by D. H. Aire
“I don’t disagree about that. But Je’orj is not going to let her just go… He’s worried about her and Ri’ori.”
“I thought Cathartans, well, are rather liberal about the raising of children.”
“We are to an extent… Even I wouldn’t want to throw a young mother into a battle for her life lightly. And this is Fri’il we are talking about.”
Lonny sighed. “And Je’orj is rather headstrong.”
The Empress glanced at Se’and, who acknowledged, “You could say that.”
“In other words, no matter what I command, he’s going after Fri’il…”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Although, the Mother Shaman claims he will not succeed.”
“Then see to it he realizes that before I lose my Empire.”
Se’and bowed.
#
Fri’il climbed up into the attic in only her black bodice, daggers strapped to her arms and thighs. The sword lay in plain sight in its scabbard. The rolled up tapestry she knew only too well rocked at her presence. “Behave,” she said as her crystal anklet flared.
It stilled.
She went over and knelt beside the sword, picking it up, she partially drew it. The metal was black as night. “I somehow suspect you were expecting me.”
The metal gleamed as prophecy called.
#
The Empress frowned at Se’and’s sudden return and not alone, “Je’orj?”
“Uh, sorry, Your Majesty,” he said, “for the deception.”
“Aaprin?” she replied.
The Je’orj before her nodded, appearing to lean on Staff.
“Gallen, you have mastered illusion to a surprising degree,” the Empress said.
“I had quite a bit of time in the Old Mage Academy,” the Staff apparently said, “Your Majesty.”
The Empress blinked in surprise and glanced at Se’and, who was not, replied, “Your Majesty, I’m Andre.”
Raven sat quietly panting at “George’s” side and suddenly said, “I hate this.”
The Empress laughed, “Oh, my, Gallen, is Juels really on all fours?”
“It’s easier,” “Staff” replied.
“Excellent representation of Staff, by-the-way,” the Empress commented.
The Staff seemed to blush, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“At least you’re fully clothed,” Juels growled.
The Empress shook her head, “Oh, my… Aaprin, play Highmage then, just don’t mess this up.”
“That’s the plan,” Aaprin replied, frowning.
Well, Lord Je’orj’s plan, anyway.
He blinked, wondering about that errant thought. He bowed as Juels seemed to bound away.
Gallen muttered, “Come on.”
Juels glanced back and winced, trying to clamp down hard on her once more welling luck.
#
“George, you want us to what?” Lawson said as Se’and shook her head disapprovingly.
“Well, you and I need some time to catch up,” George said. “And the unicorn going north with the Highmage will add a nice touch, don’t you think?”
“But that means, I’m going north, too,” Casber said.
“Greth, you’ll keep him safely out of trouble,” George replied, “with help from one of my new warder friends and Cle’or, who seems so good with children.”
She grimaced.
“You do realize our young friend is always finding trouble,” the troll replied. “Wouldn’t it be better for him to… well, stay here in the Capital?”
“He’s safer in a battlefield than anywhere near the Imperial Court, believe me… and I’ve a feeling that, uh, mother, sent Lawson to see me for a good reason.”
The dwarf troll nodded, “She was, um, rather insistent.”
“Good, then you can tell me all about it as we catch up to Fri’il.”
“You mean, slip out of town,” Cle’or said.
“We’ll find her soon enough,” he replied.
Se’and glanced at Cle’or, “Always the optimist.”
#
Tett and Spiro headed down to the docks, packs slung over their backs. “Remind me to stab Fronkwin in the back someday for this.”
“What? Are you afraid to visit the old warren?”
“Tett, you do remember living in those hovels?”
“So, they were a bit, uh, cozy.”
“How old were you when you left?”
“Fifteen… I think.”
Spiro shook his head, “And you remember why you left?”
“Backbreaking work, being cursed for not working fast enough, oh, and there was the whipping.”
“The Tanish whipped you?”
“No, my father did.”
Spiro paused, “I don’t want to know.”
