“Are those generals, captains, and heroes draugr?” I asked. “Most of them seem like normal men. One I met the other day was shocked when I showed him a draugr.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I doubt it. I saw many of the generals get drunk in the Snail Tankard the other night. One tried to bed me. General of Black Lands, a coarse man, but still one of the highest officer in their army. Most are human. Why? What are you planning?”
“We have to go to your palace, visit it just a wee bit,” I explained.
Sand observed me suspiciously. “Gullibursti’s hairy ball sack, what are you thinking about?”
I ignored him and grasped Quiss. “Can you send orders for the generals to meet us in your home? In your throne room?”
“No!”
“It might make some difference, you see?”
“They won’t—”
“I did this in Dagnar. Exposed them. It made all the difference. And we need to see if Balic has any notes,” I said. “I have to visit his study.”
She frowned. “You think he keeps notes and plans? You—”
I leaned close to her. “They surprised us. Again. Now, we can surprise them. We can sow some chaos and gather information. I’ll steal what I can, and perhaps I’ll be lucky and can slay Balic?”
“No! You cannot!” she insisted.
Sand snickered, excited by the idea of causing bloody mayhem in the home of the local royal. “He is right. It’s an opportunity. And he never knew what ‘no’ meant, anyway. He’s one for getting into trouble, he is.” His excitement faded, and he looked at his nails frowning.
“You cannot come,” I said.
He nodded. “And I cannot come.”
“No, you cannot,” I said. “But, thank you for following me here.”
“Why can’t he come?” Quiss asked.
“He’s draugr,” I said sheepishly.
“What?” she asked and pulled at the blade. I clamped a hand over her wrist and shook my head.
“He came for me.”
“You don’t understand!” she hissed. “Rank is everything to these cretins. Everything. It’s in their magical, filthy nature. The mightier the man or woman in life, the older they are, they can command the lesser ones. They will rebel when—”
“I rebelled,” Sand said resentfully. “Well, I chose sides. Nobody told me not to.”
“Not yet!”
Sand waved his hand. “I won’t go in. And I won’t forget you pulled a blade on me.”
I gave Sand a pleading look, then Quiss, and she tried to visibly ease some of her building tension. “Can you do this?” I asked her. “Get us in? Fetch the generals? We have to do something, before we go back. Something to give us a chance, at least.”
She hesitated. “I suppose we could. We might … I might be able to do it. At least we can get in, and I’ll send the commands along. I know how. Father’s not there, as you know, and Mother is always sitting in the same chair in the throne room. She eats, and…” she said falteringly and glanced furtively at Sand. “She eats flesh. She seems to enjoy it raw. Dog, cat. Man, when she can get it.”
I shook my head. I had no idea what jotuns ate in Nifleheim and Jotunheimr, but I was human enough to be horrified. Sand didn’t blink.
I thanked her with a smile. “Let us go. I need to see if there are any clues to Balic’s plans. And, if I can, cause chaos in their armies.”
“Be careful,” she whispered. “You are not a jotun.”
“I’m not a man either,” I said, with bravado I didn’t feel. “It will go well.”
Sand laughed.
CHAPTER 12
We made our way out of the Lock of the Sea, as Sand guided us to a lesser-used door. The soldier who had been guarding the door was dead, leaning on a shadowy wall.
The city was surging with life, even in the middle of the night. The smell of herbs, roasting meat, and the sweet whiff of wine greeted us, while we slunk to the shadows. The bustle of the Hammer Legions was audible over the walls, as they prepared to march for the city and the fleets. Many were already entering the city in companies, and I shuddered at the thought of the mighty army coming for our exposed belly. They’d sail soon, that day, or the next. We flitted through the crowds of the market, where opportunistic merchants, anticipating tens of thousands of troops, were already setting up their wares. Quiss pulled us along, avoiding Sand. We only had to be wary of packs of dogs, which were running and hunting in the alleyways.
“Did you hear anything when you sailed here?” I asked Sand, as we walked along briskly.
