Paladin's Oath

by M. H. Johnson

  “Before we proceed, I would like to know where both of you stand.” The baron’s words were cool, measured, and Verona knew she was on dangerous ground indeed.

  Morlekai cracked his knuckles and smiled. “I would hope a man of your perceptions would know already what side of the board I play on, Baron de Calenbry.”

  The Baron gazed at the adventurer before him with cool, measuring eyes. “I assume you play on the side of the Guild, who dances to no tune save their own.”

  Morlekai flashed a toothy grin. “It is true, I am here on behalf of the Guild. We had a debt to pay, and we always honor the nature of our debts.”

  “And what was the nature of this debt, Del Morlekai?” the baroness queried.

  Morlekai gave her a considering glance. "A challenge was made for a prize claimed by Jess and her band. As their party was in ragged shape after their experience, and Jess at death's door, an agreement was made with the pragmatic acquiescence of one Alex de Velice, aspiring battlemage and now Spring Delver, whether he appreciates the title or no."

  The powerful man smiled, taking a thoughtful sip of brandy. "One wand for one thousand gold crowns, plus additional compensation for young Alex and his beau, having been promised nothing in their original arrangement, and certainly due some compensation for having been pulled entirely into realms of darkest Shadow, and surviving only by barest luck and the fact that they too have the ancient blood of Delvers coursing happily through their veins, though both of them are of course loath to admit it."

  Morlekai shrugged. "In truth, I found Jessica to be fascinating, unconscious as she was at that time. Her very presence seems to thrum the strings of fate, to weigh upon the ever shifting tides of destiny. How then could I resist the opportunity to meet under better circumstances the famous Jessica de Calenbry, Knight of diOnni Duchy and Paladin of Turnsby Estates, vaunted savior of the College of Highrock, and present her with her purse?"

  Lady Agda did not look amused. “Pretty words, Del Morlekai, but am I to truly believe that you came all this way simply because you found my daughter… fetching?”

  A completely unrepentant Morlekai winked. "Yes. Of course, as a Guild representative, I let her know she was welcome to join us. To be counted as one among our ranks. For ours is the most sacred of all brotherhoods, and those who would cross us will find they've made the gravest of mistakes." He turned his bemused gaze to Verona. "So that if, for example, our dear Agent of the Crown here was to decide to report that Jessica was indeed a threat, the Crown would have to consider the consequences of deciding to move against your family, of wiping your clan off the board completely, so to speak, knowing that they would be threatening one of our own."

  Verona felt chilled to her core at the cold gazes thrown her way, even as Morlekai gazed at her almost…playfully.

  "And did my daughter agree to join the Guild?" The baron's words were hard as steel.

  "Oh no," Morlekai chuckled. "She was far too cautious for that. She agreed only to the status of Friend of the Guild. A considerable privilege, as you know, that we are happy to offer her, which puts her under no obligation, and yet assures that the Guild does have an interest, should something untoward happen to our dear Jessica." He turned his wild gold green eyes towards Verona once more, and she felt pinned to her chair by his playful smile, so like a cat teasing his prey.

  “Interesting.” Lady Agda nodded, saying nothing more on it, even as she changed her focus to Verona.

  “I am curious, Lady Verona, what is your take on this evening’s events? Both as an Agent of the Crown, and as a mother.”

  Verona blinked, realizing that lady Agda was both asking for a dispassionate assessment regarding what storms her family could expect to come as a consequence of this night’s events, as well as appealing to her own maternal sympathies. Truly, she had never expected this evening to go in such directions as it had. She took a sip of apple brandy to collect herself and gather her thoughts. Truly exquisite, as were most things in this great house.

  "Baroness, I must be candid. In regards to the situation near the apple grove, even now I can't say whether the first swordsmen meant to prod or strike lady Jessica with his blade. But," she continued firmly before anyone could interject, "that point is moot. By law, the moment a commoner threatens a noble with steel, his life is forfeit. And as much as we know Kipu would argue that his man was acting in self-defense, the fact remains that there were four armed and armored guardsmen squaring off against one lone woman in a dancing gown with but a dirk. The fact that they had dared to close in on her, blades drawn, makes her right to self-defense irrefutable." She sighed. "And whether or not the first guard had been intending a lethal blow, there is no question that his companions were attacking her without mercy or quarter. So, from a strictly legal perspective, Jessica was well within her rights to do whatever she had to, to protect her person.”

