“I don’t care about their reasons,” Ketra said, gritting her teeth. “I joined the Army of Free Peasants to kill as many of their supporters as possible and I’m not done yet. I’ll help any group that wants to kill Imperials and you seem to be one of them.”
“Ketra….we’re Imperials,” Regina said, sounding genuinely troubled.
“Not anymore,” Ketra said, slamming her fist down on the table. It was a dramatic gesture lost on Regina and I. “I’d summon a volcano like old Valance the Red and sink the Imperial city if I could. Not one of them spoke up against the horror brought down on us.”
“Maybe they did and were silenced,” I said.
Ketra’s look didn’t waver in its intensity. “Whatever the case, they want to meet with you. I don’t believe for a second you’re actually Jacob Riverson reborn, some mythical hero out of the stories, but my sister loves you so I don’t care one way or the other. The Jarls are willing to send their representatives to meet with you in the port city of Kerifas. It’s under the cruel dictatorship of Queen Morwen’s son, Marcus, with the support of the Usurpers Thermic Redhand and Fel Hellsword. If you can take that city, the rest of the country will fall in line behind you.”
I doubted it would be that easy. “All right. I shall consider your proposal.”
“They are awaiting your answer,” Ketra said. “You must move quickly.”
“We agree,” Regina said, shooting me a question look. “Don’t we?”
Truth be told, her offer was barely registering with me despite its fortuitousness. It was incomprehensibly unlikely that, of all the billion or so inhabitants of the World Between, Regina’s beloved cousin would end up at our doorstep. I had subtly probed Ketra’s mind, tested a fragment of her hair, and even listened in to the details of her conversations with Regina to determine everything she said seemed to be true.
Accepting that, yes, this wasn’t a trick by the Usurpers or Jassamine to destroy us, I still had difficulty with everything else she was saying. The timing was just too perfect. A young woman being delivered on our doorstep, long-lost relative or not, carrying an offer of alliance against our enemies when we needed it most. It was a miracle and I did not believe in miracles.
The Lawgiver often granted the prayers of his subjects, the Trickster said. No rhyme or reason to it, really, but did so with the whims of a proper god. You should try it sometime.
I’ll pass, I said, still turning over Ketra’s words in my head. I’ll grant all my worshipers’ prayers or none of them.
Then you’ll never grant any of them.
The only way I could make sense of this, disregarding the ludicrous idea of destiny, was that there was simply something abnormally exceptional about the Whitetremor bloodline. This did not sit well with me, either, since I had long since rejected the idea the nobility were anything more than people whose ancestors had been in the right place at the right time. Yet, the evidence was before me, that the Whitetremors had produced not only Regina but two infamous revolutionaries rocking the empire.
“All right, yes, we agree. If the people of Winterholme wish our assistance then it would be morally repugnant to deny them it,” I said, staring down at the table. “This is a very different set of circumstances to an unprovoked invasion.”
“Is it really?” Regina asked.
I wasn’t sure, no. “Yes. The righteous must ever be ready to strike at evil but equally so to sheathe one’s sword lest the innocent be slain. Warmaster Kalian used to make up things like that and pretend they were in the Codex.”
“Oh, that’s definitely going in the holy book then,” Regina said.
“Eh?” Ketra asked.
“Long story,” I said.
“Jacob and I are gods. So is Serah but I loathe her right now,” Regina said. “Worship us, puny mortal.” She then took another long slog of the Formor brew.
“And people wonder why I’m an atheist,” Ketra said, taking another sip of her wine. “So are you two divine majesties thinking about having kids?”
Regina almost choked then put down her drink and shook her head. “Not…now.”
“No,” I said, my voice soft.
Ketra blinked, realizing she’d unwittingly stumbled on a sore subject. “I see.”
We’d tried for the first year of our marriage, flush in our newfound love and heedless of how dangerous it was to bring a child into the world with the blood of two gods. One of which was a physical ghost. I’d met several children of physical ghosts in my career and they’d been universally ‘troubled.’ Yet, conception had not occurred.
