Jess could see Rulia visibly paling. For all that her lover had sparred scores of times in the training circle, Jess realized that this might be the first time Rulia had to fight in earnest for her very life, let alone against such overwhelming odds.
“You will surrender now, smugglers!” Roared the lead of the contingent of heavy cavalry pointing their lances at the pair as Jess and Rulia cautiously came around the forest bend. Jess couldn't help but note the quality of their mounts and gear, each opponent wearing full suits of mail with breastplates and visored helms as well. They were all armed with jousting shields and steel-tipped lances, fit to form the wedge of any charge, the coterie as well equipped as any band of lesser nobles could hope to be, here confronting Jess on this lonely road.
Her enemies were resourceful indeed.
“We know for a fact that you are carrying contraband. We have already captured the dealer in poisons who is your contact at the inn. Now surrender your poison and prepare yourselves for the king's justice, or die where you stand!”
This from the cold-eyed leader of their group. Jess could sense his hate, even from where she stood.
Jess took a deep breath, girding herself, giving her friend quick, quiet warning. "Switch to mace, Rulia. These men have the richest of patrons. No sword is going to pierce their breastplates. Far better to use your mace and strike at helm and mail with all force and fury."
Jess could sense her friend's trembling nod as she switched equipment in the lull before the storm they both knew was fast approaching.
22
For all that Jess knew it was a trap, search and seizure but a pretext, Jess went through the motions of trying to avoid a massacre. "I carry no packs of poisons, sir knight who has yet to announce his name, rank, or by whose authority he would dare to presume rights to arrest a noble! But for the sake of simple civility, I assure you that I carry nothing of contraband or significance."
She waited for the man to glare in outrage, visor still raised, shouting at her to surrender once more, before smacking the rear of the horse she had been ordered to bring to the inn. "As you can see, save for the armaments allowed by rank and station, my companion and I carry no packages of significance upon our persons. The only beast of burden I have with me is this pack mare, well saddled with provisions. Please feel free to examine her for yourself, if you like."
The lead knight's eyes lit with dark triumph. "Page, get that horse!" he snapped, and the young, anxious looking lad who must have been the scout Jess had sensed in the trees but hadn't had the heart to send crashing down, knowing he was but a boy, immediately sprinted forward, gazing up at a coolly nodding Jess before grabbing the pack mare's stirrups and quickly leading the horse back to his master.
“Now, let us see what foul poisons you death paddlers have been running, shall we?” The man's triumphant smirk turned to an angry hiss as he threw down sack after sack of ground millet that the guard captain had given Jess in exchange for the waxen packets whispering their toxic secrets to Jess, back at the stables.
The knight snarled, drawing his belt knife and slicing open each one, spraying the ground with grain. Yet obviously not finding what he sought. Furious eyes locked upon Jess once more as the man remounted.
"Where are the packages, girl? You will tell me where you hid them, or you will beg for me to listen to your secrets, once I have you on the rack!" The knight's roar turned to an angry hiss, that carried eerily well, despite their distance. "Choose now, girl. I will not ask a second time."
Coldly Jess equipped her mace, gazing at the knights who had lowered their lances in preparation for charge in unison. "My name is Jessica de Calenbry, and I am a loyal noble of Erovering! I declare myself the target of persecution and entrapment, and your officer leading you but an accomplice to their number. How else is he so certain I am carrying contraband? Why else would he threaten me with death, instead of apology, after finding no goods of a foul nature upon my pack horse?"
Coldly, Jess locked gazes with all the knights who would meet her own. "The answer is obvious, if you have the courage to see it. It is because he is a tool of my clan's enemies who would be happy to see me dead, and let gullible fools take the fall! Make no mistake, noble knights, if you engage in this madness, you are but pawns being played by dark masters who would care not a fig if the blood-price for killing a named noble bankrupted your entire clan!"
