by Alex Avrio
Regina stared at him. He hadn’t realized he’d let his mask slip.
“I made a mistake, Max,” she said slowly. “I am truly sorry. I thought it would be better to fight another day. I had no regard for the Eressian Emperor. I should have kept my mouth shut. Gotten shot, honorably. Now it’s done, I will do everything in my power to do what I promised - as long as it’s not treason. A family you love is a great, rare thing. I hope they love you back as much as you love them.” Regina looked away from him, studied the small white flowers on the wallpaper for a few moments.
“I do have a few threads I can tug at. My brother’s wife really is the daughter of an earl. William did well there. I have a great aunt that had connections, though she’s nuttier than a fruitcake.”
Jaeger tried to say something but broke into coughing. Regina helped him back to the bed.
“All I did was lose at cards and I’ve been in the shit ever since,” she muttered, bitterness, resentment and anger rising in her heart. Now she was bound to Jaeger, not just in the otherworld with this Hunter business, but in the real world as well. She got even angrier. Maybe she should have let the Eressians lead them to the courtyard and shoot them. What she’d done she’d done for him, to save him. She’d even signed that bloody contract in the first place, against all her instincts, for him. It had gotten them into all this trouble, she had merely tried to get them out of it. At a price. A terrible, terrible price.
73 RIPPLES ON A SILVER MIRROR
JAEGER woke in a cold sweat, unable to find the energy to move. He could open his eyes only a fraction before, lead-heavy, they closed again. How much laudanum had Regina given him? If he were master of himself, he would have stayed away from the demon opiate: easy to get used to, hard to give up. But he endured it to spare Regina the pain. Despite the arguments, she refused to sleep in an adjoining room. She slept up next to him, taking care of him, ignoring his objections. At least she wasn’t stroking his hair, telling him he was brave, a fate he suspected Morgenstern was experiencing. The room felt warmer now, as though a warm wind from the desert was blowing, carrying the lazy scent of flowers. The smell became heavier, as when priests threw handfuls of incense on the fires in the temples of the South Across the Water. Jaeger opened his eyes once more. He blinked, trying to clear his blurred vision, as the surface of the mirror opposite seemed to ripple, as though its surface was water that a pebble had been thrown into. He wiped his brow, and tried and failed to get up.
The ripples became larger around a center swirling faster and faster. Jaeger expected the mirror might turn into a pool of liquid and gush to the floor. A hand broke through the silver surface. A woman’s head then. Next a body, stepping through into the room. The woman was excruciatingly beautiful, her hair a long blue river, her dress the night sky. As she moved, jeweled wings buzzed and settled and became one with the dress. Jaeger blinked. That’s me finished with laudanum, he thought.
“Good evening, Hunter. I was tempted to send a messenger but I wanted to see for myself how you were getting along.”
“Lady Nephthys?” Jaeger whispered.
“Such fun. What adventures you have been through. Creatures of the mist, pirates, Mother Spider. Such great amusement. I have not been so entertained in aeons. I have watched your steps, the way you both struggle under the pull of the moon.” Her cool hand was on his forehead. “I confess I liked it when you finally came together. The pain of hopeless romance is exquisite.” She smiled and pulled her hand back. “It is fortunate that you had a wedding night, even though it was before the actual ceremony. Marriage is sacrosanct. One of my sisters is a serious protector of it; I shan’t offend her. I suppose we take our tasks seriously or not at all, don’t we, Hunter?”
“We do, My Lady,” was all he could manage.
“I didn’t think she would like you enough to pledge loyalty to your Emperor.” Nephthys’s mouth lifted wickedly upwards. “He has a little birthmark between the shoulder blades, did you know? Maybe the Huntress knows this as well. Maybe marriage to you wasn’t the only pledge of loyalty he asked for.”
Jaeger tried to get up but still couldn’t move. His eyes flashed amber.
