Squire of War

by M. H. Johnson

  Alex scowled. “Don’t you think I know that already? Of course I would do absolutely nothing to jeopardize the school. Honestly, Malek, give me some credit.”

  Malek smirked. “You can castigate me all you like, as long as you don’t bring this school tumbling down upon our heads.”

  Raphael’s gaze also showed concern. “Not that I would ever gainsay my friends’ proposed endeavors, but I have to ask, did Master Rens authorize this, Alex?”

  Alex flashed a sheepish grin. “Not exactly. But hold, don’t panic, guys, please. I’m not planning on disturbing the linchpins. I’m there to save them!”

  “What do you mean, Alex?” Jess asked, pouring herself a fresh glass of chilled milk.

  Alex sighed. “I take it you all know what shadowstorms are?”

  Raphael nodded. “Odd storms one is advised to do all they can to avoid. Fleeing into the woods sometimes seems to help, though one’s best bet is to only live in areas with a history free of unusual occurrences. Of course, shadowstorms haven’t been seen in centuries."

  “You are both right and wrong, Raph,” Jera said. “It is true that in major urban areas like Krona, they have never manifested, and arguably, this is why larger towns and cities flourished where they did. Our ancestors did their best to avoid any area wreaking of chaos and dream. But shadowstorms, though exceedingly rare, are very much a real thing. For all that they will be nothing but fable for most folk, along the plains just before the mountains defining our border with Velheim, they are rumored to occur much more frequently. We suspect this might correlate, somehow, with one of the linchpins.”

  Raphael frowned. “I would think I would have been versed on the issue if it were truly so significant. It has tremendous implications in the field of trade, you know.”

  Jera nodded. “I know. And often, after a storm, the world around the area hasn’t changed a bit. Crops still stand, houses as well, roads in perfect repair. Only the people are gone.”

  Her brooding gaze locked upon all of them. “Or they remain. Changed. Altered somehow, perhaps horrifically. The king’s men are called, the aberrations are dealt with, and everything returns to normal, the kings oath preventing any man from talking about specifics.

  “But sometimes… it is worse than that. The very ground warping and twisting before the horrors ripped forth from Shadow, infecting the mortal realm. When Delvers volunteer to explore realms of dream and wonder, at peril of encountering horrors in their quest for glory, they risk only themselves. They choose to infect living dream with their presence. Shadowstorms are the opposite, darkest nightmare infecting the world of the living. Most often it is only a few hapless villagers that are monstrously warped. But sometimes the storms are so severe that they can rip chunks of the kingdom free of this world, plunging them into darkest dream."

  Rapheal paled and swallowed, Josie shivered, and Jess was left breathless, Jera giving them all her most reassuring smile.

  “Don't worry. These latter storms are the ones that strike only once a century, though no one save a Delver has ever been able to dispel such a storm before everything was lost, by means we can’t even fathom. Lesser storms, which leave crops and houses the same as any summer shower even as random villagers vanish without a trace are far more common, though only in the least populated parts of Erovering. People living close to towns, cities, or forests do not need to worry about encountering them.”

  Alex shrugged. “It's also probably why certain areas of Erovering are left fallow, no matter how fertile that land is, as past history of even the mildest of shadowstorms is a fair indication that such will happen again. And as safety increases in areas that are heavily forested, it helps to explain why Erovering's kings have held to what many consider long defunct treaties, leaving so much of the deepwood intact, only the outskirts of our forests carefully harvested for lumber."

  Malek paled, locking gaze with Jess, both of them haunted by memories they dared not say aloud. “Let’s just say we believe you, that your words help make sense of things I'd rather not think about at all,” Malek said.

  Alex nodded. “No doubt the king’s hounds have been called to clean up at least one such horror, once the storm has passed. But that’s not why we are bringing this up. Rather, I suspect that the enchantment blessing us with endless summer days also serve to protect us from the darkest of storms, even as the linchpin is anchored where they are most prevalent. Fortunately, that area is all but abandoned. Most lords assume it is just because the land is poorly suited for crops. Now you realize the real reason for it.” He turned to a pale-faced Jacob.