She glared daggers at the furious looking captain. "Are you truly ready to strike down without cause two noblewomen who have done nothing wrong? Is this truly in keeping with your oaths, your sense of honor and purpose, when the veil of deception and intrigue is at last stripped away?"
Jess gazed imploringly at the fully armed and armored men before her, seeing them move together as one cohesive whole. She almost thought she sensed several flinch and hesitate, but their commander's shout for them to charge and cut her down was one they all followed, minds and bodies flowing into one deadly whole.
“Oh gods, Jess...”
“Don't panic!” Jess roared, gazing upon near a dozen knights charging straight for her, lances raised. “Stay to my right!” With that she snapped her reins, forcing her panicked mount forward, and charged into the thundering storm of knights even at that instant crashing into her.
23
A heartbeat before panic and terror, the ground shaking with rows of chargers about to crash enemy lines, the whinnies and cries of horse and man as battle was joined in earnest, those were the moments Jess truly felt alive.
When time itself seemed to slow down, as senses suddenly hyper alert took in every hue and cry, every flash of steel, the weaving motions of armor-clad bodies trying desperately to skewer Jess, even as fearsome lances were inexorably torn off target, yanked by a bow wave of incomprehensible force, even as Jess's weighty mace slammed into one knight's furious charge, caving in his helmet in an explosion of crumpled steel, bone, and brain; a crimson mist upon the air as Jess charged past, screaming at Rulia to block and swing, even as she whipped her mace around to hammer into a second knight crashing into her, shattering his shoulder and sending him tumbling from his steed with the force of her blow.
And then Jess was past, and with a sudden surge of relief, she sensed Rulia was as well, neither the worse for wear. "Stay with me!" Jess shouted before pivoting around to see her enemies desperate to turn their beasts about, most with lances aimed once more for her heart, others with sword or mace, more than one raised visor gazing at her with disbelief.
Jess noted two bodies upon the trampled ground, one man crying out and writhing, shoulder shattered, the other, helmet a crushed gory mass, clearly dead. Jess felt a certain surge of pride for her shaken friend in seeing one knight obviously dizzy and the worse for wear; his helmet dented, his lance dropped.
“By all the gods, how?” Rulia desperately whispered.
“Wood will cause me no harm,” was all Jess said, even as her opponents readied themselves to charge once more.
“The rumors are true! She uses infernalist arts to heighten her powers, and seeks our master's blood for her foul rituals. We must strike down that foul witch, and we must do so now!" roared the same vile knight who had accused her of smuggling poison but moments before, goading his men into a frenzy, before Jess could convince them to parlay, and as one they charged forth, lances aimed straight for her heart once more.
“Stay on my right!” Jess roared, catching sight of the lead knight's hate-filled gaze, suddenly certain that this vile game went far beyond what even she had feared.
If she didn't put him down, the other knights would be compelled to fight to the last man.
It was her last cogent thought before the din and cry of battle was rejoined, lances once more yanked out of alignment, Jess taking instant advantage, striking out with savage fury, shattering shields and the arms behind them with terrible blows even as her backhand swings caved in armored skulls, weaving and dodging around wild swings of sword and mace easily parried, a quartet of knights falli
ng to her fury before she faced the cursing captain, chilled to understand odd, guttural words coalescing into a potent sigil in the air before him.
She sensed the dark spell but a heartbeat way from igniting into being.
She did not think, merely flinging her mace as Eloquin had trained her how to long before, to seize the moment, to take any advantage, the steel head crashing into the nobleman's helm, crumpling his visor, sending him crashing to the ground.
As much as she wanted to trample him in her fury, she forced herself to charge through the milling masses even as they homed in on her once more, knowing Rulia would likely perish if she surrendered to frenzy.
“Rulia!” Jess cried seconds later, her sword now in hand, barely feeling the hot sting to her cheeks, her blade now hissing as it was etched with the furious potency of a Delvers blood.
