by Taki Drake
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<< We all assumed that you were fine since Iver or Gerian would have let us know if there’s any problem. Unfortunately, none of us thought about how vulnerable Mary was. She was attacked and almost killed. A young woman defended her enough that the dressmaker had Mary’s semiconscious body thrown out in an alley, rather than finishing the job they had started. The young woman was forced to flee also, in fear for her life. >>
<< Jack, where is Mary? And who hurt her? Please tell me the rest before I blow up the whole blasted city! >>
Another Tegral voice entered the conversation. Arturis said calmly, << Ruth, stop yelling at Jack. He is trying to help you and coincidentally protect the rest of our poor mobile units who don’t know what to say. There’s been a battle and a rescue. Right now Mary is up on the spaceship orbiting the planet undergoing surgery. The young woman that tried to help her is also there. Margot and Bill are with them. >>
<< Arturis, that’s fine, but somebody had better brief me. Lord Pawlik needs to be here also. If you need to communicate that to the tender ears of your mobile units, I suggest you do that before I do something I will regret. >>
Jack chimed in once more, << I just sent a quick message to the Tegral that is paired with one of Lord Pawlik’s bodyguards. They will be here within 10 minutes. Please, please, sit down and drink something or whatever mobile units do to calm down. It’s not going to make any sense to go over this twice, and we need both the Lord and Lady of Borachland to listen as well as the Mage and her Anchor to hear this together. >>
<< Okay, I will try to do that as long as I know that there’s nobody left in peril. And now you can start to reassure your mobile units that I’m not gonna kill anybody. >>
<< Yet. >>
Ruth stalked over to the command table. Everyone but Alan Culhane moved back as if the chairs were on fire. The major sat in a frozen position, only his eyes tracking as the irate woman sat down. She stared at him, and he gulped. Ruth continued to hold his eyes until the stare-down was interrupted by the brawny arm of the bartender as he set the glass down in front of her and one in front of the major. Ruth swiveled her neck like the turret of a gun and pointed her finger to the chair to her right.
“Sit.”
Luka sat. The bartender still looked torn by grief and had not attempted to wipe his tear tracks off his face.
The table and the room remained silent.
Finally, Ruth spoke in a carefully controlled manner, “I would suggest you get comfortable. We’re going to be a while.”
The sound of people settling into chairs was interspersed with some relieved sighs. The atmosphere eased as Jenna took a position behind Ruth’s left.
“Iver?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“I want a comm-unit immediately.”
A powered device was placed in front of the Mage, and she pinged Pawlik. He answered immediately, “We are less than three minutes out, Ruth. If you can, please wait for me. We will do whatever needs to be done together.”
Something tense eased at the core of the infuriated woman. Her mate understood. A small smile appeared on her face as she answered, “I will wait. Apparently, some of the people here need to understand what the word ‘together’ means.”
The channel closed and Ruth stared at the comm-unit thoughtfully. Coming to a decision, she tapped in another access code.
“Borachland Castle, how may help you?”
“Hello, Doria, this is Ruth. I need to speak to Harril and Peter Silene. Can you please get them on a joint channel with me now?”
“Of course, my Lady. They were not expecting your call to my knowledge, but I can get them where they are. The Steward is out examining something in the village and Capt. Silene is off duty. I will have them online in just a moment if you will please wait.
Gasps from Jenna and Gerian told Ruth that they knew what happened. It was interesting to the Mage that no one else had caught on. It was just a short while before the images of both men showed up on the channel display. While the Steward was obviously outside, the Guard Captain had been wakened and was still in his sleeping shirt.
“Greetings, my Lady. What can we do for you?”
“Were the two of you aware that several groups in and around Arkken have begun targeting us and are actively working to cause harm to our personnel?”
Ruth could see Peter straighten up in alarm and began to yank his shoes on. The steward was also startled, but before the older man could speak, Peter overrode him, “I will put the Outer Keep Guard on alert. Can you give me some idea of the vector of threat and what would you like us to do other than the protocol demanded by such a situation?”
Ruth responded, “Much of the situation is political and maneuvering. Lord Pawlik is on his way and will be holding a council of war on his arrival. Unfortunately, we obviously have an information shortfall and a communication problem within our own group.”
Peter asked, “What happened? Are you under attack?”
“We have already had an attack, and the responding forces did not inform either those of you at the castle or us.”
Everyone who could see the comm-unit saw the Steward shake his head in dismay. Ruth continued speaking, “Mary has been severely injured and was evacuated to the medical facilities on our orbiting ship. The young woman who attempted to assist her was also injured and is up there. Margot is in attendance.”
The steward asked in a shaky voice, “How bad is it, my Lady. Will Mary be all right? Does the rest of the Inner Keep Guard know?”
“I think it’s highly unlikely that anyone there knows since I am positive that if this news had been communicated to ANYONE there that the castle would be on alert. That would mean that the Inner Keep forces would not allow any of our vulnerable members, such as the children to leave the castle. It would also kick in the protocols to let the village know that there might be a problem.”
