
Audrey fires back. “Well apparently your noble families don’t have a character strong enough to avoid the temptation to murder a defenseless, injured woman.”
Chrysilla sighs, “Audrey, you don’t understand. My granddaughter and I will eat off this pizza for five days. It’s a huge boon. Valya’s bounty is enough to feed a family of eight for many years. There are few elves or humans that would pass that up.”
Audrey retorts, “I know, Chrysilla. Ilara’en, my friend that he killed, told us about how heavily populated your world is. I’m happy to pay you in food, but you could have told me about the bounty. We would have tried something else. You don’t know how she suffered at Valya’s hands.”
Chrysilla responds fiercely, “I also know from her name that she was a noble. If she suffered at Valya’s hand, then she was serving in a royal house.” She snaps, “She had a place to live and enough to eat. Many of us don’t.”
Audrey says, “I trusted you for a delicate family matter, Chrysilla. I won’t make that mistake again. Enjoy the pizza.” Audrey dismisses the elf.
Steven says, “I will no longer be recommending her, Audrey.” He walks around the circle to hug his daughter.
Audrey sobs, “Thank you, Father.” She hugs him briefly, and then runs to hug me. She murmurs into my chest. “I’m so sorry, Will. This is my fault.”
I shake my head gently. “No, my love. It’s not. It’s not even Chrysilla’s fault. It all rests on Rallent’or. He’ll never get the chance to do it again. I feel bad for all of them suffering, but their lack of forethought created the world they live in.”
Audrey sniffs. “I don’t think I will use Chrysilla again. I have a couple of other contacts I can use. I went to her since the technomancer worked out so well.”
“It’s okay, Kitten. Ilara’en believed that she was going to a happier place,” I tell her.
“What if she’s not, Will?” Audrey looks up at me. “What if the Angels do the same to them as they do to us?”
“Then we can hope and pray her next life treats her better than this one did.” With that advice I kiss her gently.
The imps return dragging two mostly intact elven bodies and a couple of pillowcases full of stuff.
One is full of electronics, the other contains the personal effects of the elves.
Hermes reports, “There was a portal. We brought it back. It’s in the backyard. Where do you want it?”
Bernadette. “The Cellar. I’ll show you.”
Josie, “May I come along? I’d like to see it.”
Bernadette responds, “Certainly, darling. Come along.”
I ask, “Josie, any issue with bringing her back?”
Bernadette is the one that answers. “No, but since you let her soul depart, it will be difficult to call it back. That works best if you keep the soul close. If you run into another ghost, you will have a home for it. Just drive your will into the corpse and command it to heal. It will.”
I nod, “Okay. Thanks, Bernadette.” I mutter to myself. “Option C was the right answer.”
Josie shakes her head at my murmured comment. “We didn’t know, Will. My education was incomplete, and yours was non-existent. Ilara’en forgave you. Forgive yourself.” With that wisdom she hooks an arm through Bernadette's, and the two depart with Hermes and Argos in tow.
Xerxes drags in one body, and then goes out to the hallway and drags another in.
44
Aftermath
I turn to Ilara’en’s corpse and drive growth energy into her broken torso. It takes a lot more than I anticipated. It’s probably due to the severity of the injury. The healer was easy by comparison. Once she’s animated, I mark her with my personal glyph.
I ask, “Do you know me?”
She answers, “You are Lord William James.”
“Who are you?”
She struggles for a moment. “I was once Ilara’en of House Valeran, handmaiden to the Duchess Valya. Then I died.” She cocks her head at me with an empty expression. “You brought me back.”
“Only your body,” I explain. “Your soul wanted to move on. I would like for you to stick around to help Bernadette for a while. You have the ability to do that. I will limit the term if you like.”
The zombie shrugs. “I would be treated the same?”
Viktorija gets up and stands next to me. She addresses the new zombie. “You may actually be treated better, Ilara’en. Now you truly are bound to William and have no bonds to Valya. You’ll receive more trust and be included more as part of the family. You will also not be the only zombie - Vanessa is one, too. My mistress would welcome the help. There is a lot of damage from Valya’s attack, plus there is a lot of work to keep a household this size running. We would appreciate your help.”
I ask, “Are there any chances that Valya can have a hold on you?”
The zombie says, “No, Master. With my soul gone and all the marks removed, there should be nothing for her to grab onto.”