  “Yet just as our friend pointed out, a call for adventurers has gone out, our sages sensing a dark incursion of Shadow that will soon be manifesting close to Highrock.” He raised his hand, as if to placate. “Fear not, it is no Shadowstorm, rare as they are, even on those arid plains. Rather, we suspect this is the smallest of rifts, an opening into Shadow that the boldest could use to transport themselves into a world of living dream. Though there is some concern of various students being foolish enough to enter such a rift of their own volition, most souls won’t even be able to see it as anything but a mirage. The real worry is that for such a thing to manifest implies a massive breach in Highrock’s defenses. It implies that we are vulnerable to the darkest of arcane invasions, with potentially dire results.”

  Alex smiled. “For all that we have summoned adventurers, they are a last resort. Our primary objective will be to close the rift, so there is no passageway from mundus to Dream at all. But our secondary objective is to see if we can get a look inside this rift while sealing it off. Perhaps there are secrets to be learned that will help to advance our art."

  Jera nodded. “And if my beau’s deduction is correct, and we have actually managed to triangulate one of the linchpins responsible for our endless Summer, it might give us a clue as to the source of the breach, and how best to ward against it in the future. That would serve to protect school and enchantment both, so we are never this vulnerable again."

  Jess nodded. “Just as we Squires do our best to maintain Highrock’s physical wards, it only makes sense that you and Alex do what you can to protect whatever arcane defenses we have, even if we were not fully aware of them, and have no clue as to how they work.”

  “And don’t worry, my friends. Jera and I won’t be going alone,” Alex assured. “A whole coterie of us will be making this journey, with several guardsmen accompanying us, just for peace of mind. Since our destination is on land no lord claims, no diplomatic overtures need be made. And with bandits so thoroughly routed, thanks to you Squires, the dangers should be minimal. In other words, I don’t think it will be much different from any other foraging expedition, if perhaps a bit more stimulating for the mind.”

  Malek frowned “Your heading into dangerous territory, Alex, mystical storms or no. You just confirmed that the area dead north of us in the direction of the border is most prone to these shadowstorms. And we aren’t that many days from the border.”

  Alex dipped his head. “Which is to say we still have scores of miles between us and Velheim. Relax, my friend, we are approaching it from Highrock, not Velheim, and border lords have successfully lived in close proximity to our neighbor for years. And we are a group of savvy students trained in wizardry who will be approaching the plains by roads that skirt the edges of the deepwood, more than able to slip within it if we spy any activity. So you see, we have little to worry about from mundane foes. As to more mystical dangers, even in that area shadowstorms are rare, occurring perhaps once every few years, and no doubt the Adventurers Guild keeps tabs on any remnants left over that need to be dealt with. Since the area is inhabited only by the rare clan of farmers more worried about living free than the perils of shadowstorms, we are unlikely to encounter anyone."

  Alex took a sip of ale before smiling, as if reassured by what he saw.

  “Now I hope I can trust to everyone’s discretion. We haven’t made this venture common knowledge. Few
people will even know we are leaving. We’ll be fine.”

  Jess gazed at her friend. “You only have to say the word.”

  Alex grinned. “We’ll be fine, Jess. You and Malek do enough for our school as it stands."

  Josie frowned. “Am I missing something?”

  Raphael wrapped his arms around her, smiling at his friends. “Alex and Jera along with their coterie are heading off north, closer to Velheim than Jess and Malek think wise. As no one has bothered troubling various professors with this endeavor, they were only able to secure the services of a pair of guards. Jess offered the support of her fellow Squires, but Alex declined, confident in his own abilities and the safety of their mission.”

  “You got all that from subtext?” Josie turned her head, flashing her man an approving smile.

  Raphael winked. “As the son of a duke who makes his living primarily through trade, I had best be able to hear both what is said directly and what is left unspoken, or I will hardly be a successful trader for very long.”

