Jess gazed sadly at her leg. “So, I am worse, then. Worse than all the other demons that can only torment and enslave.”
Twilight nodded. “You are the End of All Things, after all. Come, my Jess. It is time to awaken.”
Josie began to cry. “Are you going to eat us too, Jess?”
Jess smiled and shook her head. “No, silly. I'm going to lead you home.”
And she did.
21
A shudder and gasp. A fierce burst of pain, her leg blazing in agony. Jess choked out one startled scream before taking a deep ragged breath, surprised to find herself splayed out upon the cobblestone steps outside the diOnni manor, grand as it was save for the area around her, bricks cracked and shattered as if exposed to the heat of a blast furnace or the equivalent.
Her clenched fists relaxed, dagger and mace falling to the ground. Jess gazing at them both in awe and confusion. Both weapons were badly pitted, as if they had been scored by the strongest of acids. Jess looked about her for signs of battle, yet save for the scorched cobblestones about her and her own damaged weapons, she saw nothing but a courtyard oddly still and quiet.
Jess quickly took her own measure for injury, relieved beyond words that the searing pain of an instant before seemed to be nothing more than a dream ache, fading upon wakefulness. No doubt a cramp, she thought, before taking a closer look at where the phantom pain had originated from, more than slightly shocked to find her left boot and greave cleaved neatly through.
She forced herself to take off the broken boot, suddenly dreading what injury she would find underneath, shuddering with relief to find her limb free of any but the faintest trace of a scar, aged and faded, an injury of a lifetime ago.
An imagined wail, piercing in its lonely agony, fading silently as if it had never been.
Jess shivered and looked up, her heart pounding with sudden relief to see her beloved brother-in-arms racing to her side.
“Jess! For the love of all the gods, you're back!”
She blinked in surprise. Where had she been?
“Malek?”
Malek stopped abruptly, his gentle countenance filled with concern, then sudden understanding. “Oh, you don't know. How could you?” he smiled. “Jess, we Delved again, and so much more!”
Jess rubbed her temples, only then realizing she was wearing her helm, hit with fuzzy memories of a mad desperate fight, several of them, all blending together. Racing down corridors in exquisitely appointed manors, her friends in dire peril.
“Malek, is everyone okay?”
Her shieldbrother gave her a reassuring nod. “Amazingly, yes. All save Alex's brother, who took considerable injury when that vile man unleashed his magics, covering the courtyard in flames, save where you had parried the spell, thank all the gods.
Jess shivered at the thought, the cracked cobblestones now at last making sense.
“Some wizard was attacking the compound? Who was he?”
Malek's brow furrowed in sudden consternation. “I know his look. He was thin, obsequious, the duke favored him. He had a role of some importance, and he was a treacherous snake. His name though, that completely escapes me, I'm afraid.”
Jess nodded slowly. “So what exactly happened?” She asked, her shieldbrother helping her to her feet even as shaking hands put on the half boot, sundered greave completely removed before making their way to the manor.
"Well, 'tis a good thing Alex, ever the scribe, took account as he could before slipping off to sleep himself, as he too had skirted Shadow, for all that he had been warded by your runes." Jess blinked at this, at which point Malek gave Jess a rapid account of those occurrences which had happened near a week past, giving her a fierce hug as he finished. "By the gods, Jess. We all feared you had been killed! That bloody bastard was no slouch with the blade, either, from what Alex recorded, declaring the pair of you danced about so fast the eyes could barely follow, till the battle abruptly ended with his head caved in and you, well,” Malek swallowed and looked away. “He cleaved your leg clean through, Jess. You were bleeding something fierce, but Alex says I was desperately fighting for my own life.” He smiled then. “But then it was suddenly as if our enemy's spears and halberds couldn't touch me, at which point we tore right through the bastards, or so Alex goes on to claim, so I knew that somehow you must have made it and, well, that you were recovering the way all Delvers do after going deep, or so I had hoped and prayed.”
Jess nodded. “What happened to my sword?”
