by Tony Donadio
“How do we get one?” Orion asked. He made sure to keep his voice deferential.
The soldier pointed toward the tent. “Queue forms to the right.”
They started to comply, but he raised a hand to stop them. He pointed to the sword belted at Orion’s hip.
“All weapons are to be confiscated,” he said.
Orion regretfully unbuckled Jameson’s sword and handed it to him. Then they got in line and waited silently for most of an hour. When their turn came they had seen and heard enough from the people before them to be prepared.
“Names?”
The clerk was an elderly Hellman with an officious manner. He wore a long green robe and a thick pair of spectacles, and spoke Carlissan with a strong accent. Orion saw alert black eyes that belied the monotonous tone of his voice. He was immediately on guard.
“Orion Deneri,” he replied diffidently.
“Place of residence?”
“I have a small apartment on the north side of the Lower City. Kennel Avenue, number 12.”
“Occupation?”
Orion took a deep breath. “Instructor at the Grand Academy.”
The clerk looked up at him, eyebrows arching into his bald red pate. “Is that where you’re going now?”
He shook his head. “No. I’m escorting my charge back to her home in the High City.”
The Hellman looked at Diana. “Name?” he asked.
Diana fought to keep the loathing from her eyes. She managed, but just barely.
“Diana Dal Meara,” she said stiffly. “I live with my family on Brightstar Street. Number five.”
The Hellman relaxed and leaned back in his seat. A faint smile touched his lips.
“That’s near the palace. Diplomatic estates, if I’m not mistaken. And Dal Meara … the name’s Dorian, isn’t it?”
Diana swallowed, and then nodded reluctantly. “My father is the ambassador,” she confirmed.
He nodded to Orion. “And Mr. Deneri?”
“My tutor. We were … out when the fighting began, and took shelter together.”
The old Hellman began to laugh. “Out,” he said mockingly. “And took shelter together.”
He took a slip of paper from his desk and began to write. “Orange for both of them,” he said.
Diana’s eyes widened as the clerk next to him fished out the requested badges from a set of boxes. “What does that mean?” she demanded. “Most people are getting yellow ones.”
The clerk stopped writing and looked up at her. Then his eyes shifted to Orion as he began to chuckle.
“Real spitfire you’ve got there, Deneri,” he said. “And a beauty, too.” He sighed. “Shame she escaped the Taking. Slave like that would make me feel a century younger.”
Orion fought to keep his face calm and his hands from clenching into fists. Diana lost the battle to keep the anger out of her eyes, but somehow managed to stay silent.
“Warlord Zomoran’s decree is law, though,” the clerk went on regretfully. “The truce began at dawn, so she’s free to return to her family. With orders, of course. Same for you.”
He handed the badge to Diana.
“Orange means you’ve been conscripted,” he explained. “Lady Dal Meara, you will return home to let the ambassador know you are safe. In the evening you will report to the Cathedral Hospital to help with the wounded. I suspect your mother has already received the same orders from my counterpart in the High City.”
Diana let out a long, slow breath. “Of course,” she said carefully. “And my companion?”
The clerk returned to his writing.
“I can’t spare an escort for every case like yours,” he continued. “So I’m temporarily conscripting Mr. Deneri into the militia with orders to see you home safely.” He looked up at Orion. “I assume you have no objection?”
Orion shook his head. “No, of course not. As I said, I was planning to do so already.”
“Yes, I heard you. On the off chance that you need ‘extra’ motivation, these orders mean you are now responsible for her safety. If anything happens to her, or if she is not delivered safely to her father, then you will be hunted down and executed. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Orion said cautiously. “The soldiers confiscated my sword, though. I’ll be hard pressed to protect her if anything … happens.”
The clerk chuckled again and returned to his writing.
“Show your orders to my men. They’ll return your blade for the duration of your assignment. Keep in mind that authorization to carry a weapon makes you an acting member of the guard, and subject to the same discipline. Clear?”
Orion nodded. “Clear,” he said.
“After that you’re to report to the academy. An instructional meeting is being held there this evening. You’ll receive your new orders and learn about your new responsibilities then.”
Orion took a breath. He fought to keep his tone diffident despite a growing feeling of rebellion at the clerk’s words. Whatever new “instructional” responsibilities the demons had in mind for him, he was quite certain that he was not going to like them.
“May I visit my family first?” he asked cautiously. “They live on the first level of the Upper City South. I’d like to make sure they’re all right.”
The Hellman shrugged indifferently and continued to write. “If you have time between delivering Lady Dal Meara to her father and reporting to the academy at mountainset,” he said, “then yes.”
He paused for a moment to peer at Orion over the rim of his spectacles. “Just make sure you’re not late,” he added.
Chapter 24 - Homecomings
The Ambassador
Orion and Diana turned the corner onto Brightstar Street. The long walk across the city had taken them until mid-day, with only a couple of short breaks to rest.
Small estates sat recessed at intervals along the road. Two of the nearer ones appeared to have been ransacked, but aside from that they saw relatively little damage from the events of the previous day.