Serah, despite having no interest in children herself, had spent many hours poring over tomes and potions in her lab trying to fix the problem. She took away valuable time from her efforts studying the King Below’s sorcery and building her spy network to help us. It had gotten to the point Regina and I had to physically sit her down to prevent her from invading the World Above to get a sample of the Great Mother’s menstrual fluid. I didn’t want to know how that would have worked.
“That’s unfortunate,” Ketra said, shrugging. “I know Regina wants children. Personally, I can’t stand them. We need to figure out a way to grow them in tubes and get rid of the whole pregnancy and child-rearing process. It’s an unfair burden on my sex and does no one any good.”
I stared at her. “You went to Hildenstadt University, didn’t you?”
“How did you know?”
“Some things never change,” I said, remembering that horrible place from my youth. Warmaster Kalian had recommended I study magic there, but I’d chosen the Grand Temple instead. Last I’d heard, all the professors had been arrested for heresy and the facility shut down. “I will meet with your friends in Kerifas. I’ll need to check out the city’s defenses before I consider any actual plan of attack, though.”
Ketra nodded. “The Jarls will want to make arrangements with you beyond this as well. The legions are scattered through the countryside, though, and should be easy pickings once you liberate the city.”
I sighed purely for effect. I didn’t need to breathe, after all. “It’s not going to be that simple. As soon as we take over Kerifas, the legions are going to want to rally together into a single formidable force that we’ll need to defeat in battle. We’ll be at war with the entirety of the continent then and the one thing that might be able to rally support for the Usurpers after all their atrocities would be an invasion by the new King Below.”
Regina wasn’t happy with my summation. “We should still strike. War is inevitable. This way, we choose our battlefield.”
Ketra finished her glass of wine and poured herself another. It was her sixth. “Not to interrupt, but speaking of invasions by the King Below, why are you impersonating the God of Evil and his bride? You’d think you’d choose something a little more heroic-seeming if you were serious about winning support for your cause. It’s not exactly inspiring to see your black-armored troops and black sun banners.”
She should have seen what they’d replaced. Instead, I said, “What is a hero to one culture is a villain to another.”
Ketra raised an eyebrow, giving me a ‘what kind of fool do you take me for’ look. “No need to be condescending.”
“I’m not. The Formor have a very different opinion of the King Below and we must maintain appearances. Even if it makes us look like villains.”
“How is Gewain?” Regina surprised me by asking.
“You mean aside from having lost his arm?” Ketra asked.
“Yes.” Regina’s eyes narrowed. Already, her joy was dimming at her cousin’s return. “I mean aside from that.”
“He is well,” Ketra said, frowning. “They have clockwork arms in Lakeland and we acquired one recently. A good thing, too, since they haven’t produced any in years. Accadia was badly ravaged after their ill-conceived attempt at rebellion. Jon Bloodthorn’s death caused the empire’s forces to make an example of the region.”
My guts twisted. “I see.”
&n
bsp; “It didn’t work out too well for them,” Ketra said, chuckling. “It turns out if you keep kicking someone, they start to kick back.”
“Gewain…” Regina reminded her. “Please. I wish to know more.”
“Oh,” Ketra said. “Sorry. My brother has been doing his best to move from place to place, trying to persuade people to rebel against the empire. I’ve been traveling beside him, mostly, but we’re not always in agreement as to what we should do. The Army of Free Peasants is more an idea than an organization, anyway.”
“Is he happy?” Regina asked.
I tried not to be uncomfortable as Regina asked about the man she wanted to marry before me.
Tried and failed.
“Yes, he’s found a lover named Rose who shares his passion for revolution,” Ketra said. “The cause is his life, Regina. I’m sure he’ll be happy that you’ve found someone.”
“Someones,” Regina corrected.
