“Nothing but the finest, for the guests of the diOnni Manor,” Chelton assured with a deferential bow when Jess complimented the elegance of her quarters, her expert eye quickly assessing the solidity of the cabinets; tables and chairs resting comfortably upon finely made rugs good for warding any winter chill, said furniture gilded with exotic designs in bass relief, and near as beautiful works of craftsmanship as she had ever seen.
Jess turned to clap the shoulder of a bemused Raphael, even as Chelton readied to lead her companions down the hallway to their appointed quarters. “I would love to meet the woodcarver who designed this furniture, Raphael, and go over some of his choices in designs.”
Raphael gave an indulgent chuckle. “Forgive me, dearest Jess, but most of this furniture was imported from various locales throughout the continent. I could ask if Father has some receipts, if you like, for surely craftsmen the world over would adore a noble commission, but it could take a season or two to track down the artists in question.”
Jess sighed and nodded, Twilight taking the opportunity to leap from shoulder to bedpost to down-filled mattress, giving an approving little nod as he curled up and closed an eye, smiling ever so slightly as he purred. “Quite satisfactory, my mistress. We shall definitely have to make a point of ordering goose down mattresses for our own usage. Now why don't we ask that Chelton when my Yellowfin steak will be ready.”
Jess chuckled. “I'm sure it shall be a course at the dinner table, kitty, and we will head there just as soon as I make use of that nice copper bath the servants were so gracious as to make ready for our use,” Jess allowed, eyeing the steaming copper tub in the center of the room almost hungrily, though frowning ever so slightly at the dress laid out, far preferring the Highrock uniform of doublet and tights with a nice form fitting cotton tunic underneath.
Josie chuckled indulgently. “Sorry, Jessie. Even dear Raphael, as wonderful as he is, didn't think to acquire tights or hose in your size. I'm afraid you'll have to deal with dresses just this once,” she teased. “Oh, don't look so put out. I, for one, think you would look quite lovely in lavender.”
Twilight chuckled softly from the bed. “And I, for one, think your friend's sense of fashion leaves much to be desired. But she is right, it will be entertaining to see you in a dress for the eve. Ooh look. Duke diOnni's servitors even thought to leave out silken slippers.” Her familiar's grin was positively evil. “You will look absolutely adorable. The life-sized doll your sister ever aspires to be.”
“See you at table, Jessie!” Josie trilled as Jess's friends were at last dragged down the corridor by a polite yet efficient Chelton. Malek, the last to leave, flashed Jess a wicked parting grin.
Humming contentedly, Jess had to admit sometime later after a nice hot soak and scrub, wrapped in fresh cotton towels with her hair cleaned of all dirt, grime, and the nameless residue of violent skirmishes she chose not to think too closely about, that it was nice to be clean, even if all she had to wear were dresses.
“Well, Twilight, how do I look?" Jess asked some time later after having taken the time to clean and oil her arms and armaments, Raphael or servitors having at least had the foresight to leave cleaning rags and oil for the fighting nobility they no doubt hosted from time to time.
Twilight gave her an appraising eye before allowing a cautious nod. “Tolerable, I think. I note how you slit your dress and undergarments back and front.”
Jess nodded. “Oh yes. This way there's no risk of my tripping over anything. Gods alone know how girls normally wear all these constraining ruffles.”
Twilight grinned. “Excellent thinking, my mistress. And the lavender hardly clashes with your mithril.”
Jess nodded. "I will take your word for it. And I do believe I hear the dinner bell! Come, beloved one. Time to get you some well-earned tuna."
“I couldn't agree more,” Twilight purred, instantly flowing to his accustomed spot upon her shoulder, feather-light touch troubling Jess not at all even as she opened the door to find a surprised servant, who politely bowed before leading Jess to the dining hall.
