Preserving the Ingenairii

by Jeffrey Quyle

  “Here,” Alec announced, as he saw someone approaching. “Let’s step back here,” they edged up against the retaining wall. “Keep an eye on that couple from Indige,” he pointed.

  Jeswyne studied the couple, a lively girl leading a boy. “He looks just like you!” she said in astonishment.

  “That is me, the first time I was here, over fifty years ago,” he confirmed.

  “And who is that girl? She seems very familiar with you,” Jeswyne said in a disapproving voice.

  “Her name is Rief. She’s a slave for the clan, and she became my personal extension,” Alec answered.

  Four men from Canare clan accosted the young couple, and one of them handled Rief unpleasantly. “Don’t get yourself in trouble!” Rief said loudly to the younger Alec. And then Alec grabbed the Canare assailant.

  In a blur, Alec turned against the men behind him, then spun to catch a knife thrown at him. He pegged two knives in Laver’s shoes and retrieved Rief, then sheltered her from another knife throw that landed in his shoulder. In seconds the imperial patrol began to converge on the scene.

  “Let’s go on,” Alec said quietly, and they walked away rapidly. “She was my personal extension for just a few days. But she was a very good friend, and a loyal one. She became an ingenaire a little later. It was nice to see her again.”

  Jeswyne was quiet for several minutes as they walked through the crowd. “Did you love her?” she asked.

  “As a friend, yes, very dearly,” Alec admitted. “But my heart belonged to Bethany, and I made that clear. We were only friends.”

  “Can you love me, with all these ghosts of old friends and lovers from the life you never fulfilled?” Jeswyne asked.

  Alec put his arms around her and they disappeared from the middle of the startled crowd at the promenade. They suddenly stood in an empty promenade. “You have my heart in your hands,” Alec told Jeswyne. He suddenly felt very old and protective. “We’re back in our own time, and in three days we will be married as man and wife.” He kissed her tenderly, and felt the need to lighten the mood.

  “So when we go back to the Dominion, we can tell everyone that your father offered a peace treaty if I took you off his hands, is that fair to say?” he asked with a laugh.

  Jeswyne punched his chest in mock anger as she made a very unladylike comment, and then Alec transported them back to the cottage, where he silently remembered his friends from his earlier life and told himself not to ever go back to see any of them again; it opened too much musing about what might have been.

  Chapter 54 – A Ceremony Sabotaged

  The next morning Alec rose and was escorted to see Anatoli. “I’d like a guide to take me to the Poklonna Heights castle,” he told Anatoli, and explained his plan.

  After a brief breakfast, Alec and two soldiers rode horses across the city to its hilly outskirts, where the castle looked down over a busy road through a valley; they passed through the blockading forces to get closer. Alec climbed up into the hills to an empty gully, and transported himself back a year in time. He climbed down and walked up the trail to the gate of the castle, which on that date was a little-used post.

  “I’m a new healer sent to inspect the men,” Alec announced, holding up a bag of medical supplies. He was admitted into the castle and set up an examination room where he saw all soldiers who sought aid. He treated them all seriously, curing some significant cases, but masking his ingenaire abilities behind remedies of teas and salves and other medicines. Afterward, he was allowed to roam through the castle by a commander who thought he was interested in the history of the ancient post.

  Alec found what he wanted. High in a tower that looked out over the main entryway and the castle yard, Alec chose a room that could be secured from forces below. He transported himself through time to the morning he had set out from Sergey’s palace, and found the room empty still. He bolted and locked the doors to secure the room, then transported himself back to the palace armory. In the next few minutes he carried a dozen armed men to the secure room, and stationed them with bows and arrows aimed at the inside of the gates, then he left again to notify the besieging force to move towards the gate.

  With all that set in motion, Alec pulled out his sword and transported himself back to the gatehouse inside the castle, where he surprised and overcame two guards, then opened the castle gates for the arrival of Sergey’s forces. As Mikhail’s defenders began to rush to the gatehouse, the archers in the tower unleashed their arrows upon them, and soon Sergey had men in the fortress and a search was underway, which quickly produced Mikhail. Satisfied, Alec translocated back to the palace and informed Anatoli and the emperor of the success of the venture.