“I hadn’t put you down as a jealous one. Full of surprises. I like that. Eternity drags without surprises. I await to see how you proceed with this new task. Another surprise: I would have you succeed. Who needs more dead to look after than I have already?”
“I thought your halls could never be full. Death always thirsts for more.”
Nephthys leaned slightly forwards. “Oh, my dear boy, it does. It always does. It is a hunger that knows no bounds, a thirst never sated. For death. I am friend of the dead, I ease their passing beyond. I do not collect. Perhaps the occasional one here, there. No, too many. I would rather not have a new crop to look after just yet.”
“Then you could help us.”
Her laughter was like leaves rustling in the midnight air. “Maybe yes, maybe no. I shall tell you what I will do, for you and she delight me. I shall throw fortune into the game. People will fall into your paths because I make it so. They may help, they may hinder; what fun to see!”
“Please,” he said, his mouth as dry as the desert sands she dwelt in. “Please, I beg you, lift this curse.”
She laughed heartily, the laugh of a queen asked to relinquish her favorite toys. “I will tell you something that may help. I will offer the Huntress a chance to lift this curse that binds you. A choice, hers to make. You can try to influence her decision however you choose; though I must tell you, she has a secret. She’s in love with you. There. Take it. Do with it what you will.” She turned to leave. Before stepping into the mirror she turned back. She placed the laudanum bottle to his lips and made him drink.
“I will ask a favor of you soon, for what you promised to do for me. Not yet. Soon.”
Jaeger’s consciousness slipped away. When he opened his eyes again the shadows were long, a candle casting its faint halo across the room. He tried to get up, and found he could now move freely, as far as the pain would let him. He winced as he got up and inspected the mirror. No sign of damage. He brought his hand to his brow. It was cool. He reached for the laudanum bottle on the bedside. Nearly empty. Maybe he had been taking too much of the stuff.
“Oh Max, you’re up,” Regina said as she opened the door and entered the room. He noticed that one of her coat buttons was undone.
“I am.”
“Are you alright?” she asked. “You look a bit– startled.”
“I had a bad dream.”
Regina picked up the laudanum bottle, weighing it in his hand. “We need to start weaning you off this.”
“Where did you get that bruise on your neck?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Are you seriously asking that question?” She shook her head. “Emilia tied a lace choker necklace too tightly around my neck.”
Jaeger poured some water and drank.
“I wrote home, and just received a reply from my sister,” Regina told him, her expression suddenly serious. “I hope you’re well enough to travel. We need to leave. Immediately.”
74 DEPARTURES
REGINA knocked and entered. In the palace, getting an audience with Emilia normally involved making an appointment with her ladies-in-waiting. Access for Regina, though, was readily granted. Morgenstern lay in bed still. He gave her a little smile as she entered. Emilia and Charlie rose from a game of cards.
“How’s the poorly boy?” She expected a look of scorn from Morgenstern, but received another smile.
“On the mend,” he said with a giggle. She went straight to his side and looked at his eyes. His pupils were pinholes. She picked up the laudanum bottle and shook it. Empty.
“Have you gotten through all that already?” she asked, hoping that Emilia might admit to spilling some.
“We get through them fast,” Emilia replied, putting a cool wet cloth on Morgenstern’s brow.
“You’ve given him more than one bottle?”
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“He’s in pain.” Emilia clasped her hands together. “I can’t bear to hear him groan.”
“Well, you’ll have to, or you’ll kill him. Look at his eyes, he’s off his face. Emilia, if you care in the least for him, don’t give him another drop of this, no matter how much he screams. I wager he’s already hooked; and now this might be the only chance to unhook him. I’ve seen this before. It can get ugly.” Emilia nodded reluctantly. “Charlie, how could have you let her?”
“She doesn’t listen to me,” Charlie protested.
“Emilia, will you listen to me then?”
“I didn’t know it was that bad.” Emilia gave the bottle to Regina. “I promise I won’t give him any more. I promise.”
“And no more telling him how brave he is?”
