High Mage Ayesha was lounging in her small sitting area across the chamber, reading a small grimoire under an oil lamp. At the moment, she was wearing simple robes of purest white. Maeve had never see the powerful sorceress wear anything but white.
Stepping past Kylar with barely a nod, Maeve hurried across the cluttered laboratory to give her report to Ayesha. The beautiful High Mage glanced up at Maeve's approach, leveling cool blue eyes. Maeve silently thanked the Gods that she appeared calm and reasonably contented.
"How did it go?" Ayesha said before Maeve could speak.
"It went as you predicted, mistress," Maeve said, bowing low. "The bravos weren't quite enough to overwhelm Lord Zalik and Sir Jaram, but my magic carried the day easily enough."
"Excellent," Ayesha said. "For once you didn't bungle your assignment."
Maeve ground her teeth and clenched her fists, but dared not vent her anger verbally. She hated being chastised, much less belittled before others. Ayesha just couldn't understand that Maeve's failure to locate and capture Danica wasn't her fault. Kylar gave her erroneous information, causing her to miss Danica and Cat every time. She was beginning to believe the High Mage just wanted to blame her for the failures out of some misplaced jealousy. Perhaps she had noticed how Kylar's gaze lingered on her, instead of his mistress.
"I always strive to please you, mistress," Maeve said. Though the geas forced her to obey, it did nothing to help her control her raging emotions when dealing with her mistress.
Ayesha just grunted. She glanced back at the ancient elven tome in her hand a moment, then closed it as she uncurled off the couch. After returning the book to the bookcase, she turned to face Maeve with a measuring gaze.
"I have information that Danica and Cat are staying inside Talar's mansion. Just moments ago Velecia failed in her attempt to either capture Talar or Danica. She is now dead by Talar's hand." Ayesha frowned a moment. "Danica didn't participate in the fight, but that Tyrian friend of hers did. It think his name is Carl of Ohmstat. A huge brute of a barbarian. He almost single-handedly wiped out the armed force sent with Velecia, and even dealt the blow that felled the sorceress."
Kylar said, "Do you want me to kill him, mistress?"
"No, Maeve will handle it," she said, turning to the now wide-eyed sorceress. "I want him dead before dawn, and Talar and/or Danica delivered to me here."
Maeve tried to suppress the shudder carousing through her body. How could she kill her own cousin? That was a vile kinslaying!
"Carl is my cousin. We grew up together. We trained in weapons under the same swordmaster. I am closer to Carl than anyone else," Maeve said very quietly. "Please don't make me do this."
"I could care less about how you feel about the man," Ayesha said. "I want him dead. Use your kinship with him to get past his guard, then butcher the bastard. And then bring me Talar and Danica, or their heads."
"Yes, mistress," Maeve said. "If I should kill Talar first, would you still want Carl dead and Danica killed or captured?"
Ayesha shrugged. "With Talar dead the other two are no threat to me or our cause."
Maeve smiled.
"Very good, mistress," she said. "Will you give me any troops for the mission?"
"Yes. First, though, I want you to devise a plan and submit it to me. You are too reckless to trust with men on this mission."
Maeve bristled, but remained outwardly calm. A feat she had only mastered since being enslaved by Ayesha.
"Is there anyone to brief me on the mansion's wards?" Maeve said.
"Forget the mansion. You don't have the power or talent to break through his wards," Ayesha said. Maeve tensed at contempt in her voice. "You will need to set up an ambush for them. I believe your best bet is to first let Talar throw away most of his energy fighting bravos, then strike when he is weakest."
Before Maeve could respond, a buzzing sound came from an enchanted mirror hanging behind the laboratory's alchemy setup. Ayesha strode over and drew a simple rune that activated the mirror. The Goblin Kyras's excited face appeared.
"Mistress Ayesha," he said. "They have escaped!"
"Who escaped?" Ayesha said.
"Danica and Cat," he said. "One of my urchins just arrived to say she saw them leave by warhawk earlier. She overheard them saying they were going to the Amazon Empire."