Ketra blinked. “Yeah, two spouses. That’s…something I never expected from you.”
“It suits me,” Regina said. “For now.”
Serah, Regina, and I would really have to sit down to settle this.
“Will Gewain be meeting with us?” I asked, deciding to turn the conversation to more pleasant topics.
Like war.
“Yes,” Ketra said, nodding. “Though we need to move quickly. The crackdowns in the city are getting worse and worse. Prince Alfreid is just a puppet and powerless to control either Redhand or Hellsword. Whereas Hellsword seems to be interested in ruling, Redhand is just a monster. There are burnings in the streets, mass arrests, and some even are talking about a purge of the Nonhuman Quarter.”
“Nonhuman Quarter?” I asked.
“What they now call the Fire Districts. It’s not just the Fir Bolg who live in them now, but anyone who isn’t human or elf. The sidhe get a pass, it seems, and so do elfblooded. Everyone else who isn’t one hundred percent human is getting resettled.”
I stared. “I see. The empress is trying to divide and conquer the races of the southern continent. To give the human and elven citizens a scapegoat while enriching their spent coffers.”
You give them too much credit, the Trickster mocked in my head. They are just prejudiced themselves.
“When do you want to arrange the meeting?” Ketra said. “They’re waiting for my signal. It should be soon because someone betrayed my journey to Hellsword.”
I frowned. “Tomorrow. We’ll journey there tonight.”
Ketra nodded. “Thank you. You won’t regret this.”
I already did. “In the meantime, I must make preparations.”
“Like what?” Regina asked.
“I want to read that damn prophecy of the Oghma,” I said, getting up. “If you’ll excuse me, Gina, I must go speak with Serah.”
I needed her to set up a communication with this secret society.
Hellsword with them or not.
Chapter Nine
I stepped out of the room where Ketra and Regina were still talking, only to find that Serah was already waiting for me on the other side.
Serah had changed into a simple but attractive black robe that I assumed was either an illusion or something she packed in her dragon’s saddlebags. Her hair was flowing downwards and the scar on her face from an ill-fated servant’s dagger was prominent. She was clutching her staff tightly, and I had to wonder how long she’d been standing outside the door.
“Ah,” I said, trying not to look uncomfortable. “I was looking for you.”
“A proper Dark Lord should not go looking for someone, Jacob, they should summon them.”
“I find men who summon their wives often find themselves in unhappy marriages.”
Serah tried not to smile. “It is more than mere hyperbole. You are a wise, protective, and merciful monarch.”
“I had a thousand Formor hanged last year. That’s including the one’s Regina killed with my blessing.”
“Terror is a weapon you use most effectively. It is one of your better qualities.”
“I see.” I tried to figure out if she was trying to compliment me and failing badly or if this was just a difference in our values.
In my day, armies engaged in rape and pillaging because their blood was hot from the drug of battle. They were poor, scared, and emaciated people who did terrible things because someone handed them an ax or spear before telling them to kill. In this day, armies were well fed and highly disciplined men and women who would kill every tenth child in a village because they were ordered to do so. I wasn’t sure which was worse.
Serah sighed. “How is Regina?”
“Ecstatic that her sister has made a miraculous return from the dead. It is Ketra, correct?” I wanted to double-check my findings with the only mage on our side I knew to be wiser and more powerful than me.
Serah nodded. “It is, most sincerely, Ketra Whitetremor. The Blue Rose of the Empire.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Really, that’s what they called her?”
Ketra was many things but not one I’d call a great beauty. Cute rather than gorgeous in the way most elfblooded were. Her youthful features and mannerisms contrasted greatly with the fact that I knew Rainfire to be responsible for dozens of deaths.
“The Duchy of Whitehall was a land renowned for its ballads, plays, universities, and sculptures. Artists tend to praise individuals who throw money their way.”
“Or condemn those they’re paid to defame. I see your point.”