  After lunch, he was invited by Jeswyne to help plan the wedding. They quickly agreed that a demon would not have to be called as part of the ceremony, even though it was traditional for imperial weddings. “I really think the guests will understand; his title is Demonslayer, after all,” Jeswyne pointed out to her despondent mother.

  Alec soon left to go to the armory to work out with the members of the Imperial Guard, working up a heavy sweat after hours of practice.

  The following morning, Alec was awoken with a message that the trip to the treaty-signing ceremony was to begin shortly. He hurriedly cleaned and dressed, then followed his guard to the emperor’s offices. “Since your majesty has provided so many surprises for us in recent days, it seemed we should return the favor,” Sergey told Alec. “I hate to admit it, but this is Jeswyne’s idea, and it seemed like a good one to me. Let’s head out to the stables.”

  Escorted by several guards, more than usual, Alec and Sergey walked to the stables and then around the corner to a field where a dozen restorers stood placidly eating fodder. Jeswyne and a small group of guards were awaiting them.

  “We’re going to go to the battlefront and sign the treaty there, Alec!” Jeswyne told him. “We can invite your officers to come to the ceremony and maybe,” she paused, “we could bring a few friends back with us to attend the wedding.

  “Is it a good idea?” she looked up at him for affirmation.

  “It is all a splendid idea!” Alec enthusiastically told her. Soon they were all mounted on the animals. Two army generals went first, then six imperial guards, then the emperor and Anatoli, and finally Alec and Jeswyne. By the time the last two animals arrived at the army camp it was abuzz with anxious rumors over the unprecedented arrival of the emperor at the battle front, surmounted only by the inexplicable entry of the King of the Dominion aboard one of the empire’s own restorers.

  “General Bronson, it’s a pleasure to see you again,” Alec said merrily as he left the restorers’ stable area.

  “Your highness, it’s a pleasure for me as well, since it doesn’t seem I’ll have to face you in combat,” the dumbfounded general replied.

  A white flag was quickly arranged, and Alec himself, accompanied by Jeswyne, carried it across the no man’s land between the two armies.

  Field Marshal Ulltar was waiting as Alec and Jeswyne passed into the Dominion camp.

  “Your highness, you astonish me,” the field marshal announced as he and Alec saluted.

  “Marshal, I come bearing gifts. Would you please call together a meeting of the general staff and her ladyship’s retinue immediately? We must move quickly to return to the Michian camp.”

  “At once, your highness,” Ulltar said in confusion, as muttering spread among those within earshot. He sent messengers, then accompanied Alec and Jeswyne as they walked through camp to the meeting tent. As Alec and Jeswyne waited and drank water, the tent and surrounding area filled rapidly. Alec saw Lockeson, Chambers and Millerson, plus other faces he recognized. In addition he saw Stracha and Givens.

  It was time to speak, he concluded. “Today I bring you two valuable items,” Alec began. “The first is the news that the Lady Jeswyne has agreed to marry me, and to become the Queen of the Dominion. She and I will soon take up residence in the palace at Oyster Bay.

>   “The second piece of news is that in order to receive her, I had to agree to a peace treaty with Michian. The treaty will be signed soon, and the Michian forces will be expected to withdraw from the Dominion soil without further bloodshed,” he told his listeners.

  “How many ways are you going to twist that story?” Jeswyne asked softly.

  “Listen to the applause it’s getting,” Alec admonished her. “You’ll go down in history for being the queen worth a peace treaty!”

  Alec invited the officer corps and Jeswyne’s small band of followers to return with them to the signing ceremony in the Michian camp, and soon there was a score of Dominion people entering the Michian base. The Dominion people stood on one side of the table behind Alec, while the Michian spectators stood behind the emperor as the treaty was signed to end the war.

  Jeswyne asked Stracha, Givens and Danel to return to Michian for the wedding, and Alec invited Moab and Lewis as well. Many of the restorers carried two passengers on their backs as they returned to the palace that afternoon. That night Givens tried to talk Alec into a night of carousing among the bars for his last evening of bachelorhood; Alec steadfastly refused, but instead transported all his Dominion friends and Jeswyne to the promenade at a time two years prior, where they caroused for hours until Alec brought the company back to the palace one-by-one.

