Oblivion's Queen

by M. H. Johnson

  