The Steward gasped, “Oh my God! The children!” His image on the comm-unit display abruptly closed, leaving only the on-duty Captain. Ruth could see Peter standing and buttoning his jacket. His jaw rigid in concern, the suddenly-focused man said, “I will take care of communicating with the guards of the Inner Keep. We will put the castle on Active Patrol standing, my Lady.”
“Thank you, Peter. As soon as you take care of that, I would ask that you come immediately to join us here.”
“Yes, ma’am. Is there anything else that you would like me to do or bring?”
Ruth sighed, a sad puff of air. “Yes, unfortunately. I would like you to inform Jack, the attorney in the village, that Mary has been injured. Tell him that I would like him to come and help me make them pay.”
Chapter 31 – Hot Wash
Force X Bar, Arkken Port
The bar was packed. The bartender, Luka, had called in every possible person to help but it still wasn’t enough. Service was far slower than he and his mysterious partner wanted, but nobody left. At first, it was because they were all frightened of how angry Ruth, Lady of Borachland had been.
For a while after that, Luka had been concerned that Mage Ruth would end up leveling the entire building, so great was her anger. Fortunately, it hadn’t come to that.
The woman had been coiled tighter than a spring when she was talking on the comm-unit near the fireplace. The retired Marine Major sitting next to her was carefully motionless as if any action on his part would draw her ire.
Luka could not blame her. They, in the person of the Major, the Security Guards, and Luka himself, had made stupid mistakes, and others had paid the price. The bartender was conscious of aching guilt when he thought about how unthinking they had been. When the only tool that you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
All of them were former military, and all of them had reacted as if the problem was purely a military issue. It hadn’t been, and they had not only failed to follow the chain of command but had made the stupid assumption that forces they could bring to bear were the only ones that mattered.
As a result, two women had undergone hours of surgery, and would likely spend many months in recovery and rehabilitation.
All of them in the bar, from private to major, had quickly been schooled in how badly they had erred. After the first dressing down, Ruth had not spoken specifically about any shortfalls. Instead, she gave all the bar occupants a quick lesson in teamwork.
In just a few moments, she had informed the rest of the Borachland organization, those that everyone was supposed to be protecting, that they needed to put in place protocols and plans that had already been developed. These written policies and procedures had been created many years ago and kept current. All of them had been waiting, designed to minimize risk and prevent damage.
Without self-consciousness at all, she had spoken with and consulted with forces in the Borachland Castle, as well as those in the village outside of the Castle. As she effortlessly moved along the web of cooperation that had been set up for all of them to use, Luka had seen the effects of her tutoring in the faces of those listening. Without slapping them with penalty duties, she felt empathy and understanding.
Everyone, absolutely everyone, had relaxed when Lord Pawlik had walked through the doorway of the bar, trailed by his security personnel. Moving directly to his mate, the military-trained Duke placed his hands on Ruth's shoulders and bent down to kiss her gently.
He said, “I am here now, my love. Let us get up to speed, and then we all can come up with a plan of attack.”
Ruth had leaned her head back against his torso and visibly relaxed. The tension in the room dropped, and there were multiple sounds of relieved sighs. The Anchor ran his hands down the Mage's arms and effortlessly stripped off the swirling magic that had surrounded Ruth since she first stood in the bar after her return.
Pawlik had turned and looked at Luka, motioning toward the posted appetizer menu, and raised an eyebrow in suggestion. Silently, thanking the Hundred Gods and Demons for the nobleman’s commonsense, Luka had ordered multiple platters for the room.
He knew it was going to be a long night, but all of them were becoming a team. None of them were perfect, but there was no expectation of perfection. Instead, all that was being asked is that they do the best they could and learn from their mistakes.
<< <> >>
The door closed behind Pawlik, cutting off Ruth’s view of the guard standing in the hall. Personally, the Mage thought it was overkill, but she had been overruled. Everyone was on edge, waiting for the next attack, and most of them steeped in guilt.
Out of consideration for the others, their strategic discussion had waited for the Castle representatives and Jack to arrive. Once, they had a full roster, the briefing had started. Ruth and Pawlik had taken control, gathering information they needed, and identifying where protocols and commonsense had fallen down. Many of the topics that were covered made the Major and some of the other military people in the room uncomfortable. Several times, they suggested clearing the room so that only those that needed to know would be informed.
Ruth wasn’t tolerating that. The second time that someone had suggested restricting the discussion, Ruth stood up with an abrupt movement and looked around the room. She stated in a firm voice, “I believe that we can all benefit from a general discussion. Apparently, there are some people in this room that don’t trust you to understand when to talk and not to talk. Since this topic addresses how Lord Pawlik and I expect you to behave in all aspects of working together, I believe that you can be trusted.”
No one spoke, especially when Pawlik stood up and placed his hands on the Mage’s shoulders to show his solidarity. Ruth continued, “I would like anyone who believes that they are unable to contribute to this discussion, even if it is only examining it for flaws, to leave. If you stay, I believe you are telling us that you’re on the team, whether that be Borachland, Mage, or Archmage. This might not be military in practice, but the military is only one aspect of what we are doing here.”