  “You’ll be a busy woman soon,” Alec told Stracha as they traveled. “You’ll be married to Danel soon, I’m sure.”

  “If he ever gets up the nerve to ask,” she retorted.

  “You’ll be the healer ingenaire most in demand because of your powerful talent,” he added. “And Jeswyne will want you around the Oyster Bay court constantly as a friend and companion.”

  “I love that girl. It won’t be a problem to spend time with her,” Stracha replied.

  “I’m so glad you came to your senses and went to Michian to get her back,” the healer told her king.

  “You gave me the little push I think I needed,” Alec admitted, as they jumped into the palace.

  “The two of you took longer than anyone else to return,” Jeswyne observed as Alec released Stracha.

  “We had a lot to talk about,” Alec explained. “Healer topics,” he spoke loftily. “And you,” he added.

  “Stracha will tell me all about it,” Jeswyne said confidently.

  “Oh no!” Alec said in mock horror.

  Jeswyne gave him an affectionate shove, and the party split apart for the night, a bemused Lewis joining the giggling Stracha and Jeswyne as the men followed Alec to slumber in his garden cottage.

  The next morning Alec listened to a set of instructions on the ceremonial duties he would fulfill in the wedding. The function would begin before noon and finish after noon in accordance with the customs for the wedding ceremony. “Really? I have to wear that?” he asked his polite, slightly nervous, assigned courtier twice. “And I don’t wear any weapons at all?”

  “No sire, you’re entering matrimony, not a battle, or so we are expected to pretend. Weapons are not needed to woo your lovely bride,” the courtier urbanely persuaded Alec.

  And so, at a half hour before noon, Alec stood in an antechamber of a great hall, wearing a bulky black robe. With him were Jeswyne’s brother, Eduard, and Geni from the imperial guard, as well as Moab and Givens. They saw the sign from the presiding priest, and began to walk down the aisle of the massive room, to the central point, where Jeswyne awaited him in a bright blue gown.

  Alec walked at a ponderous rate, then gave a sigh and got down on his knees to crawl to Jeswyne. “Is this supposed to humiliate me? Does every groom have to do this?” Alec had asked his courtier.

  “Every groom does this,” he assured Alec.

  He reached the step below her and looked at her face, where a solemn set of lips sat just below a twinkling set of eyes. Rolling his eyes at her, he saw just the tip of her tongue dart out momentarily at him in the middle of the ghost of a smile. He grinned despite himself, then stood, and removed the blue gown she wore, revealing a green sheer gown beneath, as the priest declaimed about the shedding of old sorrows to be replaced by the growth of the new relationship in marriage.

  Alec’s head began to throb, but he ignored it as Jeswyne reached to unbuckle his black robe. The voluminous swath of cloth slid to the floor with a sibilant hiss, and revealed the sheer white tunic he wore underneath. The priest spoke again about the shedding of old ways for the adoption of new habits and ways.

  Alec felt great pain and fear, and he suddenly understood that his spiritual powers were detecting the release of a demon. He disrupted the ceremony, causing gasps from the crowd as he abruptly turned; “Moab, Givens, do you have swords? There’s a demon nearby,” he said.

  The people in the ceremony, and those in the front of the hall who heard him froze, then turned around, looking for a monster to erupt. Moab and Givens shook their heads at Alec’s request for a weapon, and began frantically looking for anything they could use.

  Mutters swept loudly through the crowd. Alec looked at Jeswyne, whose eyes were large. “Where is it, Alec?” she asked.

  Alec looked around, but there was no sign of a demon, or of the sorcerers he might expect, though the feeling persisted in drilling through his consciousness.

  Turning back to her, he blushed and shrugged, and the priest suggested they return to the ceremony.

  And at that moment the demon jumped down from a balcony into the middle of the crowd, screaming with anger and fury, flailing its claws and snapping its snout at numerous victims.

  “Jeswyne, go someplace safe!” Alec shouted, as the demon began to make a rapid advance towards their location at the front of the hall.