“Yes, they spoke of their whores, who all seem to have large breasts and insatiable need for humping,” he said gruffly. “No, nothing really. They expect the battle to be easy in Dagnar. They expect no battle, in fact.”
“Hilan’s doing, no doubt. I wonder what happened to Shaduril,” I cursed. “And if Balissa made it to Baduhanna.”
Sand shrugged. “We will see.”
“Balissa?” Quiss asked.
“My kin,” I said. “Last kin. She was wounded.”
“Shaduril? Who is that?” she went on. “Another of your followers?”
Sand snickered nastily. “She’s a Blacktower.”
She frowned. I could see it even without seeing her face. “Blacktowers? But, they are all…”
“Oh, aye,” Sand chortled. “Another draugr. His love.”
“What?” she hissed.
“Oh, it’s like that!” Sand laughed so loud a soldier turned his bored look our way in the market, while we passed an alley.
“It’s not like that!” Quiss hissed like a cat, and cursed. “You know more draugr than I do.”
“Not true,” I sighed. “But, I think I’ve killed more than you. And she is not my lover. Obviously. She is dead.”
“Right,” she said. “What happened to her?”
“She followed the Regent down into a dungeon,” I said. “When we were tricked into following a message they had sent to your father. They have her.”
“Or they have destroyed her,” Sand said brutally.
“Or,” Quiss said nastily. “They command her now.”
I shook my head. “That would mean there has to be a draugr royal in the city. I think your father hinted at that. But, the city is closed.”
She sighed. “You think one armed with magic cannot get in? It is possible. There are dozens of them; many are adept in deception magic. Father is.”
I chose not to think that was the case. “Let us hope things go well, and Shaduril is alive,” I said, and waved down Quiss’s objections. “You know what I mean. We have to rescue her, if she is held. She might hold important information on the enemy and their plans.”
“Since the Regent of Dagnar is the enemy,” Quiss said thinly, “you cannot just sail in. You need a secret way in. You need to explain everything to me. “
“If we find the time, I will,” I said, nearly slipping into a puddle of mud. “The dverger made sure we couldn’t go under the walls.”
“Dverger?” she asked, with her mouth round with wonder. “You mean these short—”
“The best army in Midgard,” I told her. “Walking legends, like I am.”
“And the draugr,” she added.
Sand shoved us to the wall. Guards were marching past an alley, and were passing near them. Sand’s eyes gleamed in the dark, and Quiss pushed him away as soon as the last guard passed from sight.
“Go,” he muttered, and we moved.
We crossed a district of fine taverns, and passed an unguarded ancient gate, where there had once been a wall, but was now a crumbling ruin, filled with black cats. In the end, we made our way to the palace, without getting accosted. There were simply too many people, most foreign, for anyone to consider stopping and questioning us.
We gazed at the huge thing before us, rising high up to the sky, and Quiss avoided the guarded main doors. We walked past the walls and veered down a wide alleyway; dark as a black dog I nearly stepped
on. She walked for a few moments, and looked around suspiciously. At the end of the alley, the harbor could be seen, but she turned to the wall and pressed a round stone. She removed her helmet, waited, and a door swung in with billowing dust filling our nostrils.
She stepped in, and stopped.
Two yellow armored guards, royal elite guard of Aten, stood up. Both were flustered, having been caught in an act of drinking. She scowled at them mightily.
One, a tall man with an innocuous smile, stepped aside, giving Quiss a small bow, the bottle hidden behind his back. “Your highness. They told us you would not be back for a while.”
Quiss snapped her fingers, and stepped forward, scowling even more mightily, and I was afraid the men would burst to tearful laughter.
Instead, both flinched, and I had a hunch she had a bad reputation. I had seen her fight.
“Rough night, my lady?” asked the other guard, a thick man with a missing ear. He was eyeing her armor, which was a bloody mess.
“You might say that,” she agreed. “But, much rougher for the ones who crossed me. Now, open up the way, so I can go and write an order to hang some people I don’t particularly like.”
“You take after your father, if I might say so,” the taller man said, with pride. He stepped to the doorway, rapped, and a hole appeared. The man whispered something. Then, it was opened. Inside, there was a guardroom, this one clean and comfortable, and several guards in various stages of undress. They covered themselves swiftly.
