Squire of War

by M. H. Johnson

  Malek chuckled softly. "You too, then? Yeah, something feels off."

  Twilight grinned. "It is a good thing that you two will be serving as protective sentinels on alert, should anything odd occur. Neither Echobart nor Eloquin are fools. Perhaps they find the odd ebullience strange as well, and ever practical, are not going to let a little expulsion keep them from making use of two exceedingly talented students who have shown themselves quite adept at charging into the strange, and emerging unscathed."

  Malek nodded.

  Jess blinked, smiling as Malek's handsome features filled with confusion. "did you just say something, Jess? I could swear you did."

  Jess chuckled softly. "Let's get some rest, shieldbrother. It looks like we have a few more days to train our hearts out, preparing for what is to come."

  And they did just that.

  The fields outside the mock keep rang with the sound of steel, Jess and Malek lashing out with the furious intensity of soldiers fighting in earnest, her adept sense of her brother's every move all that prevented the present match from ending quickly, masterful Zwerchhau strikes lashing out from snapping wrists more than capable of decapitating most foes, had their blades been sharpened steel. The match only ended when Jess's armored head fell below her shieldbrother's windmilling blade even as she stopped Malek cold with a powerful drop-lunge that rocked him back with her fencer's trick.

  He chuckled softly as he regained his balance. "Well played, Jess. I thought I had you. Few fencers appreciate how deadly a longsword is when used fully on the offense, and that double zwerch should have been your end. But my blows were high, so instead you ducked and thrust, quicker even than most of those rapiersmen that you so love to hate, and you fully armored at that."

  Jess grinned. "Just because I despise rapiers in principle doesn't mean I'm too foolish to master their tactics as best I can. And that thrust left me open. Had you fought off shock long enough to cut into me as you fell, we might both be falling to Valhalla, side by side."

  Malek winked. "An eternal mead hall and battlefield. A fitting end for a pair of Squires, though for some strange reason I always had the feeling that the most beautiful of gardens was what awaited us, once our time was up. As long as we are together, sister of my heart. And I do believe that is Abe I see, grinning at us so cheerfully, and how he is managing to wave with his hands full, barely able to keep his feet under him, is a trick I will never fathom."

  Jess grinned, removing her helmet and waving back at Abe, looking forward to parching her thirst with something stronger than stream water, refreshing and cold as that was.

  Something in her smile, perhaps. His eyes seemed almost to shimmer with a puppy's enthusiasm, picking up his pace, racing past one of the few trees about, rustling so intently with warning that Jess only now caught, as poor Abe was abruptly tripped by an unexpectedly placed foot, his flasks of ale and sack of meat pies adeptly caught by none other than Mord de Plaga.

  Piercing Jess with that arrogant gaze that seemed to burn right through her, as if her every hardship and humiliation was but a move on a board of his own devising.

  Jess clenched her fists with snarl as Abe was sent sprawling in a stunned heap.

  Proud as any prince, with chiseled features to match, Mord gazed at Jess with with the arrogance of a king.

  46

  You dare a lot, coming here." Malek glared at the smirking Aspirant, fists clenched tight. Jess could smell his rage.

  Mord tilted his head. "Malek. Choosing disgrace over abandoning my prize. You serve your masters well, dog of war."

  "What the hell do you want, Mord?"

  He just shook his head, knowing smile firmly in place, one calfskin boot neatly pivoting as he stood up from his lounging pose and carefully circled Jess, as if examining prize stock from head to toe. She had to fight to keep her cool, turning to face him by long ingrained habit, so he was never at her back.

  “Well now," he said after an endless pause. "I admit to being curious, Jessica, as to why you stubbornly remained on school grounds when you should already be heading back to your family estates in a proper dress, head low and chaste as the shamed penitent you are, grateful only that I still deem you worthy of being my wife. Yet here you are, dressed quite prettily in your bronze and lamellar armaments, and I see no trace of steel upon your person, save of course for your blade." He gave a slow nod. "So it's true then. You really are planning to Delve."