“She was often compared to her ugly mannish cousin.”
I snorted in disbelief. “Who is the blind, deaf, and dumb fool who said that?”
“One who I imagine has not your appreciation for women who cuss like a Riverforder and drink like a quarrywoman.”
“And kisses like a goddess.”
Serah looked down. “I regret losing her respect.”
“Regina will forgive you,” I reassured her. “She loves you.”
Serah looked unhappy, an all-too-frequent look for her these days. “When I was sixteen, I fell in love for the first time with a friend of my family, Karl ap Eldrath, who was third in line for any inheritance. I lost my virginity to him, painfully, but pledged my eternal devotion to him and he did the same to me. When a young nobleman’s daughter became pregnant by a singer, her father hastily offered her to Karl as an opportunity to improve his fortunes. He took it.”
I frowned. “His caddish behavior—”
Serah continued. “Fel Hellsword killed him as a romantic dinner date’s climax. He turned Karl into a mouse and fed the rake to a cat. You have to work extra hard to keep them from reverting past death.”
I stared at her, unsure what to say. This was a revelation to me like so much of her past with Hellsword.
“That was one of the incidents that inspired me to turn against my former teacher.”
“You made the right decision.”
“I made a rational one. The right decision would have been to do so the first time I saw him do evil. I wanted to learn from the best in the world, though, which caused me to turn off my conscience for a time.” Serah put her staff to one side and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “Too long, I think. I am not a great believer in love. I betrayed my first love, I betrayed Fel, and now I have betrayed both you as well as Regina this day. She is not wrong not to trust me, for I am untrustworthy.”
I placed my hand to the side of her face and looked into the eye. “You are my bride and I will give you the world if you but ask. I would die for you, again, and this time forever. Love is something you should believe in because, with the betrayal of the Lawgiver, it is the only light in this dark empty void we call a universe.”
“It is an illusion. I know it is because I am the mistress of them.” Serah then grabbed hold of me and kissed me passionately before biting my lip. “Perhaps it is a good illusion, though.”
I was startled by her sudden display of passion but not displeased. “Perhaps. I am not going to judge
you, though, Serah, and would forgive you anything. So will Regina, in time.”
I heard the door creak behind me and turned to see Regina staring at the two of us. There was a foul expression on her face as she stared daggers at Serah.
Then slammed the door.
“Yes, I’m feeling the love and forgiveness,” Serah deadpanned. “It’s rolling over me like the tides. Ooooh.”
I sighed and shook my head, gesturing down the hall. “You are too hard on yourself.”
“Am I? Do you love me, Jacob?”
“Of course.”
“I am not just a substitute for Jassamine, who shares my skin color and love of sorcery?”
“No,” I said, growling. “Don’t even—”
“Would you choose me over Regina?”
“What?” That left me short. I struggled for an answer but my feelings on the matter were clear. “I—”
Serah snorted. “It’s all right, Jacob. I would choose her too. It’s just that I know she would choose you.”
I tried to figure out what to say. “Women will always remain a mystery to me.”
“It is not women who are mysterious, but simply Regina and I. We are unique among our sex, like all women. Men too.” Serah picked up the Heart of Midnight and walked down the hall. “I am sorry to bring my turmoil to you, Jacob. I count you as my closest friend even if we sometimes feel like more like that than man and wife. What can I do for you?”
I ignored her slight to our marriage and walked beside her. “We’re attacking Kerifas, probably in the coming week.” I explained to her Ketra’s statements and gave her a brief rundown on our military and strategic situation.
Serah frowned deeper, which was impressive since she’d already looked sullen. “I have very little information on Kerifas at this present. Midori’s spies have been having difficulty sending information and the city is warded against scrying. Everything I’ve read tells me it is the center for the empire’s power in the region as well as a hotbed of tensions. It is likely to explode into violence even if we don’t attack it but if we do, holding the city will be difficult without burning it to the ground.”
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