Malek shrugged. "From what Alex had said, it was probably destroyed when you were trying to protect us. And let me tell you, Jess, we faced some pretty hideous magics there. Half of the men fighting under us were burned to ash by the force of that monster's spells." Malek paled and shivered. "And that's just from reading Alex's account, and the shadow of memory that haunts me, even now. One thing is for sure, we're lucky even to be among the living, with the awful magics that were flying about."
Jess shivered at the thought. “I mourn the good men lost, who fought under our banner, for all that I have no memory of them now. Please tell me that our friends are all right, at least?”
Malek nodded, smiling. “They are fine. And for what it's worth, I think the duke is going to make sure that the families of those guardsmen that were slain will want for nothing. And we are heroes as well, shieldsister! The men that survived have you to thank, and we managed to save Josie, Raphael, and the duke himself; invading the very den of the dragon, so to speak.”
Jess nodded, happy to hear of the adventure, for all that she regretted not being able to feel the visceral thrill of it, save secondhand as a story, all memories of the actual events scoured clean from her mind. It was the bane of all Delvers, Jess knew. They could revel in the prime of life for decades, never touched by decrepitude's hoary grasp, free to embrace endless terror and wonder as they explored living dream, yet they were never to recall their mad, glorious adventures firsthand, only via the recollections of the bards and scribes diligently recording their tales before sleep claimed them, and all memory was lost.
"So. Alex acted as our bard, then."
Malek shook his head. "Actually, we had the assistance of a bard named Lute. Very helpful fellow, that one, spearheading the Guild's own efforts to uncover the whereabouts of this mysterious Pomell, where our enemies have supposedly holed up to do something hideous with their stolen artifacts. Alex and Jera, who woke up together the day before I did, have been assisting Lute and say the Guild library is nothing short of incredible." Malek grinned. "But enough on that, sister of my heart. You are alive and well, thank all the gods, and I know everyone wants to see you!"
Inside the manor, Jess was surprised to receive so many bows of solemn deference, and every face unfamiliar.
"There is a reason for that," Malek explained. "The former seneschal, gods rot him, had corrupted too many for the duke to trust a one. And in the normal course of such things the prudent lord dismisses everyone with excellent references and a small stipend for those who had served him longest, and hires on fresh staff, preferably people with no ties to the capital and all with sterling references, and that is what the duke is in the process of doing."
She gasped with a sudden icy shiver. “Wait, this seneschal, supposedly our equal at swordplay for all that we once bested our entire class in unison, the same man who managed to cleave my very leg in the throes of combat, was under this roof, in control of the diOnni servants? I must have spoken to him at some point, right? And I sensed no malice from him towards myself, no dark enchantments permeating his form, nothing?"
Malek nodded. “Alex says you had spoken to him a number of times from his scribbled journal of daily events, and even thought him an ally of sorts.”
Jess shivered at the thought. "By the gods. Save for my gifts, I have nowhere near the savvy of Mother and Apple. If it starts failing me, I need fear a dagger at my back every moment."
Malek chuckled softly, squeezing Jess close. “'Tis not so bad as all that, sister mine.
Prudence and caution are what you need, same as everyone else does. And a safe bed to sleep in. And as wood is your ally, was even that very night, you have far more assurances for your safety than most of us, no?”
Jess allowed herself a troubled nod. “And where is my cat?”
"Jess, by the gods it's so good to see you!" A teary-eyed Josie cried as Jess stumbled into the dining hall, her right foot slipping entirely out of her admittedly shredded boot.
Josie paled to see her stumble, for all that Jess assured she was well.
"By heaven's grace, the tale is true. That man sliced clean through your leg, armored greave and all." Josie gave a sad shake of her head. "I know how well you fight, Jess. Is it possible that man was a Delver as well?"
“Or some gods cursed infernalist, alight with who knows what vile enchantments,” Malek grumbled, a sentiment that Jess hoped was true. The thought of Delvers themselves being so corrupted was a contemplation she had no stomach to face.
Jess shrugged. “Honestly, Josie, I don't remember a thing. And as you can see, my leg is fine.”
