by E G Manetti
Demon shit. “Ten million buys a lot of accidents.”
“Yes, Monsignor. The governor’s militia is holding the drivers of the accident.”
There is a stir to Lucius’ right as Apollo forces his way through the throng. “What is amiss? Trevelyan has spent more attention on his slate than the race.”
»◊«
The security controls respond to Lilian’s touch, rewarding the bells she has spent maintaining them over the past three years. Tabitha and Stefan take their positions. At his nod, she signals Katleen and recesses the gate. Clinging to the shadows, she waits for the gates to open and reveal the prize hunters holding Mr. Hidaka on his knees, a dagger poised over his bleeding back. The dagger-wielding prize hunter looks up. Sinead’s guard must be emerging.
The hunter reaches for his fire-pistol. Fireburst sounds and he drops.
Stefan and Tabitha have yet to fire. Before they can react, the other prize hunters release Hidaka and raise their pistols, pointing not at the house but down the street. Fireburst sounds again, and the prize hunters collapse.
Rescue has arrived. Whether Serengeti or the governor’s militia, it matters not.
Holding up a hand to halt Lilian’s forward movement, Stefan steps out of the shadows and peers down the street. Fireburst has ceased to sound. There is naught but the hum of a transport. Stefan’s hand drops and she reaches the mews entrance in time to watch a black transport disappear from the corpse-strewn street. Whoever rescued them, it was not Serengeti or the governor’s militia.
A figure in black races to Hidaka, reaching him in time to catch him as he collapses. A moment later, Waiman reaches the couple, an aid satchel in hand.
»◊«
At fifth bell after midday, Katleen’s kitchen is beyond crowded. In addition to those who began the day, Master Chin, Seigneur Thorvald, Chrys, Douglas, Mr. Hidaka, his spouse, and his heir swell the company. A dozen of the Serengeti Militia are ranged within the house and without, arriving no more than five minutes after the prize hunters were vanquished. Seigneur Trevelyan is in route from the observatory and she would not be surprised if Apollo and Lord Gilead are with him.
Reassured that Master Chin has Mr. Hidaka’s care well in hand, Lilian retreats to the garden bench. The ache in her ribs has subsided, but the events of the day have left her weary. A bright chirp from the wall alerts her to Gloribelle’s presence as, with surprising grace, the terrier-sized creature leaps to the ground. With the distinctive glide-waddle of her species, Gloribelle sidles up to Lilian and settles over her feet with an exhausted sigh.
A soft laugh escapes Lilian. “Is pillaging the young fruit in the overgrown orchard truly so wearisome?”
Gloribelle blinks.
Reaching down to scratch between the small ears, she says, “It is well you were so engaged. I doubt you would enjoy the sound of fireburst.”
“Lilian girl!” Apollo charges from the house. “Are you well? The seer? Katleen?”
With impressive levitation, Gloribelle abandons Lilian to greet Seigneur Trevelyan, confirming her suspicion that the spymaster is as guilty as Katleen when it comes to feeding the tree wombat from the table. The kitchen door opens, and the seer emerges, followed by Seigneur Thorvald. Not one to forgo an opportunity, Gloribelle scampers through the open door.
Assured of Helena’s well-being, Seigneur Trevelyan turns to Lilian, the militia seigneur on his heels. Although she has voiced it to Seigneur Thorvald, Lilian repeats the events of the prize-hunter assault, receiving approval for her strategy. As with Seigneur Thorvald, Seigneur Trevelyan has naught to offer on the source of the black transport. Weary and sore, Lilian has not lost her wits. Three bells of thought have her all but certain that the transport belonged to one of Seigneur Trevelyan’s black or gray commerce contacts.
“Seigneurs, if you please,” Douglas approaches. “The media have arrived.”
While Lilian, Tabitha, and Rebecca endured Seigneur Thorvald’s interrogation, Douglas plotted a media play through a series of rapidly exchanged alerts with Seigneur Aristides. A fireburst fight within a residential section is common in entertainments, but in reality, it is rare and a cause for censure.