  Verona took another reflective sip of brandy. “Whether young Jessica had exercised good judgment in confronting Kipu in the first place is beside the point, and does not detract from the fact that, legally speaking, she was well within her rights to defend herself with lethal force.”

  Verona nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed, had she not been successful in defending herself, even had she simply taken an injury, I doubt a single one of those men would have been allowed to live, in any case." Her smile was bleak. "As an Agent of the Crown, I can assure you I have seen the results of more than one commoner who dared strike their betters, outside of an agreed upon duel. The results, I'm afraid, are never pretty, no matter how extenuating the circumstances were. As far as the Council will be concerned, the important thing, the only thing that truly matters, is that Kipu suffered no serious injury. Particularly as he adamantly refused even to touch his sword despite Jessica's... encouragement, and is, in fact, a guest upon your lands."

  She paused, considering. "Of course, she did almost throttle him, but Jessica did drop him at your command, and I took a close look. He was coughing, but no significant harm was done. I suspect the Court would consider that no more serious than a blow. And that after he had insulted her, so though she did violate guest privilege in that instance, it was only after provocation. She would probably be fined a token amount, and that would be the end of it."

  Verona took a fortifying sip of her brandy before locking gazes with the baron once more. “Of course, if it was actually determined that Kipu had been provoking his guards to attack her out of malice, not self-defense, it is Kipu who would owe your family a far steeper fine.”

  Lord Arthur and Lady Agda locked gazes, and Verona could sense the silent communication born of love and long familiarity.

  The baroness sighed. "Yet no matter what, as Appolonia and Jessica are, thank the gods, unharmed when all is said and done, Kipu is well within his rights to demand safe passage out of our estates, regardless of what has transpired, what his intentions were, or what he might have done." Though obviously strained, Lady Agda's voice was no less melodious than when she had first received Verona, what felt like a lifetime ago. Verona found herself painfully sympathetic to Agda's plight, and could imagine all too well what it felt like to know that your child could well be in peril from machinations beyond one's control.

  Had the circumstances been different, did Verona not have to approach the situation with dispassion or at least the appearance of a dispassionate seeker of the truth, did she not also know that her own well-being was technically at the mercy of this very powerful clan, Verona could well see herself giving the baroness a supportive hug in different circumstances. The woman looked brittle, holding herself together only by a desperate act of will.

  Verona nodded. "I fear this is so, baroness. The law is quite clear on that regard. You may expel him for any reason, any perceived slight, but having been formally welcomed onto your personal lands, he is automatically accorded guest privileges, as are all visiting nobles, as a matter of course." The last she had said as the gentlest of reminders, and Morlekai's knowing glance l
et her know that he was well aware of fears she didn't dare speak aloud.

  The imposing Delver growled, Verona near choking on her drink before she collected herself, heart racing from the sudden danger she sensed from the mercurial, powerful man. "And allow that little wretch to spread rumors, vilifying our Jessica's good name, while cleaning up his own bloody trail." Morlekai turned to Verona, pinning her with his terrifying stare before allowing his gaze to lock with a suddenly pale looking Arthur de Calenbry. "And we all know the stakes at play here. Your clan is in peril, Baron de Calenbry. Let us not mince words. If Jessica is seen as a half mad wild-card, the Royal Family is likely to find her too great a risk to keep in play. If that happens, they will try to remove her piece."

  His grin turned sharp, Morlekai's demeanor suddenly wreaking of death and terror. "And then there will be blood. Jessica has friends. There will be a terrible price to pay, if the king thinks he can take your clan off the board cheaply."

  Verona gasped in shock. This wild man before her was perilously close to speaking of treason. And he knew it, and obviously didn’t care. Never before had she felt like she was trapped with a beast that could tear out her throat at the slightest provocation, at the slightest whim. Never had her heart hammered in such panic as it did now. “Del Morlekai, by Justice, I am an Agent of the Crown! Please have a care for what you say.”