“If I must.” She looked at the sky-blue carpet. “May I at least give him a kiss on the brow, since he’s my husband?”
“You can kiss him anywhere you like. He’ll welcome the distraction.” Morgenstern burst into a fit of giggles.
“I rest my case,” Regina said.
When Emilia had settled Morgenstern down and he was asleep, Regina beckoned them all over, and handed a bank letter to Charlie.
“What’s this?” Charlie asked.
“What do you think? We pay our debts.” Charlie remained hesitant. “Don’t make Jaeger come over and give it to you himself.”
Charlie smiled. The letter disappeared into her pocket. “How’s he doing?”
“Fine, but Jaeger and I will leave soon. Now, Emilia, you need to know some things. I fear they will become important for your wellbeing. Nevertheless, you must promise me that you will not act on what I tell you. Unless you’re in danger.” Emilia nodded, and Regina gave a detailed briefing of the strands of the conspiracy.
Emilia put her hand on Regina’s. “You’ve been good friends, all of you. You will always have my friendship, love and support in anything you need. And, of course, my protection. It still counts for something. Charlie and Thomas will stay with me. I will look after them, and they me.”
“Excellent,” Regina said. “This is the address where we’ll be heading. You can always write to me there.”
Emilia hugged Regina goodbye and then Charlie held onto her for as long as possible. “Promise that you two won’t get killed,” she said.
Regina smiled. "Promise," she lied confidently.
Regina and Jaeger looked at the Guild representative questioningly. Major Egels took a piece of paper from a drawer and held it in her hand.
“Captain Regina Fitzwaters, a member with a flawless reputation. Kapitan Kherr Jaeger,” Egels paused, “not so much. I see, however, how you got into this contract. From what I see you will receive quite a sum.” Regina was shocked to hear how much. “I hear congratulations are in order. How do I address you now, Captain?” Egels asked.
“The same as before: Captain Regina Fitzwaters.” Regina’s face was burning.
“There are many rumors as to what happened with the princesses. I am a little curious, but confidentiality is the pride of a Merchant Blade. We also protect our members from abuse. There is no way you could have predicted how this would turn out. I can only conclude that someone tried to pin the blame on you. For that reason the Guild will pay you directly, and collect from the palace.”
“Thank you, Major,” Regina said. Jaeger sat next to her, uncharacteristically quiet.
“You pay your fees. Our duty is to look after you.” The woman’s mouth creased as she spoke. “We have, however, received a bitter complaint from the Duchess of Korthi. Would you care to explain?”
“Major, we did enter Korthi in an effort to retrieve the princesses,” Regina began. “They were our clients and were in dire need of our protection.”
“You are aware that we have to respect the laws of the land we operate in.” The Major’s gray eyes looked down severely at Regina.
“Major,” Jaeger said. “I knew the Duchess di Korthi when she was Bianca di Angelo. It is sufficient to say that the woman has a burning desire to ruin me.”
Major Egels’ mouth thinned into a straight line. Hundreds of thin wrinkles intersected it. “I see.” She took the contract Regina had placed on her desk. “Korthi puts taxes on us that are far too high.” She filed it in the cabinet behind her. “They bother us with constant changes in regulations and customs controls. We have to grease palms to get anything done.”
The Major gave them a bank letter with their fee. Regina folded it and put it in her inside coat pocket. If Egels noticed the irregularity of the second-in-command taking the fee, she said nothing.
“One more thing. I strongly suggest you take no jobs for the next six months. It will not go down officially, but we need to maintain some discipline in our ranks. Now some advice. If you do need help from the Guild, it will be provided. You have but to ask. But if the Emperor decides to have you shot, there’s not a great deal we can do about it. There’s nothing requiring us to keep you here. If you left Eressia for Merrovigia such a decree would be unenforceable. No Merchant Blade would bring you back here for that. We do not like being used that way. Good day.”
Regina breathed a sigh of relief once they stepped out of the Guild.