Jess was pleased to see her friends already seated at table, all of them looking somehow rejuvenated after hot baths and fresh changes of clothes. With the grime and wear of the harrying week past all but melted away, they looked and acted the finely dressed band of Highrock students they were, already digging into their repast. Jess felt her stomach rumble as she gazed upon the table covered with silver tureens filling the air with tantalizing aromas of beef and vegetable stews, a meat board covered with slabs of pork and beef, all surrounded by thick slices of bread and clay pots of various mustards and spices for those of a mind for sandwiches. Jess grinned at the thought of a hearty sandwich dipped in soup, a meal she and her brother both loved, for all that it made their mother and sister shudder. Jess smiled at the memory, realizing how very much she missed her family at that moment.
“Ooh. I do believe I detect the aroma of exquisitely prepared Yellowfin, perfectly seasoned!" Twilight purred from her shoulder, his swishing tail flipping her hair, and Jess nodded even as Alex looked up, smiling at her presence, before blinking and coughing on his fare.
Jera gave her lover a concerned look, though it was only a cough of surprise, Jess was happy to realize, her friend clearing his throat with a sip of water before greeting her. "There you are. Have a seat, Jess. Your fare awaits!" Alex waved her to her seat, Malek already turning about to face her, his concerned expression immediately breaking into a smug smile of his own.
“Glad you could make it, shieldsister. Now I see what was taking you so long."
Jess smiled and nodded. “I needed to clean my armor. See how nice and shiny it is now?”
Jera and Josie both stared at Jess poleaxed, and Jess noted they were both wearing kohl and blush, looking very elegant indeed. As one, the two exchanged a glance Jess couldn't fathom before breaking out in soft giggles.
Raphael blinked, gazing at Jess silently for a second before chuckling good-naturedly. "Ah, my dear Jess. I should have expected nothing less!" He turned to his father, silver fork raised halfway to his lips, silently gazing at Jess. "That is the artifact I had spoken of, Father. Truly a wonder, is it not? Priceless, though I did not expect it to be worn in quite such a fashion."
Jess looked down at her full sleeved hauberk of mithril flowing down to her knees, her purposely split dress of lavender spilling out in lace and puffery at wrists and collar, mithril and dress both cinched tight at the waist with her sword belt. She looked back up with a smile. "Isn't it beautiful? See how it glimmers in the lamplight? It's even more sparkly under the sun." She gave Raphael an approving nod. "At first I was concerned that the dress would be too constraining, but slit up the back and middle for proper leg movement, it's actually not bad! Sort of like a very thin gambeson, really, though I have no gambeson that is quite this shade of... lavender. Nor do mine have ruffles at the wrist, generally."
Duke diOnni, to his credit, merely gave a polite nod. “I see.”
Josie gave an exasperated shake of her head. “Did you truly need to ruin your dress, Jessie? And why did you feel the need to bring armor and blade to table? That mithril shirt you insist upon wearing is going to leave hideous stains, not that there is any point in worrying about it now, of course.”
Jess frowned, feeling mildly hurt. “I thought they went rather well together, actually. And mithril doesn't rust, so it won't leave any stains on the dress.” Jess shook her head sadly. “Come now, Josie, did you not note how nice and sparkly my mystical hauberk wrenched free from the lands of myth and dream looks by lamplight? I, for one, think lavender is a nice contrast to it. Don't you, Raphael?”
Raphael raised his hands in mock protest. "Please, Jess, don't ask me to gainsay my beloved."
Josie blushed happily at his words. “Oh, it's fine, Jessie. I should know your nature by now. A Calenbry through and through.”
Jera smirked. “Except her sister loves dresses even more than you and I do,
Josie, and I know for a fact her brother is as happy at Court as he is sparring with their father, and I'm quite sure he didn't wear any armor at the Highrock reunion for former graduates held earlier this year.”
Alex nodded. “And he didn't pursue the path of knight or commander, did he? Did some work with the theory of war and the elements of war-craft, but his focus was primarily on politics, diplomacy, and trade, was it not?”
Raphael smiled. “Not that there is anything wrong with taking that path, being the one I pursued myself.”