She gave a deep sigh, relieved beyond words to see her friend flashing her a brave grin, even as she held her side.
Jess's heart lurched. “Are you okay?”
"I think so," Rulia hissed as they galloped away for distance. "Those knights were homed in on you. They hardly registered me. And the mail saved me from serious injury, I think, but that last blow hit with some force. I managed to knock the man off his horse, though, pounding his helm just when his steed started to panic and he let down his guard." She gave a painful laugh. "Reminding me once more why maces are a damned sight better against mailed foes than swords, at least when you have a shield to parry and close."
Jess gave a relieved nod. “Well done.” Her gaze, however, was focused solely on the knights still upright as she pulled her mare up and pivoted around to face them once more.
She shivered, realizing at last what had felt so odd about the coterie of lords so intent on bringing her down. Jess forced herself to focus in ways she rarely thought of outside of Shadow, seeing the faint crimson chords of power, the thinnest strands of suggestion really, an adjunct to natural command as opposed to the brutal mallet of compulsion, slowly begin to wind free of the surviving knights, even as their leader writhed and screamed from his shattered jaw, coughing great gobs of blood leaking past the crumpled metal, fruitlessly trying to remove his helmet, the visor crumpled and lodged against his tortured face with the force of Jess's throw.
“Twice you have sallied against me, and still I stand, even as half your men lay crumpled on the ground, wounded or worse.” Jess called out, the knights seeming in no rush to charge.
"My name is Jessica de Calenbry, graduate of Highrock, Knight of Onni, explorer of living dream. I have Delved deep into the darkest pits of madness, and lived to tell the tale. I have also fought alongside Knight Aspirants, men much like yourselves. Men who trained with all their heart to live and die for a cause greater than themselves. Honor, discipline, and brotherhood were our watchwords. So before any more of us die needless deaths this day, tell me your grievances and let us put our differences to rest, before any more graves need to be dug!"
Much to Jess's surprised relief, the remaining knights appeared to consider her words. Silent looks were exchanged. One man stepped forward, removing his helmet. Solemn brown eyes in a face both handsome and scarred peered into Jess's own. His hair was a sandy brown, blowing in the soft breeze. Wordlessly, Jess removed her own helmet, the two slowly bringing their mounts to within easy speaking distance.
The man spoke first. “I am Lord Joseph de Hillcrest, sworn to the service of Duke Smida, as are all my brother knights who fight beside me this day. We were making our way to the Royal Ladies Academy to attend the gala when we received word that a clandestine meeting would take place at Evergreen Inn, involving the smuggling of deadly poisons.” The man's eyes bored into Jess's own. “The description of the messenger we were to expect is identical to your own, Dame Calenbry.”
Jess grimaced, but nodded. “Somehow that doesn't surprise me, Lord Hillcrest. For the Royal Ladies Academy is a nest of conniving vipers, with connections, I suspect, that run deep through the most corrupt elements of the Lords Council. One Lady Grimsly, after admitting that she was directly responsible for my sentence to attend said school, did see fit to punish me as pleased her, which included mucking out any number of stalls, and on a night when my fellow students were to attend a gala and present themselves before knights and other lords much like yourself, I was given a courier's duty, told to drop off this pack mare to the very inn you lay in ambush beside."
Jess chuckled softly at the man's widening gaze. "I suspected foul play might be at work, so I made sure to switch packs, just in case it was a trap I was being led into, not simple humiliation by a vindictive head disciplinarian who loathed that she could not easily break a girl trained for battle, not just the ballroom." Jess shook her head and sighed. "And I was right to do so. And if that damned serpent even now writhing upon the ground had anything less than rotten malice in his heart, seeing that all the packs he cut open were free of anything save millet, and the mounts my companion and I ride are clearly free of packs or excess equipment, he would have stepped aside and apologized, realizing that someone had played him for a fool."