  Jess flashed a thin-lipped frown, unable to deny it. As much as she and Malek had tried to be discrete, they had made a number of inquiries before landing in Rens's good graces. It was not surprising that Mord, with his contacts, would have found out about it. "Yes, I am. What of it, Mord?"

  He flashed a toothy smile, and Jess was reminded once again of how much his cold eyes made him look like a snake ready to strike, whenever he thought he had the upper hand. “Nothing, dear Jess. Nothing at all. I have no doubt you will spend a lovely evening making a mockery of yourself as you stumble in the moonlight, searching for pathways you cannot possibly hope to find." Mord gave a satisfied nod. "You and your sodomite of a shieldbrother will both look like fools the next morning, even more than you already do, and you will have only yourselves to blame."

  Jess lashed out before she was even aware she had done it, grabbing a fistful of Mord’s silken doublet, yanking him close, and growling into his face in the time it took for him to blink but once in surprise, even as her heart raced with a berserker’s fury. “Take back your insult to my shieldbrother, or face me in combat, Mord de Plaga! If you dare deny me, I shall throw my gauntlet upon the flagstones of your clan’s very House!”

  Mord's surprise instantly turned to amusement, his laughter soft and dark as he dipped his head further, a breath away from kissing her, mocking her with his smile. "My ‘insult' as you call it, is nothing less than the truth, whether or not you like my choice of words. But by all means, throw your gauntlet upon the flagstones of our home, Jessica de Calenbry! My father is anxious to meet his future daughter-in-law, and to make sure you know your place. It would be quite the grounds for a blood feud for you to challenge me in that context, don't you think?" His gaze turned fierce. "And soon you will be mine, body and soul. Just you wait, Calenbry. It is only a matter of time."

  Jess hissed and shoved him back. “The hell I will, you arrogant bastard! I will never drink the tainted cups you would give me, just as I will never accept your suit! I would rather leave my home forever, living by my wits and blade alone, than be your broken little toy, Mord!"

  Mord chuckled softly, his eyes glittering strangely in the light. “You see? I knew there was something I liked about you. Something fierce. Something wild! You will be no wallflower easily swayed and mastered. Your blood runs hot, and your children will be all the stronger for it. And now I know the real reason why you seek to Delve."

  “And why is that, Mord de Plaga?” Jess felt her cheeks flush, knowing she shouldn't be speaking to the man at all, grateful that Malek was keeping his cool, for all that she knew he wanted to pound Mord to oblivion.

  Mord quirked an amused eyebrow. “Why, power, of course, dear Jessica de Calenbry. What does anyone want, who has escaped the chains of false obligations, who is not too weak to do other than slavishly obey those who would rule over them? Why does anyone resist the sweet rapture of vice, when all too many are willing to surrender utterly? Power. That is why you resist all my temptations, the dark bliss that could be ours for endless seasons. You hunger for the most potent of all vices. Raw power itself. The darkness and glory that are the true motivations of any fool who dares to Delve.”

  Jess frowned. “Don’t tell me you’re planning on Delving as well?”

  "I am no fool, Jessica de Calenbry. Why would I risk losing myself to that madness?" Mord shook his head, mocking her with his smile. "No, my prize. I will leave it for you to enjoy that game. For every fool that actually survives the journey, two others are warped into hideous abominations, and a score of others earn noth
ing but bruises and rue, trying to find portals to places they cannot possibly comprehend."

  Mord barked cruel laughter. "You might enjoy stumbling around in the dark woods even as discord streaks through the entire mage's circle, those fools playing games they cannot even guess at, but I have far more worthy pursuits to occupy my time. And when you are finally ready for true power, when the folly of a Delver's fantasy is something you can at last see, that is when you will abase yourself before me, Jessica de Calenbry."

  She hissed in loathing as Mord grinned, eyes fierce and fiery, his mad gaze pinning her own. “The truth, Jess, is that I'm glad you had the fortitude to resist my enticements." He smirked at the silver flask he now held, throwing it casually behind him. "You might actually be worthy of me, after all. For revels and wine are nothing compared to what I can give you. When the hunger to be something more than the lowly creature you are is more than you can bear, that is when you will come to me. And if I find you worthy? Perhaps I will show you what true power is."