Malek grinned. "The difference being that unlike our other family members, Jess and I truly live our chosen path." He opened his doublet and winked, showing off a shirt of fine mail discretely resting between tunic and hose. Jess also noted the pair of clubs her shieldbrother had at his hip. He wore a compromise between self-sufficiency and faith in his host's security, Jess supposed, thought till that moment she had not even thought of it in those terms, simply feeling naked without her sword.
Jess nodded. “Exactly. And a mithril hauberk isn't as easy to stuff under a dress and undergarments as it is my Highrock uniform, so it had to go over.”
Duke diOnni chuckled at that. "Well then, grateful I am indeed that my son traveled with future commanders who take to their chosen path so earnestly! By all means, Lady Jess, wear whatever arms and armaments suit you, and welcome to our table. A beautiful hauberk of mithril, by the way. Please, break your fast. I am most anxious for your opinion on our chef's tuna entree.”
“How delightful!” Twilight purred, needing no further encouragement, sliding off Jess's shoulder and darting toward the fish tray without a moment's hesitation, Jess grinning even as the entire serving plate of tuna steaks was claimed in its entirety and dragged off the table, Twilight happily munching away under Jess's chair.
Josie looked suddenly confused, Alex pale as a ghost. Duke diOnni gazed at Jess with some wonderment, Malek laughing aloud.
“Forgive me, Lady Jess, but I could have sworn I had an entire plate of Yellowfin tuna right... there."
Jess grinned. “You did, Your Grace.”
“And it is gone now, yes?"
Jess nodded, taking pity on the politely confused duke. “No worries, Your Grace. It was for Twilight, after all.” She looked underneath the table. “And I don't want to be stepping on any bones, either!”
“Then watch where you step,” purred her contented cat, happily munching away.
Jess shook her head ruefully. “Cats. What are you going to do?” And dug in to what she had to admit was a delicious repast, pointedly ignoring her friend's stares and Malek's snickering laughter.
Jess felt the tension of the prior weeks, a weight she had not even been aware of carrying, dropping away at last. She and her beloved companions could finally relax a bit, regaling their warmly smiling host with their adventures as the evening wore on, bellies replete with delicious fare. It was only after their repast, the six of them having met up once more in Jess's quarters to plan their next move, that her friends began to speak of things that shook Jess to her core.
4
So, what do you and Malek think our next move should be?” Raphael inquired after pouring them all snifters of Calenbry brandy in Jess's quarters, she herself having quietly closed her eyes some time ago, communing with the suite of rooms Raphael grandly assured she could use as long as she liked, getting a sense of the oak, teak, and other exotic hardwoods used in their construction. She gave a satisfied nod, opening her eyes, gazing back at her companions.
"No worries about our quarters, my friends. Any mage who might have access to scrying magics would find listening in on us no easier than traversing through primeval forest, a barrier they'd be wise not to test, or they will be lucky even to find the path back to their own bodies, let alone what they came for."
Josie shivered at Jess's words. “Then let us hope that no spying mage is so foolish as to attempt to listen in on our discourse. And Jess, what does Twilight say?”
Jess gazed at a spot only she could see beside the door before turning back to her friends. “Twilight says we have nothing to fear from that quarter.” She blinked up at Raphael. “I'm sorry, what did you say, my friend?”
Raphael waved the apology away. “No worries, my dear Jess. It was poor behavior on my part to distract you while you were making use of your druidic arts.”
“I'm not a Druid,” Jess said, though her companions' smiles made it clear she was of the minority in that belief. “In any event, what was it you wanted to ask?”
“He wants to know what we should do about the chalice, Jess,” Malek said. “I, for one, think you and I should accompany whatever discrete paths of inquiry our host would like to take to ascertain the legitimacy of this agent. For obvious reasons.”
Jess nodded. Together she and Malek would serve as powerful backup, should their questions lead down dangerous paths, to say nothing of her own gifts in terms of ferreting out the truth.
Alex frowned. “Your talents would come in handy, Jess, were we to pursue that path. There is something to be said, however, for pursuing the Wand of Dreams directly.”
“Jess, what's wrong?” Josie's gaze was filled with sudden concern, the group entire now looking down on her, and only in that moment did Jess realize that she had stumbled off the bed, reflexes alone keeping her tumbler full of brandy from spilling.
