Ioaniss chuckled before taking a sip of his wine, “I see you find this dish to your liking.”
Alburet set the knife and fork aside as before, replying as he picked up the wine. “I hate fish. I have never had a fish dish that I have enjoyed. This, though, is amazing. It doesn’t have any of the after taste I ascribe to fish.” He took a sip of the wine, his eyes widening at the flavor that assaulted him.
Ioaniss chuckled again, “She wasn’t kidding when she said it complements the dish perfectly. It always amuses me that a fish from the Dwarven lands is so perfectly attuned to a wine from the Elven lands.”
“I heard of the fish before but have nay tasted it before now,” Stacia added to the conversation. “It be as exquisite as I heard. The wine be a perfect balance to it. I wonder how they got it to be refreshing and dry at the same time?”
Ioaniss shrugged, “They won’t tell anyone. It is apparently a secret of the court.”
Alburet was the first one done with the course, much to his surprise. “I do not know how they could possibly top that course.”
Ioaniss smiled broadly, “Well, you might find this next part something new as well.”
The servants came back out to whisk away the old and place before them their new course and drink. “Dragon steak, from the Ice Dragons of Dwelden. It will be served with the blood wine that King Bloodgold drinks when he partakes of this same meal.”
Alburet looked at the three-inch-thick cut of red meat that took up a good portion of the plate before him, then at the dark red wine. “Dragons do not exist on the world I hail from,” Alburet said softly as he picked up the steak knife and fork.
“I have heard that before, which is one of the reasons I wanted to make sure you got to sample some tonight,” Ioaniss replied before taking his first bite.
Stacia took her first bite a split second later, a deep moan coming from her as she slowly chewed her bite. Alburet blinked, looking at her in shock as she seemed to shiver in her chair. “Stacia?”
Stacia swallowed before opening her eyes to find Alburet staring at her. “Sorry mast… Alburet, it was just so good. I couldn’t hold back the sheer pleasure of the powerfully meaty flavor filling my mouth.”
Alburet held back a sigh at the hopefully unintended double entendre. The last time she’d used that line was with him, in bed. “Well then, I guess I should sample it as well,” he said, taking his first bite of a legendary creature. The rich deep flavor brought to mind the best steaks he’d ever had, but easily surpassed anything he’d ever even heard of. He wasn’t sure a meat like this could exist on earth. He sighed as he chewed his first bite, his eyes closed in bliss.
“Aye, see what I was sayin’?” Stacia asked, taking a sip of the wine. Her eyelids fluttered for a second as the wine brought back the flavor of the meat, and adding a smoky flavor. “A wine should nay be givin' meat a smoky quality when drunk.”
Ioaniss laughed, “Normally you would be correct. This wine, though, is only ever served with Ice Dragon. The Dwarves will not tell us how they make it or out of what. Speculation is rather rampant.”
Alburet didn’t add to the conversation, too intent on savoring this wonderful new dish. Silence descended upon them again as each of them gave their full attention to the food and wine. As soon as the food was gone they each let out a contented, sigh sitting back in their seats with grins plastered on their lips.
“This be so good,” Stacia said languidly.
The servers came out, exchanging their plates and drinks for the next course. “We have a simple salad with a light lemon vinaigrette accompanied with water that has been splashed with lime.”
That course was eaten in silence. Alburet finished his salad, aware that his palette had been cleansed by the simple course. “The salad course was designed to help cleanse the palette for the dessert course?”
“Indeed, that is the case. With all the specialty food we have served it was the chef’s idea to help make sure you were ready for the last course.” Ioaniss took a last sip from his glass as the servers came out to take away the empty plates.
“I did nay think I would ever eat this much in a single meal,” Stacia said softly. “Yet I feel I can easily handle the last course.”
A minute later the servers came back out with the last course. What was set before each of them was a masterpiece of confection, a replica of the castle with even the walls showing the details of each stone. “We have for the last course the specialty of our dessert chef. Stormguard Castle Cake. Accompanying it is a coffee beverage that the Lunari favor.”
Alburet slowly turned his plate looking over the artistry of the dessert. “I don’t think I have ever seen something to match the dedication it would take to make this.”
Smiling Ioaniss nodded, “She is special and surely dedicated to her art. She has pursued her heart for over four hundred years now and has only ever gotten better at her art.”
Stacia hesitantly took her fork and pulled a small part of a tower away, revealing a layer of chocolate inside the castle, while Alburet blinked at Ioaniss’s comment. She took the bite, chewing slowly as a sigh escaped her. Swallowing, she put her fork down on the plate. “This be as wonderful as all the rest, but the art makes it somethin’ else entirely.”
Ioaniss took a bite himself before replying, “True enough. She has never turned out anything except the very best. I still do not know how the king got her to accept a position here over the one she had for the Elven court.”
Sipping the coffee, Alburet decided the closest comparison was cappuccino with hints of chocolate. “This is a very good compliment to the meal as well.”