No one moved when the Mage sat down. Pawlik leaned over as he seated himself and dropped a kiss of approval on Ruth’s lips. Turning to the Major, the nobleman said, “I believe that topic has been settled. I don’t expect to hear it raised again.” After a moment, the Major continued the briefing.
Occasional suggestions came after that from the gathered forces. When Master Trader Romo Perley eventually arrived, the exhausted older man told Ruth and Pawlik that he would get a summary from his grandson, who had stayed for the entire day. Ruth suggested that once Romo had rested that they would speak again and put all of their collective knowledge together. The old man nodded, and his grandson tenderly escorted him out of the bar.
The meeting was substantially over before Pawlik ordered a shuttle to pick up Jack and take him to the orbiting ship. Ruth had leaned against her mate and whispered, “Thank you. I know how I would feel if you are hurt.” The almost spastic squeeze of his hands told her that he remembered all too well how that cold dread felt.
<< <> >>
Ruth’s sleep was haunted by nightmares and restless turning. Trying to put together all of the pieces kept her mind running in endless circles. Exhausted, the woman finally decided to treat the different groups of data points as puzzle pieces that needed to be put into a framework.
There was a clear cluster of people, mostly the nobility, that wanted to disrupt the relationship between the Mage and Pawlik. Ruth knew that that was not something they could do, so she put that as a lower priority. It occupied a place in the complex game structure that the steward had warned her about, but it was less immediate than the fact that a criminal group had attacked one of their own.
Eventually, Ruth fell asleep. Held closely in Pawlik’s arms, she breathed deeply of the scent of mate, safety, and caring. Listening to his heartbeat, rest finally gently carried her off to slumber, cradled in a loving embrace.
<< <> >>
The Mage had been considering the possibility of creating a gown with magic when she was commed from the ship. She answered the alert and cried out, “Mary! I have been so worried.”
Mary’s pleasant face was a bit drawn, but there was little other sign of her ordeal. Ruth could see that her hands were clasped in someone else’s, and the Mage smiled, reasonably sure of whose hand that was.
“I knew you would be worried, Ruth. I will be fine, and the doctors tell me that I should be able to rejoin you in another few days.”
“Don’t rush, you need to recover! Jack, make sure she takes it easy, please!”
“Don’t give Jack any more authority than he already is taking. Who knew that he was such a bully.” Mary’s face broke into a sweet smile, and then she blushed.
Jack’s face was tilted upside down over the comm-unit when he assured Ruth in a serious tone, “I will make absolutely sure she does not overdo. I can work on filing those papers that we discussed yesterday from up here. I will have to be present in court when they’re filed, but until then there is no need for me to be anywhere but here.”
Ruth felt many pounds lighter, as one of her deepest fears lessened. Mary was going to be all right. She started to close the call off, thinking that Mary needed to rest, but the Axlen woman had something else in her mind.
“Ruth, it was pretty clear that no one would be available to make your dresses. Not only that, but I suspect no one will sell us a single solitary item that you need. I thought that perhaps a short trip to someplace that has decent fabric would work and the girl that rescued me needs something to do. I know that she is an excellent seamstress, and she has also been designing gowns for a while and hoped to open her own shop. Could we take a chance on her?”
“That is a much better idea than me trying to create a gown with magic! But wasn’t she hurt also?
“Not as badly as I was. Linie is up and moving. Fretting herself sick about how she’s going to survive. It would be poor thanks to leave her in agony.”
“Ask her if she’s willing to try to design and sew me a gown. If she is, we will get a shuttle to bring h
er down to join me. I like your idea of going shopping somewhere else. Perhaps the girl will have some idea where we should go.”
Chapter 32 – Alternate Routes
Force X Bar, Arkken Port
After an early morning discussion with Master Trader Perley, Pawlik decided to go off to the private club to which he belonged. With the information gathered, he knew there were many avenues of inquiry he could pursue. Grimly determined, the nobleman mentally reviewed his strategy.
Even in political situations, the education that I got from the Military Academy is coming to play. I’m not sure what it says about our world, but this feels to me like a full campaign, rather than a single battle. Hopefully, I’m wrong.
Ruth had listened in on the two men’s discussion, attempting to build a picture in her mind of the mercantile and political landscape. She felt like she was floundering in a sea of unrelated and disconnected information. Connections and framework that the trader and nobleman assumed were invisible to her, and concentrating harder did not help.
Pawlik could feel her confusion and worry. After Perley left, the Mage’s mate tried to reassure her, saying, “I know that everything is strange to you. The pressure you’re putting on yourself to understand everything is unreasonable. The trader and I have had a lifetime of training in the labyrinth of this world’s challenges. Don’t think that you can bring yourself up to the same level of competence in just a few weeks.”
Ruth replied, “I know. But I’m not of any value if I can’t contribute.”
“Were you not the person who explained to a chamber full of rather frightened people how important it was to value each of us for our contribution? Did you forget to learn your lesson?”
Acknowledging the hit, Ruth laughed and leaned in to exchange a kiss of apology and affection with Pawlik. Both of them felt better, a little more grounded, a little more hopeful.
Pawlik left for his club shortly afterward. Estimating that he would be gone all day, the nobleman promised to check in with Ruth when he could.