The silver grew cold for a split second, as if I’d brushed my hand against a block of ice. Then, with a comic-book-worthy FWOOP, the parchment vanished. The sound echoed on the far side of the table as it reappeared in Magnus’ hand. The Regent rose and passed it down to Thea, who stood on one foot while holding the sheet in the other.
“This is a promissory note,” Thea intoned. “As to what it promises, it claims that you shall be compensated for slightly more than one-twelfth of your debt prior to next year’s vernal equinox.”
Lord Behnaz jumped to his feet so fast his pool table green mantle seemed to bounce.
“Preposterous!” he sputtered. “You cannot settle a debt with a ‘promise of future payment’ by a third party! Otherwise, any of the lords here could just promise to pay for another someday later. No one would ever receive a single crown’s worth of their debt!”
“This is an outrage!” Lord Alvey repeated woodenly. “An outrage! An outrage!”
“Fie on both of you for your ridiculousness!” Lord Ivor shot back.
The three lords were joined by several others in protest, both for and against. Both Regent and Albess let the sound wash over them. Finally, Magnus’ voice boomed out over the rest.
“Albess, what party would dare sign a promissory note like this? Even a twelfth of what Dame Chrissie owes is a sizeable amount. Enough to bankrupt several knights, or beggar a couple of the lesser lords, I would wager.”
“I would not take that wager,” Thea agreed. She scanned the note and announced, “The note is signed by its guarantor. That would be King Magnus of the Centaur Realm.”
Suddenly, the protests ground to a halt.
“I must inquire,” Magnus stated smoothly. “Does the Albess think that the Centaur Realm is unable to make good on its debts?”
Thea fluffed her feathers out indignantly. “That never crossed my mind, your Majesty. As Regent of this kingdom, you lack the authority to spend even a single coin. But as monarch of your own kingdom, this means a great deal more.”
“More than what?” Sir Kagin asked.
“More than what one lord can promise another.” Thea shifted on her perch as she held up the promissory note. “Within the kingdom, the Exchequer cannot accept one debt for another. But this is not within the kingdom of Andeluvia. It is outside of it.”
“And that means…” Magnus prompted her.
“It means that if we deny this signed document, we insult the Centaur King. We insult him in a way that would threaten war on our borders! Thus, as the overseer of the Exchequer, I make the following pronouncement: I hereby declare this promissory note full and valid payment for one twelfth of the debt incurred by the Order of the Ermine!”
Her announcement broke like a thunderclap in the crowded room.
Lord Behnaz immediately tried to raise his voice in protest, but it was smothered in the general chaos of shouts, curses, and cheers. Lord Alvey had gone pale. His sons shook their fists at me, provoking scowls from Shaw and Liam. But Alvey signaled to them, and they helped their father to his feet. Together, they half-carried the old man from the room.
As for me, I let the sound buffet me without so much as swaying on my feet. I’d finally done it. I’d saved the Order of the Ermine. Yes, it was just a small victory. A temporary one at best.
But I’d take that any day over the alternative.
Chapter Forty-Five
The ache caused by the two deep puncture wounds in my arm miraculously faded away.
Actually, the phrase ‘miraculously faded away’ was incorrect. ‘Magically faded away’ would be the right way to put it. That was because Galen had gotten me to stretch out atop the table back at the Dame’s Tower so that he could work more easily. I didn’t fight it. At least the procedure got me off my feet after the most trying day I’d had in weeks.
The Wizard had set multiple globes of weirlight to rest atop the metal candle frame that dangled from the ceiling above the table. It cast a pleasant glow that looked more like the illumination from incandescent bulbs than the flickering, dimmer light of lit candles. Then he bent over my body, whispering his trademark magic phrases.
A blue glow settled over my forearm, making it tingle as if I’d immersed the limb in carbonated soda water. Galen kept this up for a good three or four minutes. Only when he finally signaled that he was done did I lever myself up into a sitting position.
“Art thou better now?” Shaw inquired.
“Let us see if the wizard’s work did you any good,” Liam added.
I carefully unwrapped the bandage until it loosened enough that I could see the skin underneath. The cloth itself still bore my bloodstains and the faint scent of antibacterial ointment. But the two puncture wounds had completely closed. Twin wedges of bright pink flesh stared back at me.
“Thank you, Galen,” I breathed. “You do good work.”
“Indubitably,” he said, with an embarrassed bow. “I would suggest a period of rest, or at least lighter activity.”
“I won’t fight you on that one,” I said, as I pushed off the table. “But there’s three things to consider before I turn in for a nap. First, I’ve been on light rations all day. Second, I’m sure that you’re all tired of millet porridge. And finally, after that last session of the Royal Court, we have something to celebrate!”
I tugged on the bright purple rope hanging from the ceiling. A familiar two-tone chime pealed out from a hidden bell. Percival showed up in the twinkling of an eye. I noticed that, while he wore the same robin’s egg blue page uniform, he’d also picked up a new cap. It roughly matched the color of his uniform, though a bright red feather stuck out at a jaunty angle from the top.
“Some new headgear, Percival?” I asked. “It looks sharp.”