The others agreed as they slowly dismantled their castles. As each finished, they found themselves sated, enjoying the last of their coffee as the food settled. As the servers took away the dishes and glasses, the head server came out with three glasses and a bottle. She placed a glass before each of them, pouring a small amount of liquid into each cup before retreating once more.
Alburet wracked his brain for a moment, trying to recall what should follow a meal such as they just had. He noticed the covert glance of Ioaniss and decided to ask rather than just guess. “Sir Jones, I am not sure what comes next. I think a toast but am not sure if by me or by you.”
A single laugh rang out from Ioaniss, “Ah, so refreshing to have someone just plainly ask for guidance. Indeed, a toast does end the meal. It is made by the guest of honor.”
Raising his glass as he rose from his seat, Alburet cleared his throat. “A toast to our generous host tonight, Sir Ioaniss Jones. Never in my life, on either world, have I had such an exquisite meal as I have had tonight. I thank you for the opportunity for this chance as well as graciously hosting my soon to be wife. May the gods smile upon you for the rest of your long years.”
After the toast was drunk, Ioaniss led them out of the dining room and down to the small library. The library was like the dining hall, small only in name. The room was easily fifty feet per side, all the walls lined with bookshelves that reached to the ceiling with a rolling ladder resting on each wall. Everything was done in oak, including the massive desk that Jones sat behind.
“Please, sit. Berk will be along with coffee shortly. Before we get started on the reason for you being here, I would love to hear about your pending nuptials.” Ioaniss sat back in his chair with his hands interlaced on his lap.
Chapter Ten
Alburet leaned back in the very well-padded chair he was seated in. “What do you know about the Crowley family?”
Ioaniss grinned, “Well, they have a very long history in this city. Let’s do recent history, though. Alistern is Stacia's father while her mother is a woman known only as Lilith who seems to have been unknown before she began to adventure with him and his friends. I did some research once I was told that she would be coming with you. My research turned up some interesting theories. My current theory is that Lilith is Alistern’s succubus. That would make all of his daughters half-bloods who do
not show any signs of their demonic heritage. All of them lacking a single class amongst them does help bolster that theory.”
Stacia had gone stiff as Ioaniss spoke, her eyes shifting around the room as if seeking a way out. Alburet put his hand on top of hers as their chairs were right next to each other. “It’s okay, Stacia. Sir Jones says this is a theory. As such, I’m sure he hasn’t told anyone about it, as without proof it would be a horrible thing to claim.”
Ioaniss grinned, bowing his head slightly, “Indeed, it would. I have no desire to slander anyone’s name and my theory will stay with me alone. Do you even know the history of your line?”
Stacia seemed very leery as she shook her head, “Nay, not as such.”
“Well, then. One of your ancestors did a service to the crown, some time ago. The reward they received was the right to open and operate the tavern your family currently runs. It is why your family has never run afoul of the guards all these years, even though it is known that Necromancers and Summoners congregate there. When your father’s group broke apart following the loss of one of their members, he settled down to run the family inn. When his father died shortly after that, it solidified his position as the new head of the Summoners in the city. I’ve also taken the time to look into your mother’s history. The name Lilith has sprung up time and time again as the succubus of various Summoners in history.” He paused as Berk came back with the coffee for them. “Thank you, Berk. You may go for the next hour.”
Berk bowed, “As you wish, Sir Jones. I shall be waiting your summons in the green room.” He left the room, leaving an extra pot of coffee behind on the cart he had brought in with him.
“Where was I?” Ioaniss mused before nodding, “Ah yes, Lilith. She never did anything spectacular to make herself stand out but the records do not lie. My research shows that no two demons have ever shared the same name. It is almost as if the demon races come closest to immortality that we’ve seen. Which is to say, none of them have ever died a final death from old age, that we know of. So, now tell me about you two, please.”
Stacia glanced at Alburet, her worry clear in her eyes. Alburet took her moist hand in his steady firm grip, meeting her eyes with his calm gaze. “It’s okay, Stacia. Nothing bad will happen.” He turned his gaze to Ioaniss, “Why so interested in two such minor people?”
Chuckling Ioaniss shook his head, “Minor. You say that with such a straight face. You are the first person to retrieve any artifacts of the Forgotten Prison. More so, you were level six when you brought them to Vladimir. So no, I won’t consider you a minor person at this point. I also hear that you helped lead the guards on a new round of training here and at a few forts. On top of that, you are becoming known around town as a generous two-souled. To add more to this growing list, you seem to have found a person of this world to marry. So yes, all of these things lead me to become very interested, as a historian if nothing else.”
“When you say it that way it almost sounds like I’m some kind of aberration. I don’t think I’m too different from the rest of the two-souled, aside from one thing. But you were asking about us as a couple. The truth of that matter is Stacia made the first move, she seduced me. Not that many men wouldn’t have fallen for her. After some time, we seemed to become closer. I took her out with a few friends on her first hunt. Her father was quite upset over her wanting to go out with me, but finally let her. After that our connection seemed to grow more and eventually we decided to go further.”