Those who wish Lilian ill, which includes most of her neighbors, can claim that since the household was not directly threatened, they are at fault for firing into the street and endangering the neighborhood. Although the snipers fired into the house, they would have owned no cause had Lilian kept the door sealed. That Lilian and her company acted to spare Mr. Hidaka may not be considered mitigation by those who will claim that the old man would have survived to be rescued by the militia. It is essential that Serengeti claim the media streams before they can turn against Lilian and her household.
»◊«
A score of media surround the front staircase of Katleen’s house, held at bay by the Serengeti Militia. On the second step, Mr. Hidaka is flanked by his family as he addresses the throng. “The seer and Adelaide’s Thorn are honorable. Always gracious. Timely in their settlements.”
When challenged at his characterization of a disgraced apprentice as honorable, the café proprietor insists, “I am a humble man. They respect commerce. They yield to order.”
Truth to tell, Lilian’s respect for the café owner’s commerce has served him well. Her presence centered in his café would have ruined him that first year. Her willingness to retreat to a small, uncomfortable table at the edge of the courtyard gained his café notoriety without disgust. It brought in custom he would not have enjoyed otherwise.
The café owner pivots from side to side to encompass the full range of media. “The street was as barren of life as the Crevasse floor.”
His movement displays the bandages covering his torso, evidence of his ordeal, as if his battered countenance were not proof enough. “I knew I was like to die before the militia arrived. Then Adelaide’s Thorn appeared in the doorway, retribution in the air. Thought the snipers had done for her. Had I known the Inversion champions were within, I would have held no concern. Know that they are about, that group.”
As he gestures, white bandages on his wrists become visible.
A media associate at the back shouts, “What of your wrists, Mr. Hidaka?”
The slight figure comes to his toes. “Well you inquire, young woman.”
At the elderly man’s words, the ambitious woman forces her way forward. Eyes shining, Mr. Hidaka yields his tale. “I knew when I was taken what it was. Fell forces have gathered around Adelaide’s Thorn, Servants of Anarchy who would see her dead lest they face ruin for ill-considered wagers. I have viewed eight decades and my heir is prepared. When Adelaide’s Thorn distracted my captors, I sought to bite out my wrists rather than be used by the shadeless scum.”
»◊«
Releasing the visual, Lilian asks Rebecca, “What think you?”
“Mr. Hidaka is a worthy retainer. He has sent the media where we wished.”
There will be condemnation of the fireburst fight, but none will dare suggest that Lilian and her companions should have remained inactive while the gallant Mr. Hidaka was tortured by Servants of Anarchy. His open assertion that the street was uninhabited mitigates the use of firepower.
Nodding her agreement, Lilian considers the small holding chamber in Serengeti Militia Central. The bed is comfortable, and she will not be sealed within the chamber, nor will she be alone, with Rebecca in the next cell. Milord has done what he can to mitigate what he knows Lilian will find distressing. After the prize-hunter assault, there was no other option. Both Seigneurs Trevelyan and Thorvald concurred, as did Apollo. Lilian must remain within the secure confines of the cartel until midday on Settlement Day, when she will be escorted to the alcove, where she will remain until First Day and the formal acceptance of her bond proof. They will risk no further attempts.
Under Seigneur Aristides’ direction, Lilian’s departure from Katleen’s house followed Mr. Hidaka’s statement while the media remained gathered as witness. As the milit
ia ushered Lilian into the transport, Seigneur Trevelyan announced, “Serengeti cannot halt vicious criminals from misusing the innocent and threatening the Order of the Twelve Systems. The cartel will take whatever measures it commands to draw such forces to its well-secured environs and away from the homes of our neighbors.”
It is not only Lilian that Serengeti protects, it is the public.
Also protected are Mr. Hidaka and his family, who are harbored in Jonathan’s Keeper’s Quarters while Katleen and Helena have been relocated to Sinead’s Keeper’s Quarters. With it known Lilian is sealed within the cartel, it is unlikely any will attempt those within the protection of the shrines, but to make certain, Governor Moira has supplemented the ring forces with her own. She cares not for fireburst in the streets of her city.
