"Schedriza!"
"Schedraza"
While this was going on Renilla and maybe some of the other women were casting spells at us. Fortunately, all they did was cause our protective spheres to flicker slightly.
Chessina stopped casting.
"Master, I know him, I know his greater name," she whispered, "It's Kezyew."
"Good, keep casting," I whispered back.
I began the motions of the banishing spell, and yes I know technically it's a reverse summoning, but bear with me. Chessina resumed casting bringing the demon to the floor.
"I abjure you to quit this place and return from whence you came," I intoned. "I command you to go. Begone Kezyew!"
The demon screamed, a horrible inhuman sound, and folded in on himself. He continued to fold, twisting through angles impossible in our four-dimensional world. Yes, wizards do know about space-time. With shocking suddenness, the twisted demon simply vanished.
"I have had enough of you Renilla," stated Chessina.
Chessina cast a spell using the maestra name of control, with some demonic words added. Renilla and the other women stood quiescent.
"Follow Castamir," Chessina commanded, "And put some clothes on, you're not a pretty sight."
Chessina then indicated two of the sturdier women.
"You two pick up the boy and bring him with us," ordered Chessina.
I led this unusual cavalcade back to Dragovar's tower, with Chessina bringing up the rear. I wanted all of these women, and ourselves under magical shielding. I also wanted a rest, we had been doing quite a lot of spell casting recently and I was tired.
oOo
Back in our suite I ordered a pot of tea and slumped down in a chair. I had left Chessina to deal with the crowd of women as I was very weary. I wasn't however, exhausted, and I should have been. Was it my staff, I wondered? I thought back to the casting of the banishing spell. The feeling I had while doing so, was like the feeling I had when using the casting room in the tower, under Harmon's tutelage. The tower itself provided aid when casting. Could that be it? Was the staff no more than a connection to the tower, a conduit for its power? I had also seen Harmon cast some very impressive spells without using his staff. Could one learn to connect to the tower without the staff? Was this the true secret of the wizard of the tower? My musings were interrupted by Chessina's return.
"Oh, a cup of tea? How marvellous, thank you master," said Chessina sinking down into a chair, "I have fed, watered and toileted all the women as they are a bit like obedient toddlers at the moment. I've sent them to lie down in Dragovar's sitting room. That should get them out of our hair for a while."
oOo
Our quiet cup of tea was interrupted by Dragovar entering our sitting room, looking slightly frazzled.
"Why is my sitting room full of rather dishevelled sleeping women, including Renilla?"He asked.
I let Chessina tell him, she's good at that sort of thing.
oOo
"What are we going to do about Renilla?" I asked Dragovar.
"Whatever it is will have to be soon," Chessina remarked, "The spell I put on her and the others will be wearing off before long."
"There is an oubliette, a magical prison under this tower." Dragovar replied, "We can put Renilla there. With her weak magical ability, she won't be able to cast any magic or escape."
"What about the others?" I put the question to Dragovar.
"I know them all, unfortunately. They're a bunch of weak-willed ninnies," answered Dragovar. "Without Renilla to lead them, they will do nothing. I'll send them back to their quarters until we are ready to question them."
"We'll need to question Renilla pretty thoroughly," I said.
"I'll ask the king for permission to question her under a potion of truth," said Dragovar. "We need to know about the demon she summoned."
"I'm not sure Renilla actually summoned him," said Chessina. "I think Renilla was trying to summon a weaker demon to tear you apart, master. And that demon, who I think was her patron, decided to come instead."
An unexpected demon, I thought. Nowhere near as nice as the first one of those I'd come across.
"You said you knew him, Chessina," I said, trying to keep my voice level.
"Not like that, master. He couldn't afford me," Chessina replied, "His patron was visiting Langoralia's establishment and he, Pointyteeth, was part of the entourage. I'd rather not use his name, even if he can't return to a middle world for one hundred years and a day."
"Why do you think he came Chessina?" asked Dragovar.
"From what Pointyteeth said, he was planning on getting those women pregnant," explained Chessina. "Demons can't enter a middle world unless summoned, but a half demon is part of this world and doesn't have to be. Pointyteeth could be summoned without difficulty by a half demon offspring, which would also give him an anchor in this world. Of course Pointyteeth would also enjoy the fear, pain, humiliation and disgust that those women would have suffered, demons aren't very nice. We all tend to tease and torment those below us, to remind them that they are one down while we are one up. We don’t do it too cruelly, as who knows when we might be one down and they are one up. Pointyteeth wouldn't care what happened to those women, of course. If half of them and their offspring died while trying to give birth, it wouldn't bother him in the slightest, providing at least one child survived."
"And after we've talked to Renilla, what then?" I asked Dragovar. "Summoning something and ordering it to kill me, in front of witnesses. The law doesn’t care that I didn’t die, she'll be executed anyway. What about your brother, the Duke, how will he feel about that?"
"I don't know, I'll have to talk to him," Dragovar replied. He sounded crushed.
oOo
Later that night Chessina snuggled up to me.
"You were magnificent when you dealt with Pointyteeth master," Chessina said, "I was rather worried."