  Morlekai chuckled then, the fierce beast within gone as if it had never been, though Verona could still sense the madness twinkling deeply within his charming eyes. She found herself thinking of him taking her, then and there, in wild abandon and gasped sharply at the wave of tingling this sent coursing through her. His smile was almost warm. "All I say is that it is to everyone's loss, should such a precious gem as Jessica de Calenbry, with her noble spirit and fierce passions, be put in peril. Indeed, you know well that she would make a fierce and noble ally to the Crown, should the cards being dealt allow it to be so."

  Verona nodded. “That is what I am here to ascertain, Del Morlekai. And though I fear that perhaps the stress and fatigue of battles fought may have… affected her judgment on this eve, her protective instincts in regards to her sister's well-being were not lost on me.”

  “So. You too think my daughter must be… mad.” Lady Agda’s voice seemed to carry a terrible burden of regret as she said those words, almost like an ultimatum.

  "I am not saying that, Lady Agda," Verona was quick to assure. For as much as her heart ached for this noble clan, she could well imagine how desperate they were to preserve the well-being of their family.

  Verona took a deep breath. She walked a fine line, and could tell by the baron's careful, measuring gaze that she too was being judged. She would be a fool to wax false and sycophantic and be found out. "My lady, the truth is, I don't know what to think. It would seem that she was seized by mad whim, though one can argue that Kipu bringing twice his allotted number of armsmen and doing nothing to dissuade them from baring steel and proceeding upon your oldest daughter, who had been wearing little more than protective gloves and a dancing gown, would be grounds for berserker fury from any warrior. One could even argue that this proved his ill intent. So, even should it be determined that Jessica's suspicion was unfounded, her desperate fight for her life and fury at Kipu is not at all outside the realm of reason."

  The baron nodded solemnly. "True, Lady Verona. And with an agent's testimony, that could well play to our daughter's benefit. But that does not prevent Kipu from telling a very different story, one that casts a very unforgiving light on our daughter who has been through such ordeals, sacrificed herself repeatedly in using her talents, at great peril to herself, to prevent whole territories from sinking into Shadow."

  Morlekai nodded. "And you may be sure that our bards spin tales of praise and wonder in regards to young Jessica's adventures at the feasts and fairs of noble and commoner alike. But if Kipu spreads tales of a darker sort, that could be fuel for the fire your enemies would use to burn you, and any trace of influence your clan possesses over the Lords Council." He locked his hands beneath his head and leaned back in his chair, the picture of a man at ease. "I assume you have such enemies, Baron de Calenbry? Because I assure you, if they are there, and they have any inkling of influence with the Royal Family at all, they will use this as a perfect opportunity to strike a blow from which you will not soon recover.”

  Lady Agda gazed carefully at Morlekai. “And I assume that you, Delver for the Guild, have a more palatable solution?”

  "You mean besides tying up loose ends the old fashioned way?" He chuckled dryly at the shocked expressions this quip earned him. "As a matter of fact, I do, baroness. For you see, we've all been considering the worst case situation should we free Kipu, and rumors spread that Jess's head is filled, at times, with unstable fancy. But what, pray tell, if it were all true?"

  Arthur de Calenbry pressed his lips in a tight frown. “Any fool who had such a past as Jess asserts that Kipu does, would do his utmost to clean up all traces of his crimes, the instant he returns to his lair.”

  “Of course.” Morlekai nodded. “Which is why the brave and just Lady Verona, Agent of the Crown that she is, will make her way to the Trolos estates to look for evidence of Kipu’s supposed crimes. It is an act that I know is well within her rights, and she may trust me to act as a suitable escort, should she not have to means to bring a more… visible presence to assure Lord Trolos’s compliance.”

  Lady Agda looked oddly thoughtful. “Yet if Lord Trolos refuses to let lady Verona in, it may take time for a Royal Warrant to be issued, by which point all traces of the crimes Kipu is accused of can be swept away forever.”

  Verona blinked. Surprisingly, this realization did not seem to be causing Lady Agda undue concern.

  Morlekai nodded and grinned. “And that is why Lady Verona and I shall sneak in by means discrete, track down the evidence, and then she shall return for the backup she undoubtedly has stationed nearby, who shall make a formal arrest and seizure of all evidence.”