“First, I thought we’d lose our lives. Then I thought we’d lose our license with the Guild. Talk about narrow escapes.”
“Which bit has been a narrow escape?” Jaeger asked bitterly.
“We got a six month suspension, but it’s off the books. We’ve got a job to do anyway; and she’s right - we’ve got enough money to last us.”
“Do you ever think of anything except your reputation?”
“Dinner.”
“I thought I was the funny one.”
“Your bad humor is catching. We’ve got a few more things to do and then we’ll meet the team at the inn. I told them we’ll travel together to Merrovigia.”
“We’ll never hear the end of this,” Jaeger said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“Let’s get our jobs done first,” Regina suggested. “Cash the bank letter, pay our team members, and turn the rest into a bank letter to tide us over. We need to lay low a while.”
“I never had you pegged as such a hard-nosed pragmatist,” Jaeger commented.
“Yes, well," Regina said, "you're not the only who’s been taking care of themselves for a while.”
A carriage passed by, the driver pulling the reins to bring the horses to a halt. A pair of respectable-looking women in demurely colored dresses crossed the street, holding the hem of their dresses to avoid stains. Once on the other side an acquaintance tipped his hat to them. They gave a nod of acknowledgement and were on their way. The man looked at a store window with interest and then walked in.
“We were let go because we were of some further use to one of the sides playing this game. Morgenstern decided to take the blame. He, Colonel Meyer and a company of Hussars. I wouldn’t call that getting off lightly,” Jaeger said. “Our hides being hung out to dry isn’t yet out of the question and we are on a schedule. Tick tock.”
At the inn, Briggs, Jackson, Summers, Eleven, and even Amanates greeted the Captains with excitement, having not expected ever to see them alive again. After all the greetings and hugs died down, Eleven waved a newspaper around.
“Is it true?” she asked, laughing. Then she spotted the rings, and the wedding jokes started coming in so thick and fast it seemed they would never stop. The Merchant Blades were no strangers to hasty departures so they drank up, settled their bill and left. They only stopped outside the walls at the Horse Market to buy supplies. Before they rode out of Ausburg, Jaeger posted a letter home.
In the next town, they stopped at the Three Blackbirds inn, to refresh themselves, get supplies, and listen. Jaeger went out to get his and Regina’s boots repaired and their sabers sharpened. It would be a brief parting and shouldn’t cause too much pain. Briggs also went out buying supplies. Jaeger got the boots mended to a standard of his satisfaction and fo
und an ironmonger to take proper care of the sabers. He also bought the Daily Herald to scan for any news, and a bottle of laudanum. He assured himself it was to help with the pain until they reached Regina’s home in Merrovigia.
In the evening they made camp in a clearing near the side of the road.
“You think Charlie and Thomas will be alright?” Amanates wondered, chewing on a slice of smoked beef.
“Of course they will,” Briggs said. “Charlie’s nobility now, and she’ll do right by Thomas. I miss the little critters though.” Eleven passed him the brandy bottle. When they were settled to sleep, a blanket over them for warmth, Regina asked Jaeger if he thought the pair would be alright.
“Shh,” he whispered in her ear and kissed her.
A Letter from Kapitan Maximillian Jaeger
Dear Readers
Well that went better than expected! Still have two arms, two legs, all my teeth and still breathing! I hear Fitzwaters in the back mumbling her disagreement. Well, truth is that we’ve crawled out of one hole to fall into a deeper one.
Now, not only do we have to find a way to resume peaceful trade relations between Merrovigia and Eressia, we are also suspended for six months from the Merchant Blades. As you will understand, this presents a major problem for Fitzwaters and me, as that’s where the majority of our income comes from. I guess we could make some money playing cards, but with Fitzwaters as a playing partner I can’t see that ending well. Last time she played she ended up having to go all the way to the South Across the Water to pay her debt. She did end up being my partner, so it wasn’t all bad for her, I suppose.