Her heart raced in panic. She felt overwhelmed by sudden nameless dread.
“Jess?”
Jess gave an abrupt shake of her head. "I'm sorry, Josie, I don't know what came over me."
“Let me help you with that,” A shaken Malek offered, carefully setting down Jess's tumbler and helping her back to the foot of her bed. “Are you all right, Jess? Damn. Maybe we did push too hard in getting here. Maybe you need a break yourself, Jess. Goodness knows communing with the woods for a solid week must have a cost of some sort.”
Josie immediately stepped over to Jess, placing a hand upon her suddenly sweaty brow. “No fever, thank the gods, but our dear Jessie is sweating something fierce.” Her slight frown was utterly adorable, a suddenly dazed Jess found herself thinking, wondering what it would be like to kiss Josie, wondering how she and her other friends would react to such an outrageous display out of the blue, and wondering as well if it would somehow shock herself out of the horrible daze she felt herself slipping into, sick sibilant laughter echoing all around.
“I think, perhaps, that our dear Jess needs to rest.”
“No!” Jess exclaimed, louder than she had intended, her friends gazing at her nonplussed. “I mean, it's nothing. I was dizzy for a moment, that's all. What I need most is the company of my closest friends! Come now, what was this about planning our next move?”
“If you are sure you're all right, Jess,” Alex said, exchanging a glance with a concerned looking Jera. “In any case, tracking down this chalice is a fine idea in its own right, but I personally feel that securing that wand should be our priority. It has value as a military artifact, as well as a possible tool of infernalists, so in order to protect our nation and our school from both threats, I say we focus on that first and foremost. Any energies we commit to securing the chalice should be secondary efforts. Our primary objective must be securing that wand."
Alex frowned, gazing carefully at Jess. “Are you sure you're feeling okay, Jessica? You've gone utterly pale for some reason.”
Jess blinked. Barely able to register her friend's words. Having no idea what he was talking about, feeling utterly dizzy and off-balance, as if she were on a tiny ship at risk of being smashed to tinder upon stormy seas of madness.
Grimly, she tried to focus on her friends, and ignore the hideous mocking laughter surrounding her on all sides, and she could just tell her friends didn't hear a thing.
"I take it none of you hear mad cackling all about?" she queried lightly, smiling it off as a joke, but her friends weren't fooled.
Josie's expression turned grave. “Jess, what's wrong?”
“Nothing!” Jess shouted, before regaining control of her mounting terror. “I am sorry, Josie. I am fine. Just fine. Now, please, someone tell me what's going on?”
Alex and Raphael exchanged a concerned glance.
Malek gently squeezed his shieldsister's hand, his other arm wrapping about her shoulders, drawing her in. Jess sighed and did her best to ignore the tears she felt trickling down her cheeks, overwhelmed by unexpected comfort in her friend's touch, even as she sensed some hideous terror scratching away at the boundaries of her room, spiritual and physical, waiting to strike. The sudden awful fear near overwhelmed her, for all that she knew it was but nameless dread bubbling from within.
“It's a damn good question,” Malek allowed. “What the hell are you going on about, Alex, with this wand? It is the chalice we seek to secure, yes? Having found out about it on our way to the capital, after rescuing our good friends Raphael and Josie from those diabolist ambushes back at the school, and then at the chateau?”
Alex blinked and frowned, looking as nonplussed as Jess had ever seen him. “By the gods, are you serious, Malek? Now is no time for jokes, I assure you!”
Malek glowered. “What do you think, Alex?”
Jera gently squeezed her lover's shoulder. “I think they are serious, Alex. Just look at Jess, pale and shaking, and she's the bravest girl I've ever known.”
Josie, unbidden, gently stroked Jess's cheek. “Look up at me, Jessie, there's a girl. Tell me, are you experiencing any pain or weakness anywhere? No? Good. Hold out your arms and stand up, Raphael will catch you if you go dizzy on us.”
Grimacing, Jess did as she was told, never mind the terror racing through her.
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