She looks blankly into the distance for a moment. “Master, I don’t think I can be Ilara’en any longer. The part of me that was Ilara’en is gone. I am just her discarded body and memories.” She looks at me. “Will you give me a new name, Master?”
I nod, “Let’s keep it simple. We will call you Lara from this point forward. It’s close enough to your former name that you should recognize it easily, and it should also be easy for everyone to remember.”
Lara nods. “Lara. My mother called me that when I was very young. That will be nice.”
I tell her, “You know the rules of the house, you know quite a bit about human behavior, too. Keep working to learn how to integrate and be as helpful as you can. Okay?”
“Yes, Master.”
I ask, “Lara, did John have any clothes that are not pyjamas?”
She shakes her head, “No, Master. He arrived in pyjamas and a robe. The robe is in the laundry. It should be ready. I will retrieve it and clean my hair off his floor. Then I will get fresh linens for your bed, Master.”
“Thank you.” I lean forward and gently kiss her forehead. I push growth energy into her scalp, and the stubble of her hair grows to shoulder length. She gives me a gentle smile. “Go forth and do good, Lara.”
“Yes, Master.”
Carla walks up and wraps me in a hug. She murmurs into my chest. “Thank you for saving me from that.” I hold her and caress her back.
I look over the presents that Xerxes brought in. I select the one that is the least battered and torn, and animate him. I bind him and heal the open bite wounds on his neck, arms, and ankles.
I ask it, “What is your name?””
It answers, “Koree.”
“What was your job, Koree?”
Koree answers, “I ran the surveillance gear. I’m the technician.”
I nod. “Good. Did anyone escape?” He shakes his head. I turn to the elven healer zombie.
“Rallent’or Nix of House Spirituae, come here.”
Rallent’or joins Koree and I. I tell the two zombies, “This is your mission. You will go to Valya’s stronghold on Camelback. Koree, if anyone asks, you will tell them that you were overrun by imps, and that you think you were the only one to escape. You found Rallent’or running down the street, and brought him along. You just want to clean up and sleep. Repeat it back to me.”
He does.
“Koree, once you are dismissed, you will draw out a map, note how many people in each location, guard shifts, names and locations of magicians, and important resources like portals, locations of magical wards or weapons, weapons stashes, etcetera. You will give the map to Rallent’or first thing in the morning. If you can’t find him, or anything happens to him. You return here and give the map to the mistress of this house or Miss Viktorija. Clear?”
He repeats it back to me.
I turn to the heal
er. “Rallent’or, when you and Koree get to the stronghold, you will ask to see Valya to collect your bounty. You will tell Valya how you were summoned, agreed to do the work for the collar, how you assessed that Ilara’en had a broken back, and how you quickly stabbed Ilara’en to kill her. Ensure you take the collar with you. You will show the bloody knife as evidence. You will ask for half your pay in local currency to buy food on this planet to take back, and the other half in gold or gemstones that will have value back home. Once you have it, you will sleep in the stronghold overnight. In the morning, Koree will give you his map. Once you have it, ask to go out to purchase food to take back through their portal. When they let you depart, you bring your reward and Koree’s map here. Is this clear?”
He repeats it back to me correctly.
I look at the imp. “Xerxes, would you take them to the back door? You can have this other body to take home.”
The little terror grins widely. “Aye, aye, General.”
I tell the zombies. “Go. Xerxes will show you the way.”
Xerxes runs out the door, and the two elven zombies follow at a trot behind him.
Jack shakes his head, “I don’t know if it will work or not, but it’s worth trying.”
“Exactly.”
Bernadette and Josie return with Argos and Hermes.
I look at Jack and Steven. “What else do we need to do?”
Jack looks at Steven, “Steven and I will figure out how best to get the church involved.” Steven nods, and Jack turns his attention to me. “Other than that - repairs. Between elves running amok, imps dragging corpses through the house, and us shooting at the elves, there is a lot of work to do.”
I nod, “Alright, let’s get to it.” I look to Viktorija. “Where do we start?
Viktorija says, “Clarice has gotten the staff organized. Let’s check in with her, and get started.”
We all spend the rest of the afternoon getting things cleaned up.
We get a temporary replacement front door, replacement light fixtures, repair materials and replacement plants at Home Depot and Lowes. Jack and Steven wrap the remaining corpses in plastic and tuck them in the garden shed to await pickup by Bernadette's disposal service. I learn she keeps someone on retainer for that.