The Demons We See

by Krista D. Ball

  Why hadn’t she tried to talk him into it, if that was why she’d come to him? It wouldn’t take much persuading on her part. Sultry eyes, heavy breathing, a soft moan as flesh touched flesh, ripe nipples under his calloused hands, wet folds of skin around his mouth…

  Stanton pressed his face into his hand. He needed a stiff drink. So he walked over to the little table in the corner of his study and poured himself a tall glass of brandy from the crystal decanter. He’d won the golden liquid two months ago from one of the visiting diplomats. She’d won it in turn from Father Michael. The Almighty giveth and He taketh away. Blessed be the name of expensive brandy on a chilly spring morning.

  Lex poked his head into the room. “Got a moment?”

  He motioned for Lex to enter. “Drink?”

  Lex shook his head. “The wine from dinner isn’t sitting well.”

  “That’s the cheese. It’s tasted off for months now.”

  “Sir, it’s not the cheese.”

  “It’s the cheese, I’m telling you.”

  Stanton took a long pull of his brandy, delighting in the warm path it cut down his throat and into his stomach. “So what’s up?”

  Lex hedged around the question before blurting, “Is there anything going on between you and the Contessa?”

  Stanton lifted an eyebrow.

  “I know it’s none of my business.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  Lex fidgeted, and Stanton made no effort to ease his discomfort. “All I’m saying, sir, is that I’m in charge of her personal security. So if you and her are…involved now, I need to know only so that I can adjust…my…erm…Look, sir, what’s going on?”

  “There’s nothing going on, Lex.” Stanton drained his glass.

  “I’m going to regret this, but why the fuck not?”

  Stanton barked out a laugh. “Lex, if I knew the answer to that question, don’t you think I’d already be involved?”

  “It’s not because you think she’s an elemental or anything, right?”

  “What? No. It’s nothing…do you think she’s one?”

  Lex waved his hand. “I couldn’t care less if she was one or not. I just wanted to make sure that wasn’t what was holding you up from making your move.”

  Stanton stared at Lex in shocked silence.

  “Why are you staring at me like that? Sir, you know that I don’t care about mages and all that. I know plenty and I will never turn them in.”

  Stanton stared at Lex. “You’ve never turned them in.”

  “That is the fundamental difference between you and I. You gave your oath to the Cathedral. I gave mine to the Almighty. I know the Lord Almighty doesn’t care what asshole cardinals think, and only what is in my heart.”

  “Lex, this isn’t about…”

  “This is about accepting people the way they were born, sir. This is about trusting your friends.” Lex stepped forward. “And the Contessa is my friend. I’m just looking out for her.”

  Stanton crossed his arms. “By putting it into my head that she’s an elemental? How is that going to help?”

  “Stanton, I’ve known you a long time.”

  “Oh, no.” Lex only ever used his first name when things were bad.

  “She’s terrified someone, one day, will accuse her of being an elemental to her friends.”

  “She told you this, did she?”

  Lex licked his lips. “Something like that. She’s afraid if someone accused her, you might betray her. That is why she keeps pushing you away.” Lex quirked a grin. “Sir.”

  “Are you saying you think she thinks I think she’s an elemental?”

  Lex rolled his eyes. “All I know is this: she is scared of all of us. She might look at you…” Lex snorted, “Like she’s going to pounce and rip your clothes off, but she’s also scared of you. You are a powerful man. You could ruin her if you wanted to. Anyway, sorry, sir. It’s been on my mind for a while now.”

  Stanton sighed heavily and walked over to the decanter and poured himself another brandy. He drained it in a long, burning pull. “All right, Lex. You’re worried about Allegra’s enemies. Fine. I’ve had some horrible daydreams about Bonacieux’s men dragging her out of the abbey in the middle of the night. We have the night shift rotation now, and we have guards near the servant entrances. Let’s double the guard detail up on the cliffside. Enough snow’s melted that we can risk sending more men up there. You know what? Find Cram and drag his elemental ass in here. Let’s get some of his people helping.”