  Josie kissed her man approvingly. “My man the merchant prince. I have something for you, my prince. What will you offer me for it in trade?”

  Her whisper was seductive and inviting, and the meeting was quickly adjourned as three young couples each made their way to their rooms. Jess more than happy to play chaperon for her friends at such a late hour, Twilight discretely assuring that the very few proctors at Highrock were otherwise occupied as they turned down various hallways, her friends giving Jess soft goodbyes as they disappeared into their quarters, two by two.

  A short time later Jess was resting in her linen shift, gazing through her opened windows at the brilliant moon, high overhead.

  “What a day it’s been, hey, Twilight? To find out I've blackened my dagger once more, only this time it's all a blur, and Alex and Jera are implying we’ve been fighting under Eloquin’s banner for the entirety of a magic summer that has lasted… how long did he say?”

  “He didn’t. I don’t really think he knows.”

  Jess shivered, throat bone dry. “Is it true?”

  “Does it matter?”

  Jess frowned at her grinning cat. “How can it not?”

  Twilight sighed. “Fear not, Jess. Here, as in nowhere else upon the face of Dawn, you need not fear embracing endless summer. However long it seems, for you it is but the cusp of your eighteenth year. Enjoy it, Jess, every moment that you can.”

  Jess smiled, feeling strangely at peace, soothed by her familiar’s words. “Do you know what, Twilight? I think I will.” Her thoughts turned to sweet smiles that had touched her heart, just hours ago. “I’m glad Sable found someone gentle. I don’t know what happened, but I can tell something painful weighs her heart, no matter how sensual her smile.”

  Twilight chuckled softly. “Liam will not find himself bored in her company, and he might just be what saves her soul.”

  Jess frowned at that. “What do you mean, Twilight?”

  Her familiar gently butted her cheek with his own. “Never you mind, mistress. Feel the soft downy mattress call to you. You’ve had a long day. It’s time to let yourself slip into lands of dream far safer than those Malek already hungers to explore.”

  And with the softest of smiles, Jess did just that.

  20

  The beat of Mercy’s hooves, desperate men gazing at her in panic and terror. Tilting forward, her spear punched through the poorly armored warrior before her, sending him crashing off his mount with a choking cry, blood shooting from his mouth, hands clawing at his side.

  “Please!” A desperate man’s cry, gazing up in horror as Jess’s mace, shining in the fire of a slaver camp set ablaze, came crashing down, the man’s skull caving in, horrified eyes bulging grotesquely before rupturing, the stench of gore inflaming Jess’s nostrils as blood and brain spattered upon her visor.

  And it slowed her not at all. Laughing like a madwoman as she pounded down upon the milling bandits, desperate malnourished men more than hardened mercenaries, each and every one of them falling to her awful blows as they shrieked and begged. And how she roared with her brother and sister Squires, reveling in darkest victory as scores of poorly armed bandits were ruthlessly cut down to the last man.

  Heart racing, covered in a cold sweat, Jess woke to the sound of screams echoing through her chamber, gasping for air, breathless, only realizing upon stumbling out of bed, saber drawn as fast as a normal man could blink, that the screams had been her own.

  She crumpled to her knees, unable to hold back the hot stream of tears pouring down her cheeks for absolutely no reason, unable even to sheathe her wickedly sharp blade, so badly her hands trembled.

  “Mistress? I am here.”

  The most soothing of voices, making Jess sob all the harder as her familiar flowed up her shoulder, stroking her wet cheeks with a thoughtful paw, glossy fur glittering like a thousand stars twinkling in the darkest depths of night.

  “By the gods, Twilight, why am I carrying on like such a fool?”

  Twilight gazed solemnly at her. “There is a price paid by all those who follow your path, dear Jess. Anyone with a soul, anyway. Eloquin’s revels can only do so much to soothe the spirit, I’m afraid.”

  Jess flashed a bitter smile. “And I completely missed the revels no doubt just past, didn’t I? Not even remembering whatever I had done.”