  The onetime general frowned. "Though I am more grateful to you than I can say, Del Morlekai, for showing such initiative on behalf of my family, I have grave concerns, both for your safety and for the integrity of your mission. For even should you have the skill to infiltrate the Trolos Estates without raising alarm, it is unlikely you will get there with sufficient time to do a thorough search before Kipu returns, at which point he can summon his family retainers to be on alert for possible intruders even as he seeks to remove all traces of his crimes. Further, his outrage at the conduct he has suffered this evening would be such that he would in all likelihood have his men treat any trespassers as vermin, butchered on sight, with all apologies given of course, after the fact. Since Lady Verona would technically be trespassing, her death will not enact the same consequences that it otherwise would, particularly as it can be claimed that Kipu's men were responding to a perceived invasion, Lady Verona never having declared herself or her agency to begin with." Lord de Calenbry's words hung heavily in the air, even as Lady Agda nodded.

  “My husband is right, I fear. And even should you have the means to find evidence in such time as to avoid running into Kipu, Lady Verona would then have to retreat, exposed again, and find and alert her forces, such as they may be, to secure the sight and make a formal seizure.”

  Morlekai, Verona noted, looked hardly troubled at all, even as the Calenbrys rather methodically pointed out all the flaws inherent in his impulsive scheme.

  "Then let us resolve your concerns in order," he said, taking a sip of his brandy. "First, in regards to Kipu. As his guardsmen are now dead, you are well within your rights and even your duty to assure that he leaves your lands hale and whole. Perhaps you have determined that he has imbibed too much alcohol or other noxious substances, and is now in no state to go stumbling about your lands, particularly since his retainers all appear to be… missing. You have insisted he rest the night, after spouting mad delusions of ghosts attacking his men, so that he may make
his way on the morrow with a clear if throbbing head, and sunlight and sobriety to assure him a safe journey. Even better if his evening wine were found to have been spiced with hallucinogens, a weakness of some of our more foolish youth, sad to say. Should that be found to be the case, then who is to say what truly happened, and what was mad raving delusion? I can only imagine that our dear Jessica has any number of rare and exotic herbs in her greenhouse that Kipu might have bribed a hapless servant to acquire for him." Morlekai grinned as the baron nodded thoughtfully at the implied ruse.

  “As for Trolos’s men? Let me assure you. They will not be a problem.” His dark laugh sent chills racing up and down Verona’s spine. “Furthermore, my bard, who had not always been a bard, but rather a man of far more interesting talents once upon a time, shall accompany us. He is at least as good at discrete entry as I, and will make it very clear that should Lord de Trolos aggress us, he shall have a steep price indeed to pay the Guild. And when the time for summoning reinforcements comes, I assume that dear Verona has a means to do just that. Don’t you, Agent of the Crown?”

  Verona took a moment to compose herself, careful not to let herself become lost in Morlekai’s hypnotic gaze. “Yes, Del Morlekai. As a matter of fact, when the time comes, I can summon forth men to our aid as fast as a dove can fly through the skies.”

  Morlekai nodded. “Old magics, of course, no?” He smiled.

  Verona briefly shut her eyes. “The methods matter not, Del Morlekai. And I have not agreed to this latest bit of madness. For as much as I would dearly like to see young Jessica’s name cleared of any wrongdoing, to protect her from Kipu’s venom, particularly should he turn out to be as vile as she has claimed, to agree to your scheme would see us deep within that nest of vipers, putting our lives in peril.”

  Morlekai’s eyes flashed. “Do you think so little of my skills?” his voice came forth, terrible and soft. “Let me assure you, my blade has drunk from the most savage of foes, for all that they wielded weapons that would send a knight screaming to his death, trapped in endless agony, as his body putrefied before your very eyes. I have torn free gullets of beasts oozing of the blackness from your deepest nightmares! My companions and I have taken on the foot soldiers of Hell that dared enter the borderlands between mundus and darkest abyss, and emerged victorious, reveling in the fury and savagery of our kills, our fallen enemies crumbling to ash at our feet as we drank down their cursed souls and claimed our prize!”