  “Sir?” Lex blinked in surprise.

  “Well, if Cram and his people get to sit around eating the good cheese while we’re stuck with the off stuff, then he can help put them to work.”

  “I…sir?”

  Stanton smiled at his second-in-command. “What do you want from me, Lex?”

  “I’m not even sure anymore, sir.”

  Dodd burst into the room. He looked around frantically, caught Stanton’s eyes, and said, “We have a problem.”

  ****

  “What do you mean?” Allegra demanded. Dodd, Stanton, and Martin were standing across from her desk. Martin’s uniform was dirty, and he stank.

  “Your Ladyship, we were patrolling the southern fields, past the village. We have been keeping an eye on the camps there,” Martin said for the third time.

  “Yes, yes, but what do you mean about the General?”

  Stanton licked his lips and said, “The agreement is one hundred men total. Everyone brought their own support, of course, and you’ve repeatedly stated support staff didn’t count towards their numbers.”

  “That’s correct. There aren’t enough bakers and blacksmiths to meet everyone’s needs in Borro.”

  “But…the General’s supports are massive.”

  “Perhaps they have more hangers-on.”

  “No, Contessa,” Stanton said. “I believe that the general is hiding his troops under the guise of support.”

  “But that would be in direct violation of the talks agreement,” Allegra said. “I thought his troops were camped to the west of town?”

  “They are,” Martin said. “But these are camped further south.”

  Allegra frowned. “Should I confront him about it?”

  Stanton shrugged. “If you do, you might be forcing his hand or angering him. But if you do nothing…”

  “I’m announcing myself as weak and everyone else will bring forces, too. Then, someone will do something stupid and we’ll have a full scale battle on our front steps.”

  “Pretty much,” Stanton said.

  “Kat, what do you think?”

  The Grand Duchess spoke from beyond the fabric privacy screens. She’d arrived an hour ago for the ball. And she was hiding from Father Michael’s and Pero’s bad moods in Allegra’s private dining parlor. “The General needs to be put into his place. He is a well-known misogynist and, if that wasn’t a good enough reason to despise the little upstart, he has been disruptive to these talks. You can’t control how many of his men are beyond the county limits, but you can certainly push him over the border.”

  “Cartossa’s border is only a half a day away from where he’s set up, Your Grace,” Martin said.

  Stanton turned to Martin and said, “I want all the guards put on alert. Spread out through the basements, stables, and every nook and cranny through the abbey. Ask Father Michael and Viscount Reeves for help. Don’t be obvious about it, but I want the entire abbey searched. Get Cram to help, too. If the General is planning something, I want to know.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  Allegra tapped her fingers on her desk. “If we force them to move, they’ll be beyond our control. Also, what’s to stop them from disbanding and setting up smaller pockets all around the area, and even near opposing camps? I’m sure the General would be only too glad to authorize the occasional supply raid upon his enemies.”

  “True enough,” Stanton said. “Your Grace?
”

  “I am here merely to offer my own personal opinion for Cousin Allegra to disagree with at every turn.”

  Allegra winked at Stanton. “I will speak with the Queen about this, I think.”

  ****

  “Her Excellency Allegra, Contessa of Marsina,” the butler announced when the footmen opened the double doors. Allegra inclined her head at the butler and strode into the room.

  The Queen was perched on a heavily-embroidered chair. She was a short woman, so her feet dangled like a child’s. She was a child, too, in so many ways. She was sixteen and a queen, but she was still only sixteen. Plenty of excellent mistakes were made at that age, only most people’s mistakes didn’t affect the fate of nations.

  “Your Majesty,” Allegra said, curtsying very low. She had worn her second best dress for this visit. Her skirts billowed out around her and she stretched out her hands to rest against the cornflower blue fabric. “Thank you for granting me this meeting on such short notice.”