“That’s it,” Diana said, pointing. “The third gate on the right. It’s just a few minutes’ walk.”
Orion nodded and started to move. She stepped in front of him and placed a hand on his chest.
“Not so fast,” she said.
“Don’t you want to get home?” he asked.
“Of course I do. But we need to talk first — privately. You know that once I’m seen we won’t have the chance.”
He nodded in understanding.
“Of course,” he said. “With these orders of ours, we may not be able to meet again for a long while.”
“It sounds like you got the short end of them. At least they’ll be putting me to work as a healer. They sucked you into the military right off the street.”
He shook his head in dismissal.
“I’m not worried about that. The clerk said it was temporary. So do those orders he wrote. He was just making ‘efficient’ use of whatever resources he had at hand to get his job done.”
She nodded wryly. “Hellman bureaucracy. Right up there on the list of their most famous talents — after rape and murder.”
He chuckled. Then he quickly became serious again.
“I’m more concerned about reporting to the academy. It sounds like that’s going to be my permanent ‘assignment.’ I wish I knew what to expect from it.”
“We’ll take things one day at a time. We’ll get through it.”
He smiled at her. “We?”
She punched him in the arm.
“Yes, ‘we.’ You haven’t forgotten our oath already, have you? And everything we’ve been through together? We’re partners, Orion Deneri.” She looked into his face, her eyes suddenly searching. “Aren’t we?”
He nodded. “We are,” he said quietly.
“Then we need to make a plan. Introducing you to Father as the man who saved me yesterday will give you an excuse to visit. You’ll do that, won’t you? So that we can share notes on finding or buil
ding a resistance? And so I can know you’re all right?”
He nodded again.
“I will. Or at least send word, if I can. Just be prepared if I can’t do that right away.” He fingered the badge that was pinned to the remains of his shirt. “We may not have the freedom to make many choices for ourselves from now on.”
They walked in silence down the length of the street. When they reached the gate they found it locked. A heavily armed guard glared at them from behind it.
“No admittance, vagabonds,” he said harshly. “Back up the street with you. You can find shelter in the Lower City.”
Diana’s nostrils flared in indignation. “Why, of all the impertinence —” she began.
Orion laid a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him, surprised.
“I don’t think he recognizes you,” he said. “We do look something of a mess, you know.”
Diana glanced at him, and then down at her own dress. It was torn nearly to shreds and stained with blood.
“Oh,” she said sheepishly.
The guard stepped closer to the gate. “Lady Diana?” he gasped.
“Yes, Karl, it’s me. And by the light, please show a little more compassion to strangers! People have suffered terribly in the rest of the city.”
“I am so sorry, Mistress!” Karl said. His tone was mortified. “I didn’t —”
“I know,” she interrupted impatiently. “I probably wouldn’t have recognized me if I were in your place, either. And I’ll forget it, too, and not tell Father, if you unlock the gate and let us in right away.”
He was already fumbling for his keys. “Of course, My Lady,” he stammered. “Of course!”
They heard a commotion brewing ahead of them almost as soon as they were on the path to the manor. They hadn’t gone halfway up the walk before the door flew open. A tall man in red leather armor with a short sword belted at his hip strode through the opening.
A sob escaped Diana’s lips when she saw him. “Father!” she cried.
There was a rush of steps, and then the two were embracing fiercely before the door to the estate. The man said nothing and only held her tightly, eyes closed. Orion watched them in silence, feeling suddenly awkward and out of place.
When they finally parted the man turned to him, and he had his first look at Damien Dal Meara’s face. Before that day he was sure he would have found the harsh, proud lines and piercing eyes that openly weighed him unsettling, even intimidating. He was surprised at himself to realize that now, he didn’t.
“Father, this is Orion Deneri,” Diana said. “The instructor for our class at the academy. We fled into the city when the attack began. He saved my life and protected me until he could return me home to you.”
Orion executed a court bow — flawlessly, but omitting the flourishes. Something about this man’s manner told him that unnecessary flamboyance would not make a good impression.
“Your Excellency,” he said.
Slowly, very deliberately, the ambassador extended his hand. Orion took it.
“I owe you a great debt, Instructor Deneri,” he said. His voice resonated with power and authority. “We heard that the academy had been taken by Hellmen. We feared the worst.”
“We only narrowly escaped that fate ourselves, sir,” Orion replied.
“Kieran insisted on staying there for safety,” Diana elaborated. The contempt in her voice was undisguised. “Orion and I were the only two with the sense to run. Did any of the others …”
The ambassador shook his head.
“We’ve heard nothing of their fate so far. But we believe they were all caught in the Taking.”
They stood in silence as he gave his daughter’s ragged form a long, careful look. He took in the blood in her hair and on her torn dress, the bandages showing through the tears in her clothes, and the dirt and scratches that covered much of her body. He glanced briefly at Orion.
“You were attacked,” he said finally.