  Mord chuckled softly, turning on his heels and sauntering away as if he were the headmaster himself, leaving Jess fuming in confusion and ire.

  "Bloody hells, I hate that man!"

  Malek squeezed her shoulder in sympathy.

  Jess flashed her friend a concerned look. "Mord was in rare form today, Malek. Thank you, for not losing control."

  Malek glowered. "To think of the things he said. Marriage to him would be a living nightmare."

  Jess nodded grimly. "It would. That's why I will do anything, absolutely anything to be free of him, free of my mother's machinations, free of anyone who would seek to control my fate."

  Malek held her close. "On that we feel the same, shieldsister. Will you be all right while I hunt down Alex?"

  Jess grinned. "Go, Malek. I know how fond our instructors were of you. Fond enough, I think, to look the other way, so long as you run into no proctors."

  Malek smirked. "I'm sure half those professors responsible for your downfall feel at least a little bit guilty."

  "Only because you're actually a good student! Now be off, brother mine."

  And with a parting nod Malek made his way for the Wizards Wing, the one area of the college where proctors were nowhere to be found, and no one was likely to report Malek with anything more than a sympathetic wink.

  47

  Jess?"

  Hours had passed, Jess having lost herself to the soft susurrations of branches rustling overhead, savoring the evening breeze, pushing regrets out of mind as best she could.

  "Are you okay?"

  Jess squeezed arms wrapped protectively around her, her shieldbrother's presence soothing away bittersweet reverie.

  Jess nodded. "Just thinking of what could have been..."

  "If Hatsk weren't such a serpent? If chance and folly hadn't knocked us off a course we have plotted together for years?"

  Jess shrugged. "Not that any of that matters now."

  Malek nodded. "You're right. It doesn't. You can't change fate, don't even try."

  He gave her a hug. "Besides, why worry about what could have been, when the possibility of endless adventure awaits us? If we can cross the barrier into living story, we are Delvers by definition. Neither past mistakes nor clan obligations can be used to bind us, leaving us with an entire world to explore, and countless realms just a dream away. Imagine it, Jess. A library's worth of stories, shelves filled to the bursting with tomes ancient and wondrous, and we gifted with the ability not just to read those tales, but to live them, to make them our own!"

  Jess nodded. "You're right, of course. Though Mord made it quite clear that he understands this game just as well as we do, that madness and horror as well as wonder are the rewards for those who dare such a wild adventure as we would embrace."

  Jess gazed into gentle brown eyes that were such a contrast to Mord's fierce black, save when alight with a berserker's rage that had frozen more than one foe in his tracks. "Just from speaking to Twilight, I know we've stepped upon the shallows of dream before, for all that we do not recall it. But to dare a rift into the Shadowrealms directly? To approach this ancient tower, should it actually manifest? It is as if, after soaking in the warm baths below the college, we would plunge headfirst into the raging sea."

  Malek paled, forcing himself to smile. "What is adventure without risk, am I right, shieldsister?"

  Jess grinned back, suppressing a shudder of her own. "What we are contemplating truly is madness, I know this. Odds are, any mystical tower we spy will like as not fade to ruin or mirage as we approach. But still, if it does not fade, I will dare it, and I hope you will be by my side."

  Malek nodded, clasping her shoulder with his palm. "Always."

  Jess kissed her friend's cheek. "So, what did you find out while I was meditating under our tree?"

  Malek sighed, making himself comfortable upon the lush grass at their feet. "I'm sorry, Jess. Alex has done his best in the time he's had, but not even he can forge an arcane connection between steel and the last person who held it. If there were such a spell, it would be a mighty useful tool for any inquisitor, agent, or guard."

  Jess grimaced, rubbing her skull. "Then we're out of luck, it seems."

  "At least we tried."