21. Final
Trials
The proving of the apprentice bond establishes the bonded as a free and credit-worthy citizen. In centuries past, recognition of the bond proof included a bond prize of new garb and the arms or tools for advancement. In the modern era, the bond recognition payment has replaced the bond prize and by custom is equivalent to the final bond payment, but no share is provided to the original conveyer of the bond. Although it is recognized on the day of bond proof, as with all such payments, it is transmitted on the next Settlement Day. ~ excerpt from Apprentice Governance, Serengeti Archives.
Sevenday 150, Day 5
Master fear. Having Lilian within the cartel allowed Lucius to have her in his office before eighth bell chimed and stripped to the waist a few heartbeats later. The bruise on her bare torso is the size of his palm. By the time Chin arrived the day gone, it was too late for sealant to provide any benefit.
Master passion. There were three snipers. It is a wonder the woman lives. She should not have taken such a risk. She well knew his will in this.
Head bowed, arms crossed behind her back, Lilian addresses her shoes. “Milord, truly, I own no discomfort. It is but bruising.”
Self-master. That Lilian remained within Katleen’s house is immaterial. She managed to expose herself to harm while obeying his instructions. She cannot pretend that she did not violate his will, if not his instructions. She knows counterfeit obedience is the same as defiance. Cupping her chin, he forces her to meet his gaze. “It was a dangerous action. Can you truly voice that you believed it my will?”
The gray eyes are dark with distress, her expression resolute. “It was milord’s will that I accept the anointing. I would not defy milord, but I am Adelaide’s Thorn. I may not flinch from the forces of anarchy.”
Demon shit. Many others would accept the protection of prelate rank without honoring the burdens. Lilian is not such a one. If she were, she would hold little value to him. The jaw beneath his fingers is stiff with tension, and dark circles under her eyes attest to lost slumber. For all his anger, the woman cannot truly believe he would indict her at this late date. “Only this day, Lilian? Even now?”
Her eyelids flicker, and she admits, “Even now, milord.”
Releasing his ire and Lilian’s chin, Lucius pulls her close. “You did well. It was an elegant solution to an impossible box. You did well.”
Resting against his chest, Lilian’s hands drop to her sides. Pressing his lips to her head, Lucius draws her tighter to him, his gesture encouraging her to wrap her arms around his waist as she accepts his forgiveness. A breath later, her spine stiffens. Something is amiss.
“Milord, there is something milord must know,” Lilian says into his chest. “It concerns Mistress Elysia.”
Knowing she would not risk effrontery if the matter were not dire, Lucius stays her speech long enough to allow her to don her bra and top before settling them in the comfortable chairs. The tale is brief, if dark, Lilian’s composed delivery not masking her distress at imparting such ill tidings.
“Katleen could offer naught on the source of this maliciousness?”
“No, milord.” Her gaze is on her slate as she evaluates the gossip media. “The media outlets offer a few sly innuendos about Mistress Elysia’s absence from the observatory. Nothing as scurrilous as what Katleen has encountered.”
Lucius no more suspects the free-traders than Lilian. The source of the threat against his child is from within the warrior elite. If Estella were stronger, she would know the source within a sevenday and they would answer this assault with the might of Blooded Dagger. As it is, it may be some time before the culprits are identified. He can task Trevelyan with the investigation but chasing shrine gossip is like chasing smoke, and Trevelyan has naught of Estella’s resources among the elite. For now, Lucius will answer the gossip by releasing Elysia from her restrictions and having her prominent at the Vistrite Cotillion. With Micah returned to his studies on Artesia, he will not be present to fan the flame of gossip. As it is, Cesare and Raphael will not care to act as wardens for Elysia, but there is no other alternative if her behavior is to be above comment.
»◊«
Tiger regards Trevelyan and Thorvald with distaste. The Serengeti warriors have forced their way into his home, and to his mind, they should be thanking him. “You complain that they were slain?”
Trevelyan ignores the proffered seat in favor of standing at windowed doors open to the green-season breezes and an enviable view of the river and the Shrine Ring on the far shore. “Nay, Tiger, it is well they are dead.”
Sprawled in Tiger’s favorite chair, Thorvald says, “What interests us is how ably you responded.”
