Innkeeper Chronicles 3.5: Sweep of the Blade

by Ilona Andrews

  The hallway ended, and they strode into the banquet hall. The entirety

  of the room was watching them.

  “Maud the Red, the Sariv, the Learned One.”

  They were approaching the table where Onda and Seveline sat. Both

  women were staring daggers at her.

  “Kill count of sixty and eight.”

  A muscle in Seveline’s face jerked. That’s right, precious. I’m coming for

  you.

  Arland led her to their table, directly behind the one occupied by the

  parents of the bride and groom. The two couples had arrived just this

  morning for the happy occasion.

  She took her seat, keeping her face flat. Behind them, the Herald was

  announcing the next guest.

  “Alvina Karat Lady Renadra, Captain of Krahr…”

  329

  Maud sipped the light mint drink and watched the hall fill. Two hundred

  of the Kozor and Serak, all elite fighters, thirty-seven aliens, and two

  hundred of Krahr, not counting the staff. The hall would have held more,

  but Ilemina sneered at the thought of pursuing a number advantage. This

  wasn’t just about winning. This was about winning against the

  odds. Every moment of this wedding was recorded.

  Twelve vampire women entered the hall, moving in a column two

  abreast. Each wore a long white robe with a hood and carried a vala tree

  branch decorated with bells and golden thread. A low chant rose from

  their lips, a melodious song that floated through the chamber. Beautiful

  and timeless, it reached deep into one’s soul and found that vulnerable

  place hidden within. It wrapped around Maud and suddenly she missed

  her parents, Dina, Klaus, and Helen. She wanted to gather them all to

  her and hold on, because life was short and fleeting.

  The procession split just short of entering the dais, the women moving

  along the main floor to encircle the dais, holding their branches straight

  up, as if guarding the boundary of the platform.

  Twelve vampire knights entered the chamber, out of armor and dressed

  in plain black tunics, matching black pants, and wearing tall black

  boots. Each carried a simple black blade. A second chant rose from the

  men, joining the song of the women, deepening the melody, like a twin

  vine growing around the first. The song was everywhere now, echoing

  from the walls, reverberating back on itself and Maud breathed it in.

  The second column split in two and the men took position between the

  women, each with their blade straight down, its point resting on the

  floor.

  The song changed, gaining strength and speed.

  A Battle Chaplain entered the chamber. He was tall, his skin grey with a

  slight blue tint. A mane of black hair shot through with grey fell on his

  330

  shoulders in dozens of long braids. His vestments the color of flesh blood

  were split into ribbons, each about eight inches wide, and as he strode

  forward, they moved and shifted like robes of some mystic mage. He

  carried an ornate spear, draped with a red cord and decorated with

  golden bells. Two glowing yellow orbs about the size of a large orange

  dangled from it,

  The song erupted, suddenly full of joy and triumph.

  Behind the Chaplain, the bride and groom strode in unison, both out of

  armor. The bride’s gown swept the floor, long, diaphanous, and

  white. The groom wore an ornate silver doublet over darker pants and

  soft boots. They had removed all jewelry. Their hair hung loose, brushed

  back from their faces.

  It was one of the few rare moments the vampires permitted themselves

  to be vulnerable in public. Maud hadn’t fully grasped the significance of

  it during her own wedding but now she understood. You came to the

  altar as you were, hiding nothing from your future spouse.

  Arland reached over and squeezed her hand. She smiled at him.

  The Chaplain ascended the dais. The couple followed and the three of

  them took their places in front of the vala tree. The Chaplain raised the

  spear and touched its end to the floor.

  The chant died.

  The Chaplain opened his mouth.

  An alarm blared through the chamber.

  A screen opened in the middle of the wall, showing a male vampire

  knight on the bridge of the battle station.

  Arland rose to his feet. “Report.”

  331

  “We are showing multiple unidentified craft entering the system,” the

  knight said, his voice calm. “We are under attack.”

  332

  Chapter 17 Part 3

  November 16, 2018 by Gordon

  The banquet hall had gone completely silent. When a huge screen

  projected on the wall, three merchant barges raced from the gate deeper

  into the system, squeezing every drop of speed out of their protesting

  engines. Behind them, a pirate flotilla swelled like a swarm of angry

  hornets. A single barge could’ve fit all of its attackers in its bloated hull,

  but the pirate ships made up for their lack of tonnage in maneuverability

  and weapons. No two vessels were alike, but, limited only by the

  imagination of their crew and the laws of physics, all of them bristled

  with every possible weapon they could rig onto their hulls, from kinetic

  cannons to missile batteries. They chased after the lumbering merchants

  like school of barracudas ready to tear into an injured whale.

  333

  Arland watched the chase, his face impassive, as if unaware that every

  person in the hall was waiting for him to make his move.