"So was I," I responded. "I don't think I could have managed without your help."
"I don't think so either, master," said Chessina, rather smugly, "Now there is something I need your help with. I need you to be magnificent again."
Apparently, Chessina needed her master to be masterful. At least, those were my instructions.
Chapter 13
Next morning, Dragovar invited us for breakfast, he looked as though he hadn't slept much.
"The king has given me the permission I sought to question Renilla. I thought to put something in the potion of truth to relax her and make it a little easier for her. She is my sister-in-law," Dragovar said somewhat defensively.
"How is your brother, Duke Brandell taking all this," I asked.
"Badly, but not as badly as I had feared," Dragovar replied. "Brandell has been getting increasingly worried about her behaviour as well as that of their son Pennover. Brandell did ask me if I thought they might be possessed by demons. I told him that in my opinion they weren't."
"I agree with you. By all accounts those who are possessed behave in an entirely different manner," I said.
"I'm afraid I haven't a clue about possession," said Chessina. "That only happens to mortals on middle worlds and I've never been on one before. In the Abyss, demons can't possess each other."
"I've managed to persuade Brandell to petition the king to grant a divorce," said Dragovar. "And his majesty has agreed to hold judgement on Renilla in camera."
"No sense putting it off, I think we should question Renilla after breakfast," I said.
"I agree," said Dragovar.
Chessina tucked into the excellent breakfast, neither Dragovar nor I had much of an appetite.
oOo
The underground levels of Dragovar's Royal Tower of Wizardry were well lit, dry and well ventilated. The tower's builders had obviously known what they were doing. Nonetheless, as we got down to the level that housed the oubliette the magic dampening fields became oppressive. The door to the oubliette was made of iron, locked and bolted, not sealed by magic. The window in the door was of dwarf
-made glass, as strong as steel. Dragovar glanced in the window and gasped.
"What is it, has she escaped?" I asked, worried.
"No, she's aged, look," Dragovar replied.
Chessina and I looked in the window in horror. Renilla was far older than she was when I last saw her yesterday, older even than her natural age. Chessina turned to Dragovar
"Dragovar, you must stop the king executing Renilla. It's imperative," Chessina said, forcefully, "For her to age that quickly she must be tied very closely to her sponsor, Pointyteeth. If she is executed now, Pointyteeth will grab her soul and he will use it to gain power. We don’t want that, as he might then be able to contact those women who were part of Renilla's coterie. The longer she lives without contact with Pointyteeth, the fainter and more tenuous the connection will become."
"Why not change her into the same form as her son and they can be company for each other," I suggested, "Donkeys live a very long time."
oOo
Questioning Renilla was easy but tedious. She was very listless and drank down Dragovar's potion without complaint. She answered all questions but she was inclined to ramble and it took quite a while to get the full story. Unlike the noble ladies of her coterie, Renilla didn't study demonology because she was bored. Renilla didn't like the way her husband Brandell treated Pennover. Renilla wanted to get her son Pennover picked as Duke Brandell's heir and didn’t care how she went about it. She went poking about in the Ducal library hoping to find either blackmail material or obscure family customs that would justify Pennover being made heir. What she found instead was a book on demonology and began to study and practice. Discovering the concept that magic users can combine their power for greater effect, Renilla set out to collect a group of dupes that she could use to further her aims. She enticed them with the lure of the forbidden, including naked rituals and orgies with handsome male servants, some charmed and some not. During this process, Renilla made contact with Pointyteeth and he became her magical guide. Renilla had no idea that Pointyteeth had his own agenda.
Only at one point in her narrative did Renilla became animated.
"He promised to make me an immortal," she whined.
"If I gave him the leather, would he make me one too?" I said, unable to resist the quip.
Dragovar clipped me around the back of the head.
"Behave!" Dragovar hissed.
I felt oddly comforted by this, Harmon would have done exactly the same.
The only thing that interested Renilla, indeed the only thing she could see were her own desires. I might have felt sorry for her, but her total disregard for anyone but herself and her son was quite nauseating.
"I'll leave you to inform the king Dragovar," I said.
"You will need to come and report too," said Dragovar.
"What am I, an advisor to the king?" I asked sarcastically.
"Yes, you are," replied Dragovar shortly.
"Me? Why me? There are several wizards out there far more learned than I," I expostulated.
"Not on the subject of demonology. You have a great deal of practical experience," said Dragovar, dryly. "I would like you to come as well Chessina, your insights are very valuable."
oOo
"So there you have it sire. This is everything we know about Duchess Renilla's activities, and the reason why I urge you most strongly not to execute her," said Dragovar earnestly.
"You are certain that Renilla's execution will enhance this demon . . . er." The king stumbled in his speech.
"We call him 'Pointyteeth', your majesty," I said. "The name is descriptive and we use it only for him, but it runs no risks of attracting his attention."
"Names are that powerful?" the king asked, sounding somewhat incredulous.
"They are, your majesty. Not only demonic names, but the names of all outer planar creatures," replied Dragovar positively.
"Very well, no execution for Duchess Renilla," said the king. “What punishment should I impose on her?"