Josie, instantly the professional, did a thorough examination of a gently protesting Jess, immediately dragging her off to the quarters she shared with Raphael, who was just then finishing a bath, blushing politely at Jess's entrance before laughing good-naturedly and hugging her fiercely with silk robe firmly tied moments later.
"By heaven's grace, it's good to see you, Jess!" Raphael enthused. "I owe you my life. Twice over, and that I hardly recall makes little difference, if Alex's account is anything to go by." He suddenly paled. "To think, our seneschal in league with diabolists. Father, Josie, and I but moments from being sacrificed to unspeakable horrors in some hideous ritual." He let loose a shuddering sigh, before smiling brightly once more. "I swore I would not overly brood. Let me just say I am grateful beyond words to see you alive and well once more." He took her hand in a gentle but firm grip, and Jess felt herself flush under the adoration in his gaze.
"If there is anything I can do for you, Jess, anything at all, I am there, by your side. Please know that, dearest Jessica. The diOnni clan will side with the Calenbrys in all things." Raphael winked. "And should the fates themselves conspire against you, but go to any diOnni trading house or manor, send word, and you shall find safe passage to wherever you need to go."
Jess nodded in gratitude for the offer. Her friend had made the most sacred of gestures, a love and brotherhood transcending even the bonds of king and country. Frowned upon officially, but a sacred vow, revered poetically at the very least.
"Take off your blasted mithril, Jess," Josie grumbled. "I don't care if these are not your quarters! You have the modesty of a woodnymph, most of the time. There. Don't you feel better with that hot gambeson off? Smells like sweat and blood and the gods know what else. There we are, shift off and see? No reason to be shy. Hmm, let's have a look at you."
Josie spent some moments with her eyes closed, gently pressing her hands against a furiously blushing Jess, before opening them at last with a bemused shake of her head. "Save smelling of sweat and copper, smells I'm surprised actually came back with you, wherever you were, you appear fit as a fiddle. Save the odd scar on your calf."
For some reason, Jess couldn't bear to stare at it for very long.
"Clean and neat as a surgeon's stitches, it's almost completely faded." Her gaze turned brooding. "Well do I remember that fae state of mind that took ahold of you at the country manor when you did whatever it was that healed Malek. And yet again, this mending has no taste of the healer's art." Jodie shivered. "Why do I fear that dark shadows are as closely aligned as silver virtue to this healing?”
Jess tilted her head. “Interesting turn of phrase.”
Josie sighed. “What happened, Jess? How did you heal yourself?”
Jess shrugged. "Honestly, Josie, I don't know. Bloody hells, I don't even remember the fight! And to think this skinny seneschal gave me the supposed duel of my life. How odd.”
Raphael nodded solemnly. "For all that his name slips all our tongues, almost as if he was as much a figment of dream as not, I do recall the sense of a most competent man, well able to hold his own. On that note, my father has several things he would like to discuss with you, interesting artifacts not the least of it." He flashed a reassuring smile. "But rest assured, Jess, what he feels more than anything else is overwhelming gratitude. As do we all. Now come, let's escort you back to your quarters and get you comfortable. Our servitors should have prepared a nice fresh bath for you, and Josie aired out your attire, having absolutely no doubt that you would come back to us hale and whole once more.”
Josie nodded solemnly at that, returning back to her quarters after redonning her gear, Malek politely knocking moments later, tray of sustenance in hand, including a fine tuna steak that Twilight was sadly not there to appreciate, placing it beside the Highrock uniform and linen undertunic already laid out for her.
“We shall let you refresh yourself, Jess,” Raphael said. “When you have eaten and bathed, Father would love to speak with you.”
Jess smiled and nodded at Raphael and her friends, allowing her thoughts to drift as she soaked in the copper tub, feeling as if she was washing away both grime and the oddest flickers of half-remembered dream.
22
Lady Jessica, truly, you are a sight for sore eyes,” smiled the duke, looking rather resplendent in his burgundy doublet and silken undertunic, for all that Jess could sense a certain weariness about the man, as if he had been up without rest for quite some time.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” Jess smiled and bowed her head.