Diana nodded. Her manner suddenly became oddly formal, as though she were delivering a report.
“We were.”
“A demon?”
She nodded again. “Yes.”
“How did you escape?”
“We killed it,” she said. “At some cost. We weren’t alone.”
“You were the only survivors?”
“Yes.”
“How badly were you hurt?”
“Not seriously. Mostly lacerations from the demon’s claws. They will heal quickly. I performed or supervised the dressing of our wounds myself.”
The ambassador turned. Several servants had gathered in the doorway to watch the scene. One was a young boy with a pouch slung over his shoulder.
“Bran,” he called. “Run as fast as you can to the Cathedral Hospital. Tell my lady wife that our daughter is home. Tell her that she is injured, and taking rest and refreshment after her ordeal.”
“Yes, sir,” the boy squeaked. He was sprinting toward the gate before he’d finished the second word. The ambassador turned back to Diana.
“You will have to tell me the full story later. For now I will have the servants bring you something to eat, and then run a bath for you.”
Diana bowed her head. “Thank you, Father,” she said.
She looked at Orion. The ambassador followed her eyes and turned to face him.
Then, without warning, the man clapped him on the shoulder. Orion was certain that the gesture had been intended as friendly, but he still staggered under the force of it.
“I won’t have them run a bath for you, young man,” he said with a slight smile. “But I think we can manage a washbasin and something to eat.”
“Thank you, Your Excellency,” he replied. “I can remain only briefly, though. I must return to my own family to see that they are well.”
The ambassador nodded. “Of course. As I would expect.”
He turned to lead the way back to the estate. Diana fell into step beside Orion, and they exchanged a brief glance.
“I think he likes you,” she mouthed soundlessly.
Orion rubbed his shoulder. “I’m glad to hear it,” he whispered drily.
The Final Break
Orion slowly climbed the hill into the Upper City South. His family’s complex — the grounds that included their home and warehouses — was on the first level of the terrace, near a main avenue that ran from the city’s great crossroads. The location had been professionally chosen, since easy access to Lannamon’s highways was a significant advantage for the headquarters of a trading company. It was prime and expensive real estate, and the Deneri clan had taken great pains to turn that business investment into a source of status.
He had kept his stay at the Dal Meara estate as brief as courtesy permitted. He and Diana had washed the worst of the grime from their faces and hands, and had sat down to a light meal with her father. He’d admired her mother’s beautifully flowering garden as they ate and drank, and made small talk as the servants fussed over them. The ambassador had asked him about his life, his family, his studies, and his new post at the academy.
The questions had been polite, and precisely what Orion had been raised to expect from an afternoon calling. He couldn’t shake the feeling, though, that beneath his casual manner Diana’s father had been sizing him up intently.
She had insisted on re-dressing his wounds before going. To his surprise and some discomfort her father had agreed, and remained to observe the process. Her manner became oddly precise and detached again as she removed his shirt and stripped off his bandages, directing the servants to bring new wrappings and a very specific collection of potent medicines and salves. He saw her father nod in approval at the choices. He did so again several more times as he watched her administer and apply them, and re-bandage his injuries.
The whole thing seemed to him strangely like a spot examination by one of his professors. Fortunately she appeared to have passed with high marks.
The trip from Diana’s estate had tak
en longer than he’d expected. It wasn’t until mid-afternoon when he found himself walking up the hill to his family’s home. The implosion of the hellgate had wreaked havoc between the docks and the start of the High City, and obliterated the great crossroads of Lannamon. In its place lay the surface of a circular lake that had formed as the firth waters rushed into the crater left by the gate’s destruction. Many of the avenues he knew ended abruptly at its shores, and finding a way around had been time consuming. Being stopped several times and forced to produce his orders for inspection had not sped his passage, either.
He looked at the sun and took stock of his options. He judged he could make it back to the academy on foot in under two hours. Mountainset would be in a little over three. That gave him an hour to spend with his family before he would have to leave them — a bit less, if he wanted to give himself a margin of error for the return trip. That wouldn’t be enough to do much to help them if they needed it, but it would be better than nothing. Or at least, he hoped it would.
He found the front door locked and barred from the inside. A sense of creeping dread began to grow in him as he walked around the house. The windows were tightly shuttered and no one seemed to be at home, but he thought he could hear animated voices in the distance.
He turned to the warehouse. The cargo doors were chained shut, but he saw several of his family’s caravan guards standing watch at the side entrance. As he approached he could hear that the voices were coming from there.
“Master Orion,” one of the guards said as he approached. “Good to see you’re well.”
Orion smiled. “You too, Nolan. How is everyone?”
The guard shook his head. “Best you hear any news from them,” he replied. “I’ll let you in.”
His trepidation spiked as he walked through the small maze of offices that served as the planning center of the Deneri Trade and Import Company. Although they were deserted, he could hear the voices more loudly now. They were coming from ahead, down the hall that led to the storerooms. His family seemed to be holding a meeting in the largest one.