“It wasn’t my fault… I, uh, wanted to get married.”
“You didn’t…”
“Huh? Oh, no, I just mentioned to Pa that I wanted to get married and make a life in the warren like he did.”
“Tett, he did you a favor.”
“I know; a young dwarf can be a fool dwarf.”
They saw the ship in the harbor. Hunched over dwarves were serving as crew as the Tanish captain shouted orders in a voice dripping with sarcasm, “You lazy…”
“Welcome home, Tett,” Spiro muttered.
#
“Lady Fri’il, please let us escort you back to the palace.”
Fri’il smiled at the dwarven guards. “Get your horses then,” she replied, mounting her battle steed mare. As they left, her mare and the stallion, that never left the mare’s side, bolted, knocking the gate ajar as they raced downTier.
The dwarves gaped, then began to run hopelessly after her. The Cathartans remained where they were, knowing their orders well. Guard the house of the Highmage and do nothing to inhibit Fri’il going about her business, her very Cathartan business.
#
The captain stared at the three Cathartans. “You want to book passage for someone else and their two horses?”
“Yes, Captain… as you know, we pay rather well.”
“This ship is going nowhere near Catha… We’re bound for Hollif.”
“We understand. We ask no more of you than that,” the single gray haired woman said.
“And that you do not let anyone know what this conversation was about,” the youngest added, passing him an envelope. “All anyone need know, if you are pressed, is that we asked you to deliver that letter.”
“Lady Cle’od, what am I to do with this?”
“Why, Captain, give it to anyone that demands it of you,” she replied with a smile.
He nodded, “I’ll never understand you people… but you certainly pay well.”
#
Cle’or shook her head, “I must go with you.”
“That’s what everyone thinks, which is why you’re going with Gallen and Aaprin, who will be looking like me… and you know Truthsayer. They don’t.”
Se’and half-whispered, “Cle, he’s right.”
“Right or not, I don’t have to like it… at least, you’ll have Lonny,” she replied.
“I’m staying here,” Lonny said. “I’ll not leave the Empress’s side, Milord… and my, uh, friends will serve you as faithful mounts and more.”
“No mares?” George said, hopefully.
“None,” she replied.
“Then last point…” George said in all seriousness, “Cle’or, don’t hesitate to geld Grendelsteed, if he’s up to his old tricks.”
“Oh, I won’t,” Cle’or answered.
Lonny grinned, “Also, tell him to stay away from the Capital, or else I’ll do worse to him.”
Cle’or smiled, “I’ll pass that along.”
#
“The Highmage must have an escort,” Lee said to Terhun as he donned his chainmail.
“Lee, what are you talking about?”
Esperanza shook her head, “You’ve had a busy day… Lord Je’orj isn’t the one heading north.”
>
The spymaster frowned. “What have my people missed?”
“You’ll be hearing soon enough that Lady Fri’il’s riding alone toward the harbor to take ship back to Cathart,” Esperanza said. “Mother Shaman De’ohr’s apparently had a vision.”
“Je’orj will go after her, then… Now, why, don’t my people know this and you do?”
Lee shook his head, “We had Thomi taken up to our suite and put him to bed.”
Esperanza shrugged, “He’s talking in his sleep.”
Terhun glanced from one to the other, “Exactly what’s he saying?”
Chapter 23 - Boon
For an ogre, Walsh was brighter than most. He remembered enough at least to know the signs. He carefully tapped the wall until eventually he heard a response. Mallory came shortly thereafter, through the front door rather than through any of the hidden ways.
“Walsh.”
“First… Officer.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Thomi… not… quite… himself.”
She frowned. “Anyone we know?”
He shrugged, gesturing, unable to speak more meaningfully. She followed him to the guest room and as the door opened, she saw Thomi glistening with sweat. “He’s fevered. You should send for a healer.”
“Not… fever… Touch him.”