Jess glared at the man even then screaming and writhing upon the dirt road. "He knew there was no contraband to be found, yet demanded you charge me anyway. Charge two female nobles who had chosen to honor his request for a search which we, as noblewomen, had every right to deny. He found nothing, and yet demanded you kill me without cause, a fellow noble, breaking every rule of honor, integrity, and propriety that keeps our nation together." Jess caught Hillcrest's brooding gaze. "Does that not strike you as odd, fellow knight?"
“Damned odd,” the man admitted at last, giving a sad shake of his head. “In the instant the order was given, the charge somehow made sense. Cut down assassins seeking to poison the nobility of Erovering. But upon even a moment's reflection, this whole engagement is a cursed sorry affair." He shook his head in genuine regret. "We committed a grievous injustice, and we have lost good men today."
Jess gazed sympathetically at the knight before her. "We both regret the death of good knights who had trained for years to defend our nation, only to fall prey to darkest folly." Her gaze turned hard once more. "Because of that damned bastard!" Jess cursed, even as the object of her ire continued to cough and moan, steadily weakening.
“He was a fool,” Lord Hillcrest sighed. “And we for following him.”
Jess glared at their fallen leader. “Worse than that. He is an infernalist. And do not condemn yourself overly. You were compelled.”
Lord Hillcrest stiffened at those words. “What are you saying, Dame Calenbry?”
Jess sighed. "I am a Delver as well as a knight, infused with the terrible strength that comes to those who dare darkest Shadow, and live to tell the tale. That is the true reason why I was able to best men of your caliber. Besides odd strength, another gift of pitting my soul against the forces of oblivion itself? I have a knack, sometimes, for sensing certain foul magics." Jess smiled. "That is a confidence I hope you will keep to yourselves."
The knight before her frowned but nodded. “Of course, my lady, but can you prove such a wild assertion?”
Jess sighed, gazing sadly at the man before her. “How else do you explain why over half a score of honorable knights would feel the need to charge two noblewomen who offered no immediate threat, having surrendered the object of suspected smuggling without protest, with no evidence of wrongdoing being found?”
The man's features steadily paled. "You could pass for my cousin." He gave a slow shake of his head. "No. As odd as I found our assignment here, as willing as I am to strike down any obvious spy, nothing, absolutely nothing about this encounter makes sense." He gazed back at the still writhing leader of their squad with increasing disdain, his gaze turning to one of sorrow as he took in his fallen fellows, many thankfully alive but gravely injured.
“Will you help me, my lady?” He asked.
Jess solemnly nodded. "Of course."
And with that, his fellows seeing Jess dis
mount and walk by their comrade's side to assist the fallen, their combined purpose and an end to hostilities was instantly apparent to all. A quiet speech from Lord Hillcrest affirmed this, all present turning their ire to he who seemed the true serpent amongst their midst.
Almost against her better judgment, Jess used her odd strength to pry twisted visor off the object of her ire, carefully peeling away dented helm to allow the easy removal thereof, feeling the weight of more than a few disbelieving stares upon her person as she did so.
“By all that's holy, did you see that?”
“A Delver's strength, that is.”
A soft chuckle. “And not a single lance marked her. No wonder she bested knights of Smida so handily. She has strode the border between dream and legend.”
Jess couldn't help grimacing at that. "Not something I recommend, my friends. More souls are lost to eternal nightmare than people realize, their very existence torn free of the pages of history, such that you don't even know the tragedy of their loss."
More than one man paled at that.
Jess gazed with cool dispassion at the mangled face of the man glaring at her with such hatred, even as he took ragged breaths, spitting out teeth and blood.
It appeared he might live, now that Jess had freed him of a slow, steely death. She really wasn't sure how she felt about that, particularly as he glared at her with a madman's hate, before turning his gaze to Rulia and hissing bloody curses. Jess clouted him, and he fell to his knees and groaned.
“My lady...” Jess gazed toward the knight who protested the treatment of his fellow.
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