  “Alec! Come with me,” he heard her call behind him as he ran at the demon, hoping to distract and slow it down.

  The monster saw Alec, and swept its claws at him. He leapt high in the air, using his powers, and grabbed onto the shoulder of the creature, trying to swing himself up onto the back of its neck. Instead he was brutally flung about as the creature continued to move forward, and reached over its back with its other arm simultaneously, trying to grab him.

  He slid down the back and futilely tried punching it in the region where a human would have kidneys, but he inflicted no harm. He heard a scream in front of the demon, and climbed up its back to peer over its shoulder, then screamed in horror as he saw the demonic claws cut through Jeswyne, dropping her in a bloody mass.

  Alec flipped himself over the shoulder of the demon, landed on Jeswyne, enveloping her in his arms. He felt the claws start to rake him as he blasted his translocation powers to instinctively take his bride to the only place where she could be healed.

  Chapter 55 – The End of the Battle

  Alec looked up at the stony ceiling of John Mark’s cavern. “Heal her please, father!”

  He looked down at her pale face. Her body was whole again. Through the shredded cloth of her bridal gown he could see faint scars from the traces of the demon’s attack.

  “Send me back! Let me fight them!” Alec shouted.

  “Shouldn’t you at least say ‘thank you?’” John Mark asked.

  “Thank you. Thank you for saving her. Is she going to live?” Alec spoke to the familiar saintly figure.

  “Yes Alec, she will live. Your instinct to bring her here was correct. Her wounds are healed. There are some other matters we will need to discuss, but they won’t be of concern to you at this moment,” John Mark said.

  “Send me back. Will you please send me back to fight that monster?” Alec begged as he picked up the slumbering girl and held her close. “Let me leave her here, safe, and I’ll come back to get her after the battle.”

  “There will be some small complications, but your wish is granted. Go with God’s blessings,” John Mark told Alec, and he felt himself return to the horror of the wedding hall. As soon as he was back, Alec transported himself to the armory at the palace.

  “My lord, what are you doing here?” a soldier
asked, looking in astonishment at his ripped tunic.

  Alec didn’t answer, but grabbed a sword and a bandolier of knives, then launched himself back to the hall, landing up in the balcony where the demon had come from. There was a dead body of a sacrifice laying on the stone floor, and a black robed sorceress spinning around to see Alec, as he began to swing his sword at the small handful of guards there protecting the sorceress.

  Alec stabbed at one guard, then he pulled out a knife and flung it at the sorceress, as he proceeded to stab another guard. He skipped forward a step and swept his sword across the throat of the dying sorceress, then jumped up on the stone banister and jumped down to the chaotic floor below. The demon was suffering the shuddering shrinkage that came with the death of the person that had called it, and it turned to see what was occurring above it.

  Alec flung a knife at the demon’s face to attract its attention, then began to run forward, brandishing his sword and screaming a primal war cry that expressed all the anguish and anger he felt at the despicable violence unleashed upon his wedding. Alec engaged the demon, swinging his sword deftly to protect himself while suffering cuts and small pains, but he persevered as he drew the demon away from the injured bodies it had strewn across the floor.

  “Go back! Go back to your master and never return among the living!” Alec screamed. He pulled out a dagger and flung it, then flung another and another, distracting the demon’s attention until he suddenly dove beneath the monster and stabbed upward, then rolled to his right and sliced at the ribs of the beast as it bent over to reach where Alec had just been.

  The creature was screaming with rage and pain. Alec raised his sword high as he jumped in the air, then swept the sword down as he fell back to earth. The blade cleaved deep into the neck of the demon, then broke, and the unexpected snap pulled Alec underneath the foul body as it began to collapse.

  He scrambled away, feeling pain across his legs as the dark blood of the monster splashed across him. Then the monster began to disintegrate as he had seen occur before with the death of demons, small bats emerging from the particles of flesh that were collapsing with the carcass. The bats began to flitter through the building, landing on victims; one found Alec close at hand. He swept his hands in panic, knocking loose the small creature that was nipping at his scalp. The pyrotechnic display of exploding bats came next, and as Alec expected, the dead demon’s own body burst into an intense flame.