She put her forefinger to his forehead and… her eyes widened. Thomi, eyes closed, began to whisper… Vision flooded her. She stumbled backward. “Walsh?”
“What… did… you… see?”
“That troll.”
“The… little one?”
“No, the tall handsome one,” she replied, blushing.
Walsh blinked. “I… saw Thomi… me… with… little one… riding south.”
“When?”
He went to the window and pointed at the sun, moved his finger a short distance. “Then.”
Mallory frowned, “He’ll need a stimulant then… I’ll see to getting a charm from the palace healers.”
When she left, the ogre canted his head and muttered, “Handsome… one? Thomi… she… has… it… bad.”
#
Yel’ane and the girls found themselves being hugged by Sisters and aunties alike upon their arrival in what seemed to be an old Temple in one of the lower tiers of the city. Ani’ya’s Aunt Re’ut had taken charge of them until they got word that the Mother Shaman wished to see them.
Vi’ya gasped, “Mommy!” as soon did En’sta and the others.
The little girls ran across the room ignoring the fact that they should be standing at attention like Yel’ane, who knew better than to do any such thing as she stood there in secondhand livery at least one size too small for her.
“Yel’ane, you and Nessa Me’oh’s Daughter, did well… very well.”
Yel’ane held her breath and gave an appreciative bow.
“Is there any boon you would ask of our Shattered House?”
En’sta gasped, “Yel’ane! Please! Oh, please.”
She glanced at the seven-year-olds, swallowed hard, “I… I ask… I ask one thing I have no right to.”
De’ohr frowned, vision wheeling. “You may ask anything, daughter of Ryff.”
“Ahem, well… they’ve sort of adopted… um…” Yel’ane stammered.
Vi’ya had her hands to her mouth, nodding and nodding as En’sta wiped tears suddenly welling from her eyes, as Ani’ya and the others seemed to whisper, “Yes, yes, yes…”
Seeing the little girls' encouragement, Yel’ane said, “My charges and I, pending their mothers’ approval, wish to bond…”
#
Battle steeds entered the Temple courtyard as the old priest stared. “My, oh, my… what brings you here?”
Re’ut and Le’ann came out of the main doors and stopped to stare. Yel’ane followed them out, bow slung and quiver slung across her back and paused. The fourteen-year-old swallowed as she saw the steeds, then she straightened her shoulders and stepped passed the two women, “You honor us with your presence.”
One of the steeds, a roan, knelt. She climbed his back saying, “You coming or not?”
Re’ut and Le’ann glanced at each other, the Re’ut said, “He better be worth it.”
“He is… and he needs a strong woman’s hand,” she said, only half feigning years of maturity she did not have, but it was her boon De’ohr asked for, wasn’t it?
Other black liveried Cathartans finished their farewells and entered the courtyard as one after another of the steeds accepted them. En’sta called after, “He’s gonna be a bit difficult about all this… but… watch over him and bring our husband back safe and sound!”
Re’ut winced. “Yel’ane, we’re bound by honor… but this is…”
“They chose him. I’m only fulfilling what they want…”
“They are seven-year-olds!” Le’ann rasped back.
Yel’ane swallowed, “They won’t always be… and we’re a Shattered House. You didn’t have to agree.”
“Oh, yes, we did,” Re’ut muttered, “we thought them lost… dead.”
“And seeing them cry in support of your petition,” Le’ann muttered, “with De’ohr staring us down.”
The last Cathartans mounted. Half sported bows and quivers, while the others bore swords slung across their backs beneath their travel packs.
“Oh, lead on, Lady Yel’ane,” Re’ut said. “We must catch up to your… our… husband to be.”
The fourteen-year-old swallowed, glanced back at her mother, who gave her that always disapproving smile of hers, and knew she was free of the woman forever. She was bound as an adult now… the others who had offered themselves until the girls’ majority waited on her.
She kicked her heels and held on as the steed cantered forward.
#
“Sergeant Grigg, you and your men will accompany Lord Thomi south. We’ve a delegation of some two hundred men under the flag of Lord Rian, heading this way.”