  Twilight nodded. “Ironic, that. In your dream, did you remember?”

  Jess shivered and shook her head. “It was an old hunt. That band of slavers, such a thorn in Lord Killborne’s side. Or so we were told.”

  Twilight nodded. “An ugly affair, that.”

  Jess nodded, wiping away hot tears. “Most of them his own malnourished serfs, taking to banditry only to feed their bellies. They had kidnapped the baron’s own son. But what choice did they have? By all the gods, Twilight, my father would have beaten that bastard Killborne senseless, if he had been a lesser upon his lands.”

  “But he was not, and those serfs, to their bitter regret, had embraced the one act that could only spell their doom, no matter how unjust their treatment.”

  Jess nodded, eyes clenched tight. “The boy had tried to escape. Oh, if only he had waited, if only those foolish men had not panicked! There might have been a way. But after that, the lord’s own son run through by a panicked spear thrust… we had no choice, but to do what we had done.”

  Twilight nodded. “And you didn’t know, mistress. Until all the ugly secrets were revealed, you had no idea the plight of those men, only that Killborne’s son had been captured, and you the first to sense his death.”

  “And Lord Killborne. The horror in his eyes, how he screamed and wept. Truly, everyone paid the most horrific of prices. No one was the victor in that tragedy. No one.”

  Twilight nodded, his cheek butting against her own. “You have done many virtuous things as a Squire. Don’t forget that, my Jess, for all that ruthless brutality has been your calling card as well.”

  Jess flashed a bitter smile. “Eloquin’s mad, merry men. Forever on the High Hunt. Black hounds roaring out of forest and fog, cleaving life and limb from all our master’s foes before disappearing back into the mists once more. Why, by all the gods, did Alex have to bring that up?” Trembling, Jess held head in hands. “I like to just be Jess while at Highrock; a silly girl that can’t study worth a damn, who just likes to lie in the fields when not training, thank you very much.”

  Twilight flashed an evil grin. “Preferably with a cute boy in your arms.”

  “Or girl,” Jess allowed, frowning at her dye-stained hair. “It’s time I washed this off. Maybe that’s what this is. How can I be me if I’m still wearing a killer’s guise?”

  “She’s you too, you know.”

  “I know that all too well, beloved cat. Come, to the baths we go.”

  Taking only a few moments to don bathrobe, gloves, and baton, Jess made her way to the baths, soft leather slippers making no sound upon rug lined corridors, encountering not a soul,
so late it was.

  She took a deep breath, smiling contentedly upon entering the steamy baths warmed by the hot springs integral to Highrock, magelights giving the grand chamber the silver-white glow of a full moon, more than enough light to see magnificent mosaic of a stormy seas, complete with an ancient ship battling the waves upon the grand domed ceiling. Jess smiled at the marvel, the genius that allowed a few glass tiles to so beautifully depict a ship's desperate battle with a howling gale, the mosaic fascinating her no less now for having seen it scores of times, soaking her muscles and washing the day’s grime away.

  Of course, it could be all too tempting to allow oneself to slip into deepest sleep upon slipping into the baths, perilous for an exhausted Squire soaking away the strains and memories of battle. Perilous and foolish both, to bathe alone if one were exhausted, which was why all Squires bathed in pairs, after training or battle.

  Jess frowned. On nights when Eloquin’s band had not claimed the chambers for themselves, there should be at least one attendant watching over the facility, yet there was not a soul to be seen attending to the piles of towels and robes made available for noble guests using the private pools in the chambers beyond the central one, and if not a servitor, Jess would have expected at least a student serving off a probation. And with all the new servants who now considered the keep their home, so many former slaves rescued by Eloquin’s band with no place else to go, it was doubly surprising that no one was tending to the baths.

  Jess shared a glance with her familiar. “Odd, no?”

  Twilight flashed a grin as he flowed down her shoulders, padding softly by her side. “Indeed. Let us investigate, just to make sure all is as it should be, before we leave ourselves utterly exposed, soap in our hair, naked and submerged.”