  “We’re receiving distress calls from the barges,” the officer from the

  bridge reported. “They are begging for our assistance, my lord.”

  “Put it through,” Arland said.

  A scratchy, static-filled distress call played from hidden speakers,

  screams of beings in pain, spearheaded by an urgent, desperate female

  voice, “…rear thrusters lost… hull integrity compromised… requesting

  immediate aid. We’re at your mercy…”

  The call cut out.

  “Will House Krahr stand idly by and permit this piracy?” the father of the

  groom demanded. His voice boomed through the hall.

  Maud glanced at Ilemina. Arland’s mother sipped her wine, appearing

  fully unconcerned.

  “Lord Marshal!” the bride called. Tears stained her cheeks.

  “Please. Don’t let this travesty stain my wedding.”

  Arland turned to the bride, concern obvious on his face. “Do not worry,

  my lady. You have my word that I will allow nothing to ruin this day.”

  Arland turned to the screen. “Give me the feed from the Eradicator.”

  The screen flashed with white, and a new image snapped into view, a

  swarm of sparks silhouetted against dark cosmos, and then, as if by

  magic, huge elegant vessels appeared on both sides and above, framing

  the screen – the House Krahr armada waiting in formation between the

  Battle Station and the incoming invaders. If the barges could reach the

  firing envelope of the leading Krahr vessel, they would be safe.

  “Lord Harrendar,” Arland said.

  334

  The image of a middle-aged vampire with a blue-black mane appeared

  in the lower left corner. “Lord Marshal.” Lord Harr
endar sounded like a

  lion who somehow became a vampire.

  “How close are the leading pirate vessels to the barges?”

  “We expect them to reach firing range in forty seconds.”

  Arland waited.

  The division in the banquet hall was obvious now. The members of

  House Krahr waited in tense silence, while the wedding guests appeared

  almost frantic, as if they were barely able to contain themselves. From

  her spot, Maud had a clear view of the groom’s mother and the woman

  looked ready to explode. Next to her the bride’s mother tapped her

  fingers on the table, looking as if her armor was on too tight.

  Seconds ticked by.

  “Do something,” the bride’s father growled.

  Arland ignored him. Maud’s heart hammered. She forced herself to

  reach for her drink and take slow measured sips. The tension in the hall

  was so thick, you could cut it and serve it in slabs on a plate.

  “They’ve launched the opening volley,” Lord Harrendar reported.

  “Missiles?”

  “No, my lord. Long range kinetic bombardment.”

  Maud had little experience with space battles, but her personal unit

  assured her that kinetic bombardment amounted to lobbing chunks of

  matter, such as stone or metal, in the direction of the target. Kinetic

  bombardment was deployed primarily against stationary targets,

  because they couldn’t dodge.

  335

  “Damage?” Arland asked.

  “Slight,” Harrendar reported, his tone sharp.

  “Well, of course, they’re not using missiles,” the mother of the groom

  snapped. “They clearly want the cargo, desperately enough to chase it

  into your territory. If you do not do something, we will.”

  “Is this what House Krahr stands for?” the father of the bride asked.

  “Do not trouble yourself, my lord and lady,” Arland said. “We have the

  situation well in hand.”

  “You’re going to let those merchants get slaughtered by pirates,” the

  groom growled.

  “Second volley,” Harrendar reported. “Damage slight. The barges have

  passed the outer beacon. Still mostly undamaged.”

  “Show me the relative position,” Arland said.

  A projection appeared on the screen. The pirates were clustered around

  the barges now, forming a loose cloud about to engulf the three larger

  ships.

  “The velocity?”

  “.4 lightspeed,” Harrendar reported.

  “Initiate firing solution Revelation.”

  “Finally,” the groom muttered.

  “Yes, my lord.” Harrendar bared his fangs in a joyous grin that would give

  some people nightmares.

  The screen flashed back to the view from the Eradicator. For a torturous

  moment nothing happened. Then, the entire armada simultaneously

  336

  belched a missile salvo. The missiles sparked with bright green and

  vanished.

  “Impact in three,” Harendar started. “Two. One.”

  The screen exploded with white. Maud shut her eyes against the

  blinding flash. When she opened them, the explosion had faded, and the

  long-range projection glowed on the left half of the screen.

  The barges were no more. The leading third of the pirate fleet had

  vanished. Chunks of debris hurtled through space in their stead, turning

  it into a localized asteroid field. The vessels in the center of the swarm

  reeled,initiating evasive maneuvers.

  Stunned silence claimed the hall.

  “Direct hit,” Harrendar crowed into the quiet.

  “Excellent work, admiral,” Arland said. “The field is yours.”

  Harrendar grinned. The House Krahr armada accelerated toward the

  remaining pirates.

  Arland turned and addressed the crowd.