“Please, Jess. No need for formalities between you and me. You are responsible for coming to my rescue, after all, yet further debts to your House I fear I shall never be able to fully pay,” he sighed, eyes teasing with a certain merriment even as he offered her a decanter of fine apple brandy.
Jess sipped, and was pleased. "Calenbry Red, and quite a fine batch this is."
The duke nodded. “Allowed plenty of time to age in oaken caskets. This batch was picked, perhaps, when you first attended Highrock and made the acquaintance of my son. An alliance for which I shall always be grateful.” The duke's gaze held a tender warmth that left Jess feeling distinctly flustered.
"Your Grace, I must confess, of the events that had occurred, I remember almost nothing save the strangest glimmers quickly forgotten, as if I were brushing away the cobwebs of dimly remembered dream." Jess shrugged and smiled. "For all that my friends filled me in on some of the details, it seems no more real to me than a story told over the evening fire."
“As are the sagas of most adventurers, or so I am given to understand,” allowed the duke with a nod. “Still, my Jess, young Alex as well as our friend Lute the bard were both good enough to transcribe all they had witnessed firsthand, as well as recording our own accounts, all of which are quite remarkable.” He flashed a knowing smile. “Being no fool, I knew to take precautions, so none could claim words I had no recollection of having left these lips. Thus, I had left myself a code phrase in my personal account as transcribed dutifully by Alex before sleep had claimed us both, a code which chilled me to hear firsthand from young Alex, blithely repeating a certain key phrase to me not once, but twice. It was then that I knew with utter certainty that the story, as outrageous and daring and horrific as it was, was nothing short of the truth."
Jess nodded, impressed at the measures the duke had taken, no doubt under tremendous strain and exhaustion at the time, perhaps pure reflex after a lifetime trading in the capital of Erovering; den of vice, intrigue, and wealth that it was.
"In any event, the story is... quite remarkable." He gave a shuddering shake of his head. "To think, my family was to be sacrificed to some demonic entity by a trio of vile lords now forgotten by all, today no more than characters in a story, preserved only in young Alex and Lute's accounts."
Jess took a sip of her drink, waiting for the duke to continue. It really was good br
andy, she thought, mellow with the gentlest of burns, and the delightful aftertaste of sweetest autumn apples.
“In any event, Jessica, is seems that I owe you my life, and perhaps, my very soul.”
Jess immediately shook her head. “No, Your Grace. Never that. It is my solemn duty to protect every soul in this realm from forces dark and vile that would seek to enslave them. That I was able to save your life? An added bonus, as you are my friend, as is your son and his beau, both close kin to my heart,” Jess assured.
The duke raised a bemused brow. "Your solemn duty is to protect every soul in this realm? Is this a Delver's oath of sorts?"
Jess flushed and shook her head, not knowing where the words had come from.
The duke seemed to sense her sudden discomfort, waving his words away. “In any case, I cannot express to you in mere words how grateful I am to have you on my side, dear Jess. And that brings us to the problem I face.”
Jess nodded solemnly. “If there is anything I can do, you have but to ask, Your Grace.”
The duke chuckled gently. “Nothing of the sort, child. And please, formal as you honor me in being, diOnni is fine. You have earned that.” He gave a tired sigh. “Just endless paperwork I deal with now, filed by Crown and enemies alike, querying as to my existence, sanity, and legal authority, having disappeared from the face of Erovering for near an entire week! In truth, Jess, I only recovered two days prior. And after the scene of battle in the courtyard below, any number of inquiries were initiated. Interestingly enough, it appears men who were once working at cross purposes to my own came to my aid.”
Jess raised a curious eyebrow. The duke smiled.
“It appears that one of Lord Fal's former armsmen, captain of his guards, in fact, had freed us from kidnappers and delivered us safely to the Velice household, whereupon, to his knowledge, we were busy recuperating and no doubt hiding from those who wished to do us ill.” He gave a bemused shake of his head. “Apparently I had promised him and his men gold for duties performed on my family's behalf, four crowns per man, to be exact, having already paid each a crown the very eve of my capture.” The duke shrugged. “Considering his declaration was to my benefit, and I recall the conversation not at all, I chose to honor that commitment, whether or not it was made under duress."
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