  Jess nodded, only then catching Twilight's enigmatic gaze, and Jess shook, amazed at how stupid she was being. "Saints above, I'm a fool!"

  Malek frowned. "Don't say that, Jess."

  Jess took a deep breath. "We know that Alex can't cast such a spell. But does anyone else?"

  Malek blinked, a slow smile curving his lips. "No, Jess, they do not."

  "So, if Alex were to grandly declare that he'd had an epiphany, and had indeed found the means to track down the wielder of any weapon, no one would know it was a lie, correct?"

  Her friend chuckled. "They would not."

  Jess nodded. "And should word get back to a certain guilty party that people were tracking down this cinquedea, wouldn't they want to check in on it first thing, perhaps find a more secure hiding place for it?"

  Malek winked. "I doubt they'd be able to help themselves."

  She flashed a grin at Twilight, gazing back at her with a smug sort of approval. "Well done, my mistress."

  "The problem," Malek said, serious once more, "is that we are not in a position to follow them, and anyone who does could very well disappear just as thoroughly as the poor servant Hatsk had whipped half to death, if they lack a Squire's training."

  Jess turned to her familiar, who bobbed his head. "I would delight in the adventure of it, Jess. You may rest assured that should they uncover any weapons, I will be the first to know."

  Jess grinned, turning to Malek. "Don't worry about someone following our enemies. I just need you to speak to Alex, and then, of course, Lucas as well."

  Malek nodded. "To serve as a deterrent, should anyone think to cross Alex, talented as he is in his own right."

  "Yes," Jess said. "Though I think Alex can handle himself, should he have time for even a single spell. But he knows nothing about rough and tumble fighting.

  Malek rubbed his brow. "If the head proctor feels Alex is a threat, it might be all too tempting for our enemies to strike, if they think he is vulnerable. Then they would either kidnap or kill him, or Alex would surprise them, blowing our foes to piles of super-heated ash, and perhaps bystanders as well. Lucas serving as a deterrent would be much better for everyone, I think."

  Jess nodded. "You and I both know the various ways to get into the college, and I wouldn't dream of shaming General Eloquin any more than I already have. So I leave assuring that Lucas is guarding Alex's back to you."

  Twilight dipped his head. "A good plan, mistress. Fear not, I shall tell you the moment we deduce the location of this cinquedea."

  Malek nodded. "I like it. What happens after they take the bait?"

  Grinning, Jess told him, delighting in his smile. "It will take a little bit of preparation, but assuming we ever get formal permission to enter
Highrock again, we just might be able to pull this off."

  Malek nodded in wholehearted agreement. "Of course if our plan backfires, the results could be catastrophic."

  Jess chuckled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

  48

  Jess, wake up. It’s time!”

  Yawning, Jess wiped her bleary eyes to see an enthusiastic looking Malek gazing intently down at her, already kitted up for what was to come. Her first thought was that he looked rather handsome in bronze and cuir bouilli, like a hero frozen in time.

  His dark hair curled invitingly over his brows, and she could see the attraction of his piercing gaze and full lips. A shame he so favored boys over girls, she thought with a sigh, pointedly ignoring the blush-inducing memories of those first few weeks they had known each other, before Malek had rescued Jacob and everything changed.

  Jess yawned deep, stretching the cracks out of her spine, luxuriating in the strength and power she felt within her well-honed physique, not feeling the least bit tired, for all that her sleep had been abruptly broken the night before, her purring familiar filling her in with the most delightful news. And Malek hadn't batted an eye when Jess had nudged him awake with an urgent message to convey to Alex, time being of the essence, and with an emphatic nod Malek had done just that, both of them dropping off again hours later, their plan in place.

  Yet now Malek's eyes twinkled with excitement that had nothing to do with sweetest vengeance. Jess swallowed, throat bone dry, swearing it was exhilaration and not dread that caused her hands to tremble.

  The convergence was finally happening. Tonight was the night. The time when the pocket realm of Shadow that the wizards were watching so closely would be pushing against the envelope of mundus, as close to bridging the unimaginable gulf between dreams and reality as it would ever be.