Red Queen

by Jolie Jaquinta

  Chapter 30

  Faith

  There was a nervous knock on the under palace door. “Come in”, the Spymaster said, without looking up. He knew who was there. He always did. There was no way to approach this, his sanctum sanctorum, without him knowing. The corridors turned such that any physical approach was well observed ahead of time. The High City itself was guarded from magical approach, the palace further guarded, and he, himself had specifically proofed this individual room.

  Why, was another matter. He had very few expected visitors. So the unexpected was not unusual. It was just another puzzle to solve. He continued to read from one paper, and make notes on another paper. Most often such puzzles resolved themselves. If someone was here, they wanted him for a reason, they, as often as not, answered that question without any prompting.

  The silence dragged on longer than with most visitors. Jack continued to go through the motions of reading and writing, but his glance drifted slightly, so that he might observe his visitor through a strategically placed reflective surface. Coral stood, somberly, dressed in a simple under tunic, waiting patiently. He considered continuing to ignore him, to draw him out. Whoever moved first was at a disadvantage. But this was Coral. He was the Queen's champion of honor and chivalry. Polite to a fault. It could be a long wait to little advantage.

  “Nice of you to drop by”, said Jack, eventually. Then he went on the offensive. “Taking a break from your self-appointed ambassadorial tour? Perhaps to, maybe, check in what our policies are with regard to the courts you are visiting? Or are you now establishing policy for us with the enemy?”

  Coral looked to the ground. “I am just escorting a third party. I do not set her policy, or the Queen's policy.”

  “Your presence makes a statement. Loud and clear. Do not pretend otherwise.” He glowered at the half-elf. “These are delicate matters.”

  “I accept that such delicacy is beyond me. I am just a soldier, not a diplomat”, said Coral simply. “The Queen has neither recalled me nor reprimanded me for fulfilling my oath to Desdemona.”

  “No, the Queen has not. She trusts too much to one who is now serving three masters.”

  Coral shrugged. “It is her prerogative. I have no comment on her choices.”

  Jack looked up in irritation. “Then just why are you here?”

  “I bear a message from my mistress”, answered Coral.

  “Is the half-demon giving you orders now?”

  “No”, said Coral. “I am just her escort.”

  “What is it the Queen wants?” asked Jack, sighing. Coral shook her head. Jack studied him a long moment. “Your... mistress. The hundred and forty fourth?” Coral nodded. Jack studied him for several more long moments, looking for a hint in his expression. “For me?” Coral nodded again. “What is this... message?” He held out his hand with a single piece of folded parchment on it. “It's unsealed”, said Jack. “Do you normally read your mistress's mail?”

  “She did not give it to me sealed”, said Coral, still holding it out, unmoving. “She said it would only have meaning to you.”

  Jack looked at it intently. “And so you have read it?”

  “Yes”, said Coral. “She was right. It has no meaning for me.”

  “Put it on my desk”, said Jack, watching him closely. He was intrigued, despite himself. Coral's mistress represented a considerable force. She did not have the mana of tens of thousands of worshipers at her command, but she did not forget as the gods did. And Jack was quite aware of the power of knowledge. The fact she kept her agenda very close to her stymied him, but also spoke volumes about her understanding of that power. “What did it say?”

  “It's a list of names and of cities”, said Coral, placing it within Jack's reach.

  Jack held several devices near it, before using a stylus to unfold it. “So it is”, he said, finally.

  “I take it the meaning isn't clear to you either”, said Coral.

  “Not yet”, said Jack. He looked back up at Coral. “What did she say it was?”

  “She has decided to aid us”, said Coral. “I know not entirely how she intends that, or how this is to accomplish that.”

  “And what does she think of your oath?” asked Jack.

  “She considers it of no consequence”, said Coral. “She does not think the gods will deal unless they have a more powerful... incentive.”

  Jack raised his eyebrows. That this massive power might aid them was a tremendous opportunity. But also an enormous risk, given how little they knew of her true motives. And for her to say the gods need to be dealt with harshly at the same time she was aiding them! “And this might give them that incentive? What do you think of that?”

  “It frightens me to the core of my being”, said Coral, looking straight at him.

  Jack sighed and steepled his hands. “You are not an easy man to frighten.” Those were not words he would expect to hear from the Queen's champion. But, then, Coral considered it a point of courtesy to be brutally honest with Jack. And he was quite sure Coral was. At least that Coral would be until the one time he decided to betray him.

  Coral shook his head. “Maybe once. I have discovered a great many things recently that frighten me very easily.”

  “That's some confession”, said Jack.

  Coral shrugged. “I've decided to trust you. And, so, I have nothing to hide from you.”

  “Does your mistress share your trust?” he asked. Coral's honesty was not beyond manipulation. He had considered it several times. But he knew the first time would be the last time. It was far better to keep it in waiting.

  “My mistress takes my trust as sufficient. That is why she sent you the message.” Coral indicated the paper that Jack still held at stylus-length.

  “It could be a trap”, mused Jack.

  “Yes, it could be”, said Coral. Jack focused on him once more. “My mistress is subtle. And it may have escaped me. But I think it unlikely. It would be far easier for her to do nothing than to go through extra effort for some sort of elaborate subterfuge.”

  Jack grunted. “It's not that clear an assessment. Her motives are unknown.”

  “I believe her motives are to strike at the Ancient Ones, to avenge a grievance three millennia old”, said Coral.

  “That may be what she says”, said Jack, “but that does not make it so. She is subtle, as you say. And it's not exactly a straight line between that and this.”

  “I've found fewer and fewer things are connected by straight lines, of late”, said Coral. “I cannot second guess everything. There comes a time to just take things on faith.”

  “It's my job to second guess everything”, said Jack. “You said so yourself. To look for the hidden daggers.”

  “We are all overtaxed”, said Coral quietly. “I encourage you to take this one thing, on faith, for efficiency. We really need a breakthrough.”

  “Majestus believes we already have a breakthrough. We now know of demonic involvement”, said Jack.

  “Have you found that intelligence actionable?” asked Coral. “I certainly haven't. Maybe the mages are off studying new ways to combat them. But I don't see that knowledge turning the tide.”

  “And you think this will?” Jack gestured towards the paper.

  “That depends on what you do with it”, said Coral. “She said it would only be of meaning to you. So only you can convert it into the breakthrough we need.”

  Jack folded his hands across his chest. “You have great faith in this person.”

  “I do”, said Coral. “And faith in Majestus. And in Romitu. And you. Once you start, it becomes easy.”

  “Well, I'll do what I can with it”, said Jack, dismissively.

  Coral bowed. “Thank you. I'll get back to... annoying the gods.” He left and shut the door quietly behind him.

  Jack unfolded his arms and picked up the message. He examined it closely and put it back down again. He reached for one of his books, and copied the list into it. Then he reached fo
r another one and began to look things up.

  ARC 4