The boy beamed. “Sharp? Oh, no, it’s quite comfortable, Dame Chrissie. I bought it with one of the coins you gave me.”
“What’s with the red feather?”
“That’s something I’ve always wanted! The feather, I mean. I picked a red one because the Protector of the Forest suggested it. He said that it would make Drake Grimshaw think I was bad to eat, because I was poisonous.”
The griffin turned to scowl at his fayleene friend. Liam remained completely pokerfaced.
“Well, I’ve got a big order this time,” I pressed on.
Before I could say anything else, the patter of multiple footsteps came from outside. A hearty rap made the door shudder. Shaw bounded over, opening it, and blue-garbed royal pages began filing in.
The first couple of pairs carried in casks of Andeluvian ale, complete with mounts to rest them on. Next came trays set full of silver cups. These were followed by platters of freshly broiled meat and vegetables on skewers. The smell of freshly-cooked food quickly filled the tower room, making my mouth water.
“That would easily be the fastest service I’ve seen from the kitchens,” Galen joked, as the pages began setting everything out. “And for many more people than we have here!”
“It seems that more are coming!” Liam added, as he stretched his neck to look down the stairwell. “Among others, I see Lord Ivor and Sir Quinton!”
Sure enough, the young knight limped in, favoring his leg after climbing the stairs. He was helped along to one of the room’s benches by Lord Ivor. As for Ivor, his craggy, wan face looked uncharacteristically happy.
“Well met, Dame Chrissie!” he said. “I hope you don’t mind some of your supporters pitching in to celebrate your latest astounding performance.”
“Not at all,” I said, before gulping, “Supporters?”
“Certainly. You don’t think that all your work for Andeluvia has been for naught, do you? There are always at least a few people on the Royal Court who are rooting for you to pull off the impossible yet again. That’s what Dame Chrissie is known for, after all!”
Wordlessly, I watched as a procession of people came through the door. Herald, the Lord of the Pursuivant, made a colorful entrance in his rainbow-themed costume. The
golden-armored forms of Commander Yervan and Captain Murren followed. I caught the captain’s eye, pointed up to the shelf that held the refurbished Grand Master Mothball, and gave him a thumbs-up.
The man actually blushed.
While most of the pages retired after dropping off the food and drink, a few stayed. Percival and three others tapped the ale casks and began filling the silver cups with foamy brown ale. Ribald, excited conversation rocketed around the room as fast as the cups were passed out.
As exciting and raucous as the atmosphere in the room quickly became, no one there yet knew the full extent of the day I’d just had.
My eyes were drawn to the wheeled slate board behind the table, where my notes were still chalked up in neat paragraphs, lines, and boxes. I still didn’t have all the pieces. In fact, the names that the unicorns had called us – things like ‘the griffin with the spotted flank’ – bothered me, because they pointed to yet more pieces.
But there was one more item on the board that I’d finally nailed down. I’d share it with my friends in due time. For now, it gave me much to think about. Too much, maybe.
One of the most puzzling lines in High Elder Belladonna’s prophecy had been: The dream horses sow the seeds of their fall.
I’d thought that line had referred to the pooka and their creation of Destry. The turncoat.
But Destry had turned so that he could save his people. That didn’t sound like hastening the ‘fall’ of the pouquelaye. In fact, the opposite seemed more likely – he’d saved them from any fallout this conflict could cause.
And with a little click, my brain repeated something that I’d heard at the Everwinter Glade. It had been an offhand comment by the pink-hued mare, Master Celestial. When she’d talked about the pooka and the unicorns having a common ancestor.
We do share roots, for we are dream horses all the same.
Destry’s actions hadn’t sown chaos and death with his own people.
It had been Master Dekanos’ fault. That unicorn had sown the seeds of his own murder by putting Wayfarer on a duty that he hated for far too long. And that had led to the ‘fall’. The fall of the unicorns’ tightly scripted order within the Everwinter Grove.
Dekanos had done two more things. He’d withdrawn the unicorns from the world. And he’d withheld the teaching of several kinds of magic from the human population of Andeluvia. These decisions had been made for some dark reason.
I only hoped that Master Windkey could reveal it to us.
In a breathtakingly short time, everyone had a frothy cup of ale in hand, paw, or on the floor and ready to be licked up. Shaw drummed his forepaw, making loud ‘tics’ as the tips of his talons touched bare flagstone. Soon everyone had focused their attention upon the drake. But Grimshaw instead turned to Galen, nodding and encouraging the centaur to speak.
“Those of you who did not accompany us do not know this yet,” Galen announced. “Dame Chrissie has helped the Wizards’ Guild find and capture a murderer who dwelt in their midst. And she did it against all odds, as is her style. I would first propose a toast to that.”
“Hear, hear!” came the reply, from all corners.
Andeluvians didn’t ‘clink’ their glasses, cups, or mugs to celebrate toasts, the way many people in my world did. Instead, they hefted their cups to the ceiling, paused for a single heartbeat, and then took a long, gulping drink.
The room went silent as everyone quaffed their cups. I could only take a quick sip, as the ale was that same extra-thick consistency that made me want to consume it with a milkshake straw and a spoon. But everyone else let out an ‘ahh’ or a throaty belch as they finished.