Quiss, blushing, marched past them. “Carry on,” she muttered, then stumbled, as a door opened, and a guard pulling up his pants bumped into her. It was a shitter, and smelled like a horse with a diarrhea had used it.
She pushed the man back inside, kicked the door closed, and marched out of the room, cursing like a pirate. Which she probably was, I decided.
There, in the great atrium of their palace, Quiss stopped. Stone stairs led up, simple and unadorned, but the rest of the room was a paradise, a miracle of mysterious plants, gold carvings on the gray walls, and silvery statues, cleverly hidden amidst the fauna. There was a golden one, the size of man, holding a staff and kneeling, a sign of humbler lords of Aten than the draugr. There were peaceful benches scattered around a small pond. The main gate was to our left, and there, guards craned their necks. Quiss turned to an old man, who came down the stairs, a grave look on his face.
“Mistress,” he murmured, with trepidation. “Are you … welcome,” he muttered.
Quiss tilted her head at him. “Am I welcome?” she asked. “Or did you mean to ask if I am alive?”
He smiled, and shifted his green and yellow jacket. “I heard rumors, lady. And might I inquire as to why you are attired in the armor of the jailers, my lady? Is this a new style for the other young ladies of the city to take after? You are alive?”
I frowned. Who was the man who apparently knew the family secret?
“I’m alive.” She thumbed my way. “Thanks to him. And the armor’s only practical. Ask no more of the matter.”
“Ah, a guard helped you, eh?” the man said, and squinted his gray eyes at me. “He smells like a noble.”
“I’m a lord, indeed,” I told him, with a wink, leaving him confused. “Not a guard. Listen to the lady. No more questions, right?”
Quiss spoke to him softly. “Karak, I need runners. Fast as possible. Kick them out of their bunks. And I need paper, pen, ink, and the royal seal. Bring them to the room here.” She nodded to the side rooms.
“Very good, Lady Quiss,” Karak said. “The seals in in the study upstairs. The study is reserved by King Balic, though, and he has said none should enter the rooms.”
“He will blame me,” I said, making the man lift an eyebrow critically.
Quiss tapped his shoulder. “Be a good friend, and help me out. You will not be blamed.”
He stiffened. “I’m not afraid, my lady. And I will not lie to save my hide. No true butler would. I’ll be right back. Will they be staying with you, while I’m gone?”
He meant we should.
She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “He will not leave my sight. Where is my mother?”
His face hosted a look of pure displeasure, but for just a moment. That look was a fascinating mirror into his soul, and then the face suddenly restored itself into a guarded sculpture of manners and obedience. “She sits in her seat, as usual. On the throne, muttering, alone.” He whispered, “Eating.”
Quiss looked at me, and Sand, and I nodded imperceptibly. She pointed a finger at me. “One more thing. When I’m done, take him to Balic’s study.” She nodded at me reluctantly. “Later, lead the guests to the throne room. It would be prudent for you to remove yourself from their presence afterwards.”
He hesitated, shook his head, and frowned. “Will I have a job tomorrow, Lady Quiss Atenguard?”
“Job?” she asked and smiled. “You do love it here, don’t you?”
“I used to love it,” he answered. “A butler is a part of the house, as necessary as the base it is built on.”
She smiled gently. “You should worry about your life, more than the house.”
“Yes, lady,” he said gallantly. “I worry about that after your life and the honor of your house.”
Her house, and not Aten-Sur’s. The butler was preserving the house for her.
And in a way, was she not the true Queen of the land, since the rest were truly dead?
She smiled gratefully. “Thank you, old friend. As long as you are careful, the palace shall always have a need of you. Get the items, and no gossiping on the way. Just get back here. I will return, one day, and then you will be well rewarded.”
“Your kindness is a reward enough, my lady,” he murmured, and walked up the stairs in an odd, hopping way, his shoes making sharp sounds on each step.
Quiss chuckled, and led us to the side room, which had desks, racks of weapons, and beds. It was a guard’s room, simple and plain. Sand plopped down on a bed, silent, and Quiss went to sit by the table.