Dropping on the divan that fronts the open doors, Tiger gives vent to his ire. “You wonder that I tire of your abuse? That I accept that Adelaide’s Thorn unharmed is in my best interest? That I am delighted Monsignor has her tightly confined?”
Thorvald places his booted feet on a priceless antique table. “How so, Tiger?”
Tiger clenches his jaw. “I tire of this. You wished the assassins controlled or destroyed. It has been done. As to my methods, my retainers are not constrained by the niceties of warrior protocol, and my commerce interests extend to the Garden Center. Since you have insisted on my aid in keeping the thorn woman alive, I’ve added extra forces. It required but a single alert to set them in play.”
Trevelyan pins the black raider with his gaze. Why Tiger aided Lilian is readily understood. “How knew you to send the alert?”
“The fools fired upon the house. My operatives are well recompensed,” Tiger replies. “It was not two heartbeats before I knew.”
Tiger voiced naught that Trevelyan did not suspect. He does not offer that Tiger’s operatives are well known to him. Instead, he turns his gaze to Thorvald. The homely warrior nods as he rises. They are done. Does it become necessary, they have what they require to feed Tiger to the media.
Trevelyan rather hopes it will become necessary.
»◊«
At first bell past midday, the Associates’ Hall is as crowded as on moon-race day. Every member of Bright Star and those of the cartel with the status to command it have claimed seats for the final trial of the Nightingale command crew. After this day, their training will be centered on Fortuna.
Seated front and center, Lucius is flanked by Elenora and Hercules, all three surrounded by every headquarters seigneur. Behind them, Cesare and Elysia sit with the protégés and a select handful of Cesare’s and Elysia’s friends. Estella may be weakening, but she has not yet fallen. The demonstration of what Elysia’s friendship brings will do much to halt negative comment as those who would have her friendship will voice no ill.
At Master Straus’ podium, Lilian guides the exercise as, for three periods, the Nightingale command crew simulates the voyage through the beaconless expanse, complete with a demonstration of the Bright Star code with the aid of her consortium friends. The exercise is all but flawless, demonstrating the newly formed command crew’s commitment to training and Lilian’s brilliance. Seated with two archivists, Blythe captures every detail, the results to be evaluated to enhance the training that begins on Fortuna with the
new year. In less than a year, the Nightingale launches for the Thirteenth System. Before then, Lilian will revise and enhance her model until every conceivable risk is identified and overcome.
»◊«
Originally planned for Lucius’ club, Order’s Pinnacle, the reception for the Nightingale command crew has been relocated to Serengeti’s seigneurs’ lounge and dining salon. Impressive at midday when Lucius entertained Horatio, it is spectacular in the evening, the lowering sun casting a golden glow over the Garden Center and cityscape, a single pale moon cresting the distant hills. His plans to carry Lilian from the reception to his penthouse have been altered by the need to keep her within the cartel, and he will not deprive her of attendance at the event that marks the success of the first stage of command crew training.
From the central table he watches the gold-clad Bright Star apprentices gathered by the shielded patio balustrade. Lilian is an enticing vision clad in strapless gold, her loose chignon sparkling with Vistrite and Mercium brilliants. That her choice requires the rose corset is reassuring; her ribs cannot be causing discomfort if she chose the restrictive garment. At a comment from Elenora, he returns his attention to his fellow governors and the four seigneurs honored with a place at their table, Trevelyan, Thorvald, Marco, and Kemeha.
The warm evening air caresses Lilian’s bare shoulders, the sensuous pleasure adding to her delight at the gathering and that milord altered his design to allow her attendance. If her friends regret they were denied access to Order’s Pinnacle, the most exclusive club in the Third System, they voice it naught. For truth, they are far too caught up in the coming Settlement Day, the final one of their bond period.
As Tabitha and Douglas did a year gone, Lilian’s friends have commissioned new commerce wear they will collect on the morrow and don Second Day when their bond has proved and they can discard the livery of apprenticeship. After much negotiation, Rebecca granted Clarice the right to the pink-hued oyster for suits. In return, Clarice has yielded to Rebecca first choice in the embroidered pumps and belts of the season.