"Why wasn't I informed sooner?" Ayesha growled.
The Goblin looked annoyed a moment, then spoke carefully.
"Our spies are children, mistress. They are easily distracted. I fear just such a thing happened to the young girl this afternoon. But I am informing you now," he said.
Ayesha steamed a moment more. When she spoke it was just as measured as Kyras's speech.
"Very well. Until further notice, I want you to assign your older and more trustworthy urchins to the task of watching Talar and his mansion. I want to know immediately if he or any of his lieutenants come or go. Especially if they leave, and where they are going."
"I will see to it," Kyras said, suddenly looking pert. "Bye!"
Ayesha started to call out for him to wait, but the Goblin's jubilant face vanished too quickly. She spent a moment cursing Goblins in general, and Kyras in particular, as a bunch of irresponsible half-wits.
Maeve smiled, secretly enjoying Ayesha's anger and frustration with the Goblin. Kyras was the one to capture Maeve and turn her over to Ayesha. Kyras was to blame for all Maeve's problems of the moment. She hoped the Goblin pushed Ayesha too far, then got blasted to the lowest pit of Hel.
"Maeve," Ayesha barked. "Forget Talar and Carl. I want you to track down Danica. She doesn't know of your involvement with me, so you can gain her confidence and lure her into a trap. I don't care how you do it, but return Danica or her body to me. With it I can enslave Talar, since he wore that body for over three hundred years. Besides, I don't trust High Mage Rebecca of the Amazon Empire. She might be my ally, but if she got her hands on Danica's elven body she could try to use it increase her power. Danica's body is Druigh caste, thus a powerful conduit to Elven Earth Magicks. And Elven magic is an interest of Rebecca's."
Maeve couldn't speak. Her heart pounded so hard it hurt. Though relieved she wasn't being sent out to kill Carl, now she was being forced to betray and capture a former lover. Maybe even kill her. If Danica was killed or captured, she would never be able to reclaim her male body and become the man Maeve loved so much. The thought of Danica's look of pain when she was betrayed already made Maeve cringe.
"It will be done, mistress," Maeve said at length. "By your leave."
Ayesha nodded.
With that, she turned on her heel and strode out of the laboratory. If betray her lover she must, then Maeve was determined to do it quickly and as painlessly as possible. After all, Danica's fate was her own concern. Right?
Chapter 3
Danica looked down at the city of Celia. The first thing she noticed was the soaring whitewashed castle in the center of town. It contained a massive rectangular central keep, towering over every other structure in the city, with two round pointy spires jutting high above, one on each end. The central keep was surrounded by high walls. The curtain towers were also of the soaring, pointy construction. Stables, barracks, assembly halls, and armories built up the inner side of the curtain walls. After all the stories she’d heard over the years from Amazons about the spectacular beauty of their homeland, it was exactly what she had expected. The city proper was another story.
Aside from the castle, Celia looked to be a rather drab place. To Danica's eyes it look exactly like some Tyrian city, with twisting and turning streets, nondescript tenements and Merchant Houses, and dark, somber government buildings. She could see only a handful of large stone buildings, with the rest looking to be mostly of half-timber and thatch construction. The city's defensive walls were massive, with thick square towers of native brown stone. And from her vantage point, it didn't appear that any of the streets were paved.
Glancing up at the side of the mountain, she ad
mired the sprawling air cavalry base spread out above the city. Unlike the city below, it was neat and orderly with straight roads and whitewashed structures, frequently with the unit arms painted on the roofs of the billets and headquarters. Even the stone retaining walls used to create the uncounted terraces holding the buildings and warhawk aeries were whitewashed. It was almost elegant in its layout. Everywhere she looked were tiny red-clad figures assembled in formation, marching, running, or exercising.