  “A few days ago, I happened to come across a pirate. He is a knave and

  a brigand, exiled by his own House and burning with rage. As I

  contemplated killing him, my lovely betrothed-” Arland turned to Maud

  and offered her a shallow bow “-reminded me that even a knave can be

  useful under certain circumstances. So, I asked myself, if I were this

  pirate, who once was a Knight Captain and who now hated all things Holy

  Anocracy, and I became aware of a plot to bring down a major vampire

  house, would I be able to stay away?”

  Arland paused, letting his words sink in.

  337

  “I decided I couldn’t. I might not want to put my own life in danger, but

  my prior military experience would prove invaluable to the

  plot. So,instead of ending this pirate, I chose to watch him. Once I

  confirmed that he was in contact with the plotters, it was a simple matter

  of obtaining the information. I knew he would tell me nothing. His hate

  burns too bright for that. But his crew doesn’t share his hate.”

  Arland smiled. “The thing about pirates: they have very little use for the

  concepts of honor and loyalty. But they have an excellent grasp on the

  concepts of greed and corruption. I bribed his communications

  engineer. And for a paltry sum, he told me the entire scheme, all about

  three barges loaded with explosives set to go off as soon as they reached

  our fleet, and the pirates, who were meant to mop up what was left

  after, and the plot to take over the Battle Station. This Battle Station. Of

  course, that one we had already figured out by ourselves. And here we

  are.”

  That was her cue. Maud stood up, turned to Seveline and Onda, and said

  in the Ancestor Vampiric, “Did you get all that or do you need me to

  translate it for you into your backwater gibberish?”

  For a moment nothing moved. Then Seveline jumped onto the table, her

  fangs bared and her sword screaming, and charged Maud.

  338

  Chapter 17 part 4

  November 24, 2018 by Gordon 779 Comments

  The banquet hall erupted as every armored vampire jumped to their

  feet. Maud caught a glimpse of Seveline swinging her sword at someone

  in the distance.

  Maud’s instincts screamed, she jerked out of the way, turning, and saw

  the father of the bride, huge and raging, lunging at her from his seat.

  She’d dodged but not fast enough. His steel fingers clamped her right

  shoulder. He jerked her to him and roared, baring his fangs.

  She grabbed a fork from the table with her left hand, jammed it deep

  into the roof of his mouth, and twisted. The fork snapped in half. Blood

  poured from his mouth.

  The vampire yanked her off her feet and slammed her onto the table,

  pinning her shoulders with his hands. The impact reverberated through

  her, shaking her bones. If she didn’t break free now, he would crush her,

  339

  armor or no. Maud dropped her sword, locked her left hand on his right

  wrist, and drove her right palm into his elbow. The power of the blow

  and the sudden pressure on his left elbow forced him to her left, and she

  hammered her armored knee into his exposed face with a sickening

  crunch.

  He reared above her, breaking her hold, face bloody, nose broken, eyes

  insane, and ripped his blood mace off his thigh.

  Maud rolled left.

  The mace slammed into the table with a telltale whin
e and bounced off.

  The engineer was right. These are really good tables.

  Maud swiped her sword off the ground, priming it, and lunged right,

  putting the table between them. The father of the bride gurgled

  something, letting out the sound of pure rage saturated with blood.

  “Use your words.”

  His face twisted with fury. He jumped onto the table. She dove under the

  table, caught herself on its smooth narrow base, and used her

  momentum to swing around it on the glass-slick floor into a crouch.

  The father of the bride leapt down off the table. He’d tried to put some

  distance into his jump, but he was huge and heavy, and he hit the floor

  with a thud. For a moment, all of his weight rested on the back of his

  feet.

  Maud lunged. Her blood blade kissed the back of his right ankle, its edge

  slicing through the segmented armor like it wasn’t even there. She didn’t

  stop. Instead she rammed her shoulder into the back of his thigh.

  340

  The big vampire went down like a felled tree. She scrambled up his back

  and rammed her blade into the back of his neck, just above the collar of

  his armor. He jerked once and lie still.

  Maud straightened.

  All around her the battle raged. Vampires clashed, blood weapons

  shrieked, and blood mist filled the air. Roaring and screaming and the

  sounds weapons clashing filled the hall, and the din nearly deafened her.

  To her left, Arland tore into two attackers. To the far right, Ilemina and

  Otubar raged, back to back, as attackers came at them over the bodies

  of the wounded and dying. On the left, the tachi, their exoskeletons so

  saturated with color they looked almost black, formed a protective ring

  around their royal and sliced at anyone who came near. On the dais, the

  battle chaplain skewered the bridal attendants as they piled onto him.

  Most of them were unarmored, but his odds were one to twenty. Karat

  was methodically cutting her way to the dais to assist the outnumbered