  “Please rise,” the queen said. Her voice still had a youthful pitch to it. “What can I do for you, Your Excellency?”

  “Might we speak alone?”

  Portia nodded to the footmen at the door. They stepped outside, the door latching behind them. Allegra stood and squared her shoulders. She folded her hands together in front of her, just as she’d been taught as a girl. She hated those lessons then, and she hated them now. But her tutor had been right way back then: people in power love their ceremony, so give it to them to extract favors later.

  “Your Majesty, I have received a concerning report from one of my scouts. It appears a large force flying your banner are camped south of Borro in violation of my terms.”

  “You are incorrect. Our agreed-upon force of soldiers is camped west of the village.”

  “I’m talking about the second encampment, Your Majesty.”

  The Queen blanched. “I’m…I’m not…I mean, I don’t know what you are speaking about.”

  Allegra narrowed her eyes and said very calmly, “Your Majesty, those troops are yours.”

  “They are not,” she insisted.

  Without the General here to feed her the appropriate lines, the Queen resembled a child lying about stealing cake from the larder rather than a fierce leader. Allegra did not wish to make an enemy of this woman. Likewise, she couldn’t let her get away with blatantly disregarding the rules.

  “I see. Thank you for clarifying. I shall send my people to arrest them, then.”

  “W-what?” Portia stammered. “You can’t do that.”

  “Your Majesty, these vagrants are pretending to be under your aegis. They have been responsible for no fewer than eleven raids on other encampments. They must be dealt with.”

  “But…but…”

  Allegra stepped forward and glared at the Queen. “Your Majesty, you are young, and we can all forgive a significant amount of foolishness because of that. However, this isn’t a game. This is real life, and the peace of all of our nations hangs in the balance.”

  “How dare you!” Portia roared. She jumped down from her chair and glared up at Allegra, who was at least two hand lengths taller. “I am Queen Portia!”

  “Then act like it!” Allegra snarled.

  The Queen flopped back on her chair and said, in a sullen voice, “You’re bluffing. You have a couple dozen guards and that’s it. How are you going to arrest all of my men?”

  Allegra bowed and said, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for admitting that you have broken the peace treaty. I shall inform the other delegates.”

  “Wait…what? I didn’t. Wait! You can’t!”

  Allegra said, “Your Majesty, I am no Queen, but these peace talks are mine, sanctioned by the Cathedral. You are here on my invitation and not the other way around. I have already informed the other delegates about these aggressors and they are already forming a joint guard to deal with the situation. But since they are your men, then they were here on your authority. So, I’m sure the others will be very pleased to hear of that.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  Allegra approached her and said, “General Bonacieux no longer attends any leadership meetings. If you wish to have an advisor with you, ask Grand Duchess Katherine for assistance and guidance. She’s your aunt.”

  “Twice removed,” the queen said. “And she hates me.”

  “The Grand Duchess hates everyone,” Allegra said. “She will still help you.”

  “What else do you want?”

  “Get those men back across the border to Cartossa. They cease all raids and pillaging along the way.”

  “The General won’t let you get away with this.”

  “My dear Queen, I outrank the General.”

  And, with that, Allegra marched out of Queen Portia’s drawing room, head held high. And no one saw how much her hands trembled as she did.

  ****

  Stanton was discussing the security arrangements for the ball with Beatrix and Dodd when General Bonacieux flung open his door. “You get that woman of yours under control, Rainier!”

  “You must be confusing me with someone else,” Stanton said. He’d already gotten the blow-by-blow of the exchange from Allegra, so he was prepared for this confrontation. That’s why Lex and Martin were currently having a day-long meeting in Allegra’s office and why the Grand Duchess and Cram had relocated there for an extended supper.

  “You know exactly what I mean!” the General bellowed. “Out! The rest of you, out!”