Pulling her attention away, Danica studied the fast approaching city. There were three warhawk aeries. She decided on the one closest to the castle and guided her warhawk in to a perch close to the rear. Cat landed on the next perch over. After their warhawks and the ones already there finished roaring their challenges and defiance, four teenage girls ran up and secured the leg straps. She glanced around at the aerie. It was about ten acres, clean, and near full. She had chosen it for its ten foot stone defensive wall and large stone gatehouse. The gatehouse was two stories, with a double gate set in the middle and the second floor covering it. Two Amazons in mail hauberks and steel helmets stood guard atop it. Their vantage point gave them a good view of the whole aerie. Danica liked that. It wouldn't do to get her bird stolen here, and this place was one of the most secure she had ever seen.
"Welcome to the Royal Wings Mews," one of a pair of young girls called from below. She was filthy looking, in ragged cotton tunic and trousers.
"Mews? Mews are where you keep hunting hawks, falcons...Never mind." Danica had to admit, mews was at least as good a name as aerie, if not actually more accurate.
On the ground, Danica turned to the girl who had greeted her. The other girl scrambled up the saddle ladder and quickly retrieved her saddlebags while the first collected the roosting fees — mewing fees, as she called them — for two days. Danica hoped to be leaving by then.
Throwing her saddlebags over her shoulder, they reached almost to her knees, Danica called over to Cat, "Come on, Cat. It'll be dark soon enough."
Cat nodded, she was still paying her mewing fees. The Amazon teens with Danica softly cleared their throats, looking as if expecting something else. She was at a loss as to what it could be. She had her saddlebags, they had her instructions on feeding and caring for the bird, and their mewing fees to boot.
Cat stepped up, handing each girl a coin. Just a copper half-eagle each. A quarter of a crown. But that seemed to more than satisfy them. They practically chirped their appreciation and skipped away. Danica looked at her companion.
"What was that about?"
"Amazon custom. I heard about it once." Waving a hand at the retreating teens, she continued. "Amazons rarely own slaves, so those girls are free. They also don't pay them much, so women like us are held responsible for paying them with gratuities."
Shaking her head, Danica said, "That's hardly a fair way to conduct business. They should pay their help an honest wage and pass it on to the customer."
Danica had heard of the practice, but hadn't realized it was so widespread in the Empire. In the Jarlands, the only time she tipped was for service above and beyond. And she tipped dancers.
Cat shrugged. "I agree, but in the meantime, we will be expected to tip whenever someone provides us with a service."
"Like what?"
"Deliver our meals, drinks, etc..."
"Gods! Amazons and their strange ways." She gave Cat a narrow-eyed glare. "This is what happens when you let women run things."
Cat snorted, "Yeah, like slavery is a fair and equitable system. That's how men solved the problem of hired help."
Danica gave Cat a sheepish grin . "Well, if you're going to throw dirt, let's drop it. Besides, I'm starving and dying of thirst."
Cat grunted and led the way toward the gate. It amused Danica how she always kept the maximum distance possible from all the warhawks. Danica, on the other hand, found the powerful saddlebirds thrilling and quite a sight to behold. She could easily spend the day looking the birds over. And the mews was full almost to capacity with them, including twenty snow white warhawks saddled and awaiting their masters. Their saddles were the double-seat type, one seat behind the other, and were dyed a dramatic scarlet red. Each saddle's rearmost cantle held a three foot flagpole sticking up with the bright red guidon of a unit she didn't recognize. She decided they must belong to some mercenary unit, since they weren't being mewed at the air cavalry base outside of town.
Out on the street, Danica found she’d been wrong earlier. The streets were paved, but were also thick with dirt and mud. She gave the nearby structures a quick glance, finding they looked sturdy. Across the narrow street was a large domed building that was the city bathhouse. It was built entirely of stone, with all the surrounding buildings of half-timber construction. Turning right, they headed in the general direction of the castle that loomed high above them.
The streets were relatively crowded with warriors, soldiers, merchants, peasants, and vendors. Women of all ages, stations, and sizes hurried along the street in groups or alone. Danica expected to see all Amazons dressed to impress, and in bright colors and flashy jewelry, like the Amazons she'd encountered in the Jarlands. Instead she found them dressed much like their counterparts in other lands, depending on their station and trade. The biggest surprise to her were the knights. They passed several decked out in their full knightly raiment: half plate armor, long silk skirt slit up the front middle, with leather pants and thigh boots underneath, and silver spurs with jingles.