Ioaniss’s brow furrowed, “Hmm, less interesting than I had hoped. Do you know why her father objected so much?”
“Flora,” Stacia said softly. “She was the druid Da’ hunted with. She was special to Unca Stewart. She died in the Dead Lands durin’ a raid against Experiment 9. It was her loss tha’ caused them to all stop huntin’ and settle down.”
“Correct, Stacia. She was one of the people who died on that raid, along with a number of the men from the fort in the area. That loss still haunts them all to a degree, I think. They were a group that had been making a name for themselves before that time.” He paused to sip his coffee before continuing, “Well, since that isn’t as interesting as I had hoped let’s move on to the reason I asked you to attend tonight. Tell me, Alburet, about where and how you got your hands on the book and letter opener, please.”
Alburet began to relay the story of how he came to own the two items. “As I understand it, the gods have decreed that when two-souled first come to this world they are supposed to appear in certain areas. Well, when I first crossed the bridge or portal between our worlds I was sent somewhere else. I appeared in a ruin that was infested with skeletons, so I did what my kind do. I went exploring. What I found was the intake wing of the Forgotten Prison.”
Ioaniss sat up straight, a bit of coffee sloshing out of his cup. He didn’t even seem to notice as he stared fixedly at Alburet. “You were there? You know where it is?” He cleaned his hand absently as his gaze stayed focused on Alburet.
A grin came to Alburet, “Possibly, if what Vladimir said about Traveler's Maps is true. Upon exploring the place, I found the book and letter opener in the records room. Hoping they might be worth something, I picked them both up. When I left the building I was greeted by a massive structure that must be the Forgotten Prison, as well as a gated area with a set of massive double doors. I was met there by a very challenging skeleton when I tried to leave. I was barely able to survive it. Finally, free to go, I must have triggered some long-delayed spell, as I suddenly found myself at the gates of the city.”
“Can I see your map please?” Ioaniss asked, his excitement clear.
Summoning his map to his hand, Alburet spread it out on the desk between them. “I wouldn’t even know where to think of looking.”
“It has to be somewhere near the Dead Lands. No one has ever found it and that is the largest area of unexplored land we have. My own father, Sean Jones, has gone to the Dead Lands to try to find it, following some old texts that hinted about its location. Can you zoom to just the Dead Lands please?”
Alburet did as he was asked, noting the blur in the upper left of the zoomed in map that masked out all detail but obviously was something unlike, the vast stretch of just blankness. Ioaniss seemed excited as he also spotted the blur. “That has to be it. I would love to know why the map is blurred, though. May I copy this?”
“Since you already know where it is having seen this questionable blur, I don’t see why not.”
Ioaniss quickly pulled out his own Traveler’s Map, “Just tap your map to mine.”
Shrugging, Alburet tapped his map to Ioaniss's map. A pop-up asked if he wished to trade just the part of his map currently visible or all of it. He selected the visible part, not seeing any need to do it all at that point. “There you go,” Alburet said as he put his map away.
Ioaniss spread his map out, looking over the possible location of the Forgotten Prison compared to the parts of the Dead Land he had mapped out. “That is quite the trek, all the way to the far side of the Dead Lands. Rumor always said it lay at the heart of a mountain chain, with a tunnel dug through to a canyon.”
Stacia seemed more relaxed now that the conversation had turned away from her and her family. She leaned towards Alburet to speak softly, “We need to be back by midnight.”
Alburet checked the clock on his interface, showing they still had close to three hours, “Plenty of time left, Kitten.”
Ioaniss looked up, “Sorry. I always get distracted by new information about old relics. I should thank you properly for giving us this lead. Is there anything you would wish from the king?”
Alburet sat back to consider the open-ended offer he had just been handed. It would be simple to put a foot wrong here and upset their host. Licking his lips, Alburet asked, “I don’t want to put a foot wrong, Sir Jones. Could you elaborate on what kinds of requests would be acceptable? Also, Vladimir has asked that I share this information with him, is that acceptable?”
Ioaniss frow
ned slightly at the last part before nodding, “Yes. He did, after all, bring the book and opener to the king. Even if I don’t like the idea in general, his Highness would say it should be done. As for what you could request, the choices are long; coin, a minor title, something from the Royal Treasury, perhaps.”
Stacia licked her lips as she realized just how open the request was. Alburet squeezed her hand gently, “Could I ask for three small boons?”
Ioaniss sat back his eyes narrowing slightly, “Let me hear what they are.”
“Firstly, I am the leader of a new guild that was registered yesterday. We are called Alpha Company. In a few weeks, our numbers should grow quickly, as more two-souled will soon be able to stay in this world longer than we currently can. I am hoping a large number of that group will join me and my friends in our new guild. As we will be one of the few guilds that will be able to help people every day, all the time, minus when the bridge between worlds is closed, I would like our name to become known as trouble shooters. One boon would be to be recognized by the Crown, a royal charter as it were.”
Forming the Company (Alpha World Book 2) Page 14