“The man can be trusted?” I asked her; nervous we had sent him upstairs where Raven lurked.
“Karak? He’s quite old, but don’t let that fool you,” she said. “Father has promised Balic would raise him one day. He declined politely. He knows what they are. One of the very few who does. I could see he has been worried about me, since I didn’t return here after the … parade. He won’t betray the living to the dead.” Her eyes went to Sand, who looked back impassively, his hand on his sword, and I worried Sand was thinking about slaying Quiss.
“Parade of my bare ass,” I grumbled. “I’ll not easily forget that. Or the whipping. I hope he hurries.”
“You know,” she muttered, “most men would not move for a week after such a beating.”
“Especially since your mother hit his balls,” Sand snickered.
She looked dubious. “That is … everything intact?”
“Yes!” I said, mortified. “It is in one piece. They are!”
She smiled with relief. “Good. It’s possible part of your magic still remains, despite the Sorrowspinner. You can take a lot of punishment, and seem to heal fast.”
“Perhaps,” I said, and felt like my back was on fire, and weaker than I should have liked.
She sighed and rubbed her eyes, trying to calm herself. “So, what orders do you want me to write?”
I smiled. “You tell the generals of the armies to attend Balic on top.”
“Balic,” she said, tapping her hands on the desk. “Yes. I can do that.”
“Then,” I continued. “Send orders for deputies of those armies to let the men on leave. There’s been a delay on the plans.”
“Father doesn’t have that kind of authority.”
I shook my shoulders. “Do it in Balic’s name. Some will seek approval, and others will obey. And it will still create chaos and delays. I’m sure of it.”
“Right,” she said, smiling. “Excellent. I’ll give the orders. You do you
r thing after. And Sand’s not coming with you. He’ll come with me. I’ll be waiting for you.” She crossed her legs. “I’ll leave orders to the door guards that you are to be let through. I’ll rush to our own pier, just down the alley we used to enter. We’ll take the galley out, and we’ll get ready. If you must, jump out of the window. It’s not a short drop from here to the sea. No rocks that I know of. Very few carnivorous fish. Only had one the other year. Ate a swimmer.”
“Great,” I whispered. “Thank you.”
We waited.
I’d expose the dead, I’d create all the chaos I could, and to do all that, I’d have to risk my life without my powers. She looked at me steadily, beautiful as Baduhanna in her own, mortal way. While I had not mentioned it to Quiss, and no matter how much she appeared to hate her mother, she probably realized I’d have to be in the throne room, where Raven Atenguard sat.
She knew I’d try to kill her. She apparently read my mind.
“Maskan? Can I call you Maskan?”
“Yes,” I said.
“A question.”
“Princess?”
“Mother,” she said simply. “She knows the powers of magic. The One Eyed priests all do. Something to do with death. Have you seen what they can do?”
“It is a skill for non-humans,” I answered. “Humans cannot do it. I used to be able to do it all,” I told her. “I used to be able to touch the fire and the ice.” And I kept trying, I realized, to touch the powers, which roared their icy and fiery ways into the Filling Void. I had not truly lost them, I told myself. They’d be there when I found a way out of the Sorrowspinner’s clutch. “I know she is powerful,” I told her.
She sat there, unhappy. “Be careful. I wish—”
“I know.”
Sand made an angry, muttering sound, and shook his head in disgust. What undead impulses he had developed towards Quiss, none were kind. Mine were.
We waited some more, and then, I heard the butler’s shoes. He entered the room, and pages, five young, red-cheeked boys, so similar, it looked as if they were brothers, followed him. Some looked half asleep, but upon seeing Quiss, all straightened their backs, smoothed their yellow liveries. She looked at me, and then took the materials from the butler. There was a fine pen and ink in a golden bottle, which the butler covetously placed far from me. There were papers of fine quality, and then, the fist sized, carved seal of Aten, along with a blue stick of wax.
The Queen of the Draugr: Stories of the Nine Worlds (Thief of Midgard - a dark fantasy action adventure Book 2) Page 15