Not only was it one of the few times she had seen an Amazon in half-plate, but the very first time she had seen one wearing a long skirt with armor. Cat explained that Amazons used the skirts like Jarlanders used surcoats, to denote their Order, warrior society, or personal arms and colors.
"There's an inn." Danica pointed toward a well-kept half-timber structure with a slate roof. It had a wide porch with numerous Amazon warriors, most in warhawk Rider red, milling about. Since none of the inn's patrons looked particularly wealthy, she figured the place had reasonable rates. "Let's get a room there. It's close to the castle and the mews."
Inside, they found it to be clean and brightly lit. At the back of the entrance hall was a long, dark-stained counter where they checked in. To the left was a dining room, and opposite that was a tavern, or pub as the Amazon clerk called it. By the number of women in both, Danica decided they must be popular with the locals. After paying for their room, a pair of teens in crisp uniforms took their saddlebags and led them upstairs.
Danica was pleased by the cleanliness of the room. It was small, but had a large window that allowed light to flood the space. The furnishings appeared new and in excellent repair. And the rates they had paid were low by Jarland standards, just as the fees at the mews had been.
After receiving their keys from the teens, and handing over tips in return, they went over to the wash basin to clean up before going downstairs for dinner. After Danica shed her steel cuirass and replaced the sweat-soaked shirt with a clean one, they headed down to the pub. They found themselves an empty table and ordered food and ales. When the ales arrived, Cat sipped at hers while Danica drained off half of her mug right away.
Smacking her lips, "Amazons make pretty good ale, don't you think?"
"Don't enjoy too much. You know how much trouble you get into when you're drunk," Cat said.
Danica frowned. After failing to get her male body back, Danica had gone out and gotten drunk for a few days. Got in a fight every time, and lost every one. Fortunately, Talar had helped with some healing, though he really didn't like it. Cat was always there to save Danica's butt and get her back home safely.
"Don't worry, I'm over myself now," Danica said, casually glancing around. Then when her eyes finally came to rest on a pair of soldiers decked out in the all red uniform of an Amazon Air Cavalry Rider. "Time to get to work."
Danica stood and ambled over to the next table. Cat followed, though she looked uncertain.
"Hello, I'm Danica," she said, then indicat
ed Cat. "This is my friend, Cat. May we join you?"
"Yes, yes indeed. I am Brenda and my friend is Camilla," a tall blonde said, pulling a chair out. Her raven-haired companion pulled a seat out for Cat. "Your accent sounds Jarlander?"
"You are correct, my Lady," Danica said, then lowered her voice. "We just flew in a little while ago, and are at something of a loss." She glanced around to ensure no one was listening. "How does this tipping thing work? How much do we give, and when is it necessary?"
The Amazons laughed. They explained how a certain percentage of the cost of whatever service, such as serving a meal, was given when a person departed. Usually ten to fifteen percent. But it also depended on the quality of the service.
When their meals arrived, Danica offered to buy the two Amazons some food, which was declined, so she bought another round for the table. After several such rounds the Amazons were even friendlier and more generous with information about their beloved Empire. Danica judged the time right.
"I must confess to you," she said in lowered tones. "I've got ulterior motives for coming here." After another glance around to ensure privacy, but mostly to draw her companions in with curiosity, she continued. "I've have been cursed by a wizard."
The Amazons gasped and Cat almost turned white.
"What kind of curse?" Camilla said.
"I must deliver a message to a sorceress here in the Empire, or I'll turn into a dog," she said, sounding as somber as possible.
The Amazons were aghast.
"How horrible," Brenda cried. "What are you going to do?"
Such relief flowed through her. Danica had thrown the "turned into a dog" part in hardly without thought. She'd feared she'd overdone it, but the two women seemed honestly concerned.
Into Lands Forbidden (The Elfmaid Trilogy Book 2) Page 4