“Yessir, but…”
Terhun shook his head, “I need someone I can trust, Grigg, and you and your men have… proven loyal when others failed to.”
Grigg wanted nothing more than to stay and make sure that Revit and Aliana were keeping their word to him. “Yessir.”
Terhun whispered, “Loyalty has its own rewards, my friend.”
The veteran frowned.
“Gather your men. The Empress’s delegation will include Lord Lawson and several warder mages.”
“Lord who?”
“The, um, dwarf troll… The Empress has made him an ambassador.”
“He rides?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure… you’ll need to ask him.”
#
“Can you scan for her?” George asked as Se’and held Staff and he put on a black robe and raised its cowl.
:I have her at the harbor. She’s our two battle steeds with her.:
“At least she hasn’t completely lost her senses, then,” George replied. “Raven, please go have a talk with her. Tell her I’m more than willing to help… which is true enough. Just delay her.”
Raven bounded to the window and… leaped through it, shattering it, then changed and flew off.
Se’and sighed, “That’s not going to work.”
“Fate’s what we make it,” he replied as Se’and put on her own black robe.
“No, fate’s what seems to play with you when you fight it,” she replied.
:I think she has a point, George. But I have your back, anyway:
“Don’t you start.”
:She’s boarding a ship… They’re harnessing the steeds to hoist them aboard. They’re preparing to clear its moorings:
George rushed out the door, Se’and close on his heels. Reaching the courtyard he paused, finding Lawson and two warder mages at his side. “Where are our mounts?”
Se’and took a deep breath as Lawson said, “I think they all went with the Highmage and his escort.”
“Argh.”
#
Aaprin rode with Gallen at his back, looking like the Highmage with his Staff, strapped across his shoulders. Ander, in Se’and’s guise, rode parallel to him with Juels illusioned in beast form mounted just in front of her. Their warder mage rode just behind them and Cle’or about ten feet ahead of them with Casber on the unicorn.
If the unicorn’s presence was not startling enough, the troll running alongside it was something that not only their Legionnaire escort, under the command of the newly promoted Lord Sianhiel, found odd, but those hastening out of their way on the North Road.
Aaprin glanced back at the seven tiered city behind them. “We just have to keep telling ourselves that this is going to go well.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Gallen muttered in his ear.
#
Thomi blinked, the charm around his neck twinkling. “Sergeant, did you say that, um, I’m in charge?”
“Yessir, I did,” Grigg replied.
“Am I dreaming?”
“Dreaming, Milord?”
“Yes, I remember being rather tired, then falling asleep.”
“Sir, I’ve no doubt you’ve been a bit bleary… But we’ve a job to do. Right this way, Milord.”
“Job… job to do… what exactly?” Walsh prodded him and Thomi walked a bit faster.
“We’re to accompany Lord Lawson. A delegation from—”
“Lord Rian,” Thomi gasped. “That I know.” He glanced at Walsh, who nodded. “Uh, I’m going to need my, uh… horse.”
They paused seeing a black cloaked and hooded warder apparently cursing as he waved his wooden staff.
Walsh muttered, “These… warders… with… us.”
Thomi cleared his throat, “Sergeant, I want our mounts brought up on the double.”
“Yessir! You lot, stop just standing around and staring… bring up mounts for all of us.”
“Uh, sir, all the steeds went with the Highmage.”
They suddenly heard the sound of clopping hooves and turned to see ten battle steeds coming up from the West Gate.
“Apparently, not all the steeds,” Thomi muttered.
The dwarf troll grinned, “Why, that’s Yel’ane.”
#
The steeds drew to a halt as Lawson came forward, “Yel’ane, I didn’t expect to see you any time soon.”
The young woman swallowed, “Uh, I found a way to thank you.”
“Thank me?”
“I seem to remember your saving my life… and you did tell us bedtime stories a time or two to help us fall asleep.”