  “Stay,” Stanton ordered Beatrix, who’d turned to go. Dodd, knowing better, hadn’t even flinched to move away. “General, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you are wasting my time. So either get to the point or go harass someone else. I’m sure there’s a mage left in the village you haven’t screamed at yet.”

  Bonacieux slammed his hand down so hard on Stanton’s desk that the letters all jumped. “You will address this, Rainier. That contessa of yours is undermining my authority.”

  “You seem to be under the mistaken impression that the Arbiter works for me. She does not. I am in her employ, and not the other way around.”

  “You are the Duke of Barrington. Act like it, man!”

  Stanton pushed himself up from his desk. He didn’t make it any more aggressive than it needed to be. “General Bonacieux, you have broken the rules of the peace talks. If it were my choice, I would have expelled you and written the Holy Father to demand you be censored for this insult. Now, if you wish me to speak to the Contessa, I would be very happy to give her my opinion. Otherwise, please leave.”

  “I should have known you were a mage lover.”

  Stanton stared at him blankly, refusing to take the bait. The General stormed out of the room, slamming doors and shouting as he did.

  “Dodd?”

  He was already moving. “I’ll take the servant stairs. Should be able to warn the others before he gets through.”

  The Nightmare We Know

  Walter closed his eyes as they wrapped the noose around the boy’s neck. Little Ferret, as they all called him, wasn’t old enough yet to know if he was going to become a mage. His dead parents were both elementals, which was why Little Ferret was one of them. They’d all assumed he’d turn out like them.

  Dammit, he shouldn’t have stolen that loaf of bread.

  Little Ferret sobbed and sniffled. The elemental mages stood in a block with Walter. Oh, some of them hadn’t identified themselves as such, but they wouldn’t be standing next to him if they weren’t. He was their leader, for better or worse. Ferret was one of their own.

  If Walter lashed out, that noose would be around his neck. He’d open a crater in the town square before he’d let them tighten it. If they knocked him out so he couldn’t, all of these men and women would go to war. Not even Allegra’s pretty words could stop that.

  But Little Ferret was one of his. He brought the little mongoose here in hopes he’d be safe for a few mo
nths.

  The ground tremored underneath Walter and it snapped him back into the present. He grabbed control of his elemental power before he opened up the earth and accidentally killed himself.

  “What are we going to do?” whispered a man he didn’t know who stood next to him. “We can’t let them kill him. He’s one of ours.”

  The priest was reading a homily, on and on about the forgiving nature of the Almighty. All the while the hooded executioner prepared to murder a hungry little boy.

  “I can’t without hurting Ferret,” Walter said quietly.

  The man nodded. “All right. Everyone, get ready.”

  Walter’s skin burned from the spike of blue-hot flame that shot from the man’s hands. One cut through the noose’s rope and continued to sail through the air. The other hit, not the executioner, not the priest, but the magistrate who’d sentenced a little boy to the rope.

  “Run!” Walter ordered and the man broke through the crowd, guards hot upon his heels. Strong arms clamped down on Walter. “Boys, I recommend you take your hands off me or else this war is starting right here, right this minute.”

  Chapter 26

  Thankfully, the militia had managed to keep the fighting during Little Ferret’s execution to a minimum. So when Allegra’s horse galloped into the main marketplace, there was only curling smoke from recently-extinguished fires. She’d not known the little boy was to be hanged today. She’d not even known, for certain, that he would even meet the noose. She’d been promised the boy would receive leniency.

  “Back!” Stanton shouted. “Everyone! Back!”

  Flanked by Consorts and militia alike, Allegra pulled into the midst of the brewing fight. That didn’t stop her heart from pounding or her desire to sink behind Rainier or the others. But this was her job now, and she would rather fester in the abyss than let some regressive farmers dictate the law to her. She had already been on her way when runners met her to say that Walter was about to be arrested. If she didn’t get the situation under control now, all of her hard work was about to go up in actual flames.