"I do recommend Castamir's suggestion, of turning her into an ass, as he did to her son," Dragovar said. "I agree Dragovar. It shall be so." the king said. “And what of the women who followed her down this dark path?"
"If I might suggest something majesty?" Chessina asked the king.
"Please, I would like to hear," answered the king.
"Those women are not evil, merely foolish, your majesty," said Chessina. “Let their punishment emphasise their foolishness. As they like dancing around naked, put them in the stocks for a day, naked. That should depress their pretentions."
"And may I suggest in addition sire, that to avoid undue attention as to the precise nature of the activities of these foolish women, they be placed in the stocks for public lewdness of an unspecified kind," said Dragovar.
"All this advice is good," declared the king. “I will follow it."
The king looked at Chessina and myself.
"You have both rendered me a significant service. If that demon had run loose about the palace, dozens, maybe hundreds of my subjects might have died," the king said. “I wish to reward you, how may I do so?"
"Grant me access to the Royal Library sire, including those works normally prohibited," I replied.
"Granted. And for you?" the king asked, turning to Chessina.
"Grant me access also, sire," replied Chessina.
"I expected you to ask for clothes or jewels," said the king in some surprise. “I admire your dedication to wizardry."
Chessina looked demurely at the king. I wasn't about to disabuse him about Chessina's choice. She could alter any dress she wanted and considered the jewellery worn by the court ladies extremely heavy and ugly.
oOo
Dragovar led us towards the Royal Library. We each carried the king's warrant to browse it, the ink barely dry.
"I'll introduce you to Frigermar, the Royal Librarian. Even with the king's warrant he might cause difficulties if I don't make it plain that I approve of you," said Dragovar. "Frigermar can be, if I may say so, a right royal pain in the neck, but he is superb at keeping the library organised.
"Thank you, Dragovar," I said. "I'd like to ask you a favour."
"Name it," replied Dragovar, "I might not agree, but tell me anyway."
"Try and persuade your brother Duke Brandell to grant me access to the ducal library, and any others you can manage. I'm going to leave no stone, or rather book, unturned to find out what I can about Chessina's origins."
"I'll try Castamir, as hard as I can," said Dragovar.
I really believe he meant it.
The entrance to the Royal Library was not impressive, being merely one of a number of doors in the administrative section of the Royal Palace. To a scholar, the interior however was a treasure trove of riches, not just in the vast number of tomes, scrolls, pamphlets, and other forms of writing, but in the fact of their obvious organisation.
The man sitting at the elaborate writing desk seemed the metaphorical centre of the place and Dragovar led us up to him. The librarian was bespectacled but we could see as he straightened, was tall with dark hair. He was also running to fat.
"Castamir, may I introduce Frigermar the Royal Librarian, Frigermar, may I introduce Castamir, Master of the Tower," said Dragovar. Introducing Frigermar to me indicated that I was the social superior.
"Frigermar, may I introduce Chessina, apprentice to Castamir, Chessina, may I introduce Frigermar the Royal Librarian," Dragovar made the other introductions.
We all made the appropriate courtesies.
"Frigermar, the king has granted Towermaster Castamir and his apprentice complete access to the Royal Library," Dragovar said. "Including the entirety of the restricted section. His majesty and I would be . . . most displeased if we learned that any items had been withheld from them."
We handed the librarian our warrants, and he perused them before handing them back.
"Very well," he said, sourly.
oOo
Our exploration of the Royal L
ibrary was both fascinating and frustrating. I learned much, having however to be ruthless in keeping to the object of my search and not being distracted onto other paths. I did not, unfortunately, learn much about Chessina's possible origins. I came across hints and snippets that doubtless formed the basis for Dragovar's theory that Chessina was the outcome of a virgin sacrifice, but nothing concrete that might give me a possible course of action. I should add that the exploration was also hazardous. I had discovered one book tucked out of sight behind other volumes on a shelf and it seemed to promise important insights, and the more I read it the more fascinating it seemed. I felt a sudden pain in my ear and turned to find that it was Chessina, biting it.
"Chessina, why did you do that?" I asked, in some surprise.
"Because master, I have been trying to get you to notice me for several minutes," explained Chessina. "And you didn't respond when I spoke to you, or even when I poked you, so I got worried. I think that book is cursed."
Hastily closing the book, I cast detection spells on it.
"You're right, it is cursed. Thank you Chessina," I said with gratitude.
I could swear that when we left the restricted section of the library, the librarian Frigermar looked both chagrined and disappointed.
The breakthrough I needed came, not through library work, but of all places, at a party. Both Dragovar and Chessina had persuaded me to attend various parties, although they used very different arguments. Dragovar wanted me to attend parties as it would be good, politically, to get to know the kingdom's notables. Chessina wanted me to attend parties to get me out of the library before I took root there, as she put it. She also wanted to show me, and herself off, and in addition to show off that I was hers.
This particular party was given by Lecia, Dowager Countess of, I really can't remember. Soon after our arrival was announced, a buxom young blonde woman mostly in a blue dress, made a bee-line for me. She walked up and curtseyed very deeply to me, her . . . assets almost popping out to greet me separately.
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