A pause as the pages refilled the cups, and Galen spoke again.
“That was for our victory early this night,” he said, hefting his cup for emphasis. “And yet, I believe we should make a second toast now. Due to her cunning, her wit, her knowledge, and her steadfast courage, we should drink a toast to survival. That is, to the survival of the Order of the Ermine!”
A bunch of cheers went up around the room.
“Aye, I’ll drink to that!” Shaw crowed.
“Gladly! Gladly!” Herald enthused.
“Most happily!” Lord Ivor agreed.
“I shall drink for Sir Exton and Lord Ghaznavi,” added Sir Quinton. “They shall be overjoyed to hear this upon their return!”
Everyone raised their cups. Together, they began a fiercely joyous chant.
“Long live Dame Chrissie! Long live the Order of the Ermine! Long live Dame Chrissie! Long live the Order of the Ermine!”
Lord Ivor beckoned to me. I stood, holding my cup aloft as the chant continued.
I did my best to smile.
Yes, I felt happy, but I was also deeply troubled. Was my judgement sound anymore? How had Destry fooled me into thinking he was my friend, in the same way as Hollyhock? Maybe there was a ray of hope in there somewhere. I couldn’t see it, but I had to believe there was one. I’d lost another of my friends. To treachery or bad faith, I’d lost him.
Thanks to Destry, it didn’t look like Bob McClatchy would be a problem anymore.
Thanks to Destry, I already knew the ending of my story.
I knew that I would fail. That the thing that I’d glimpsed inside the Scarlet Crypt would be the end of me. All this would happen soon. Very soon.
All that remained was to gather what friends and allies I had.
To enjoy what little time we had left together. Before the fall. Before the end.
Tears in my eyes, I took another drink as my friends continued to cheer.
The End
# # #
Thanks for Reading!
Hello again, and I hope you enjoyed reading The Conspiracy of Unicorns.
As with a couple of the other books in the F&F series, Conspiracy let me throw a twist into the usual depictions of a mythical heraldic creature. In this case, the unicorns. I’d long planned to have these equines as behind some or all of the shenanigans that Dayna had to unravel, but how it finally came about surprised me.
One other surprise this time around was the sheer amount of ground that I had to cover in this book. Dayna Chrissie’s financial woes had to be addressed, as well as the growing feud between her and McClatchy. On top of that, I had to re-introduce readers to Destry before circling back to him as the main suspect in Dekanos’ murder case.
And that’s nothing compared to the prep work going on around Book Ten. In that book, I’m going to put the last of my cards on the table. Cards that I’ve been holding onto since Book One.
I’ll cross my fingers that you’ll stick around for the fireworks!
* * *
By the way, did you like this book? If so, I’d truly appreciate a review on Amazon. Even if you’ve left a positive review for an earlier story, please consider writing a second one. These make all the difference, especially in a longer series.
If you wish, you can also drop me a line at [email protected].
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Thank you for reading The Conspiracy of Unicorns and for spending time with Dayna, Destry, and the multiple Master Wizards of the Everwinter Grove!
Michael Angel
Coming in Summer 2018:
the tenth fantasy novel in the
‘Fantasy & Forensics’ series,
Felonies and Dragon Fire,
also by Michael Angel.
C.S. Lewis meets CSI…when Amazon Bestselling author Michael Angel presents the tenth installment in the ‘Fantasy & Forensics’ series.
Dayna Chrissie faces her most perplexing case. Dayna’s brought in to a crime scene where a lone gunman has slaughtered everyone at Crossbow Consulting’s hi-rise headquarters – and then vanished into thin a
ir. But one discovery makes this crime truly remarkable. The security cameras clearly show that the gunman was the company’s president, Grayson Archer!
Those who serve the Dark make their final all-or-nothing strike. Dayna’s investigation crosses back into Andeluvia as the kingdom’s remaining Air Cavalry Commander is attacked within the palace walls! The last pieces of prophecy begin to fall into place as the final attack upon Dayna and her friends threatens to destroy the entire kingdom in a single blow.
The land of Andeluvia faces the ultimate catastrophe unless Dayna stands fast until the end!
Also by Michael Angel
The ‘Fantasy and Forensics’ Series
Centaur of the Crime
The Deer Prince’s Murder
Grand Theft Griffin
A Perjury of Owls
Forgery of the Phoenix
Assault in the Wizard Degree
Trafficking in Demons
A Warrant of Wyverns
The Conspiracy of Unicorns
Felonies and Dragon Fire (Summer 2018)
Standalone Fantasy and Sci-Fi Novels
The Detective & The Unicorn
The Wizard, The Warlord, and The Hidden Woman
The Adventures of Amanda Love
Treasure of the Silver Star
The ‘Apocalypse with a Side of Spam’ Series
Episode One
Episode Two
Episode Three
Episode Four
Entire ‘Season One’ Compilation
The ‘Fringe Space’ Series
A Shovelful of Stars
Pay To Pray
Dogfight
A Planet Torn
The Complete Collection: Fringe Space Tales
Meet Michael Angel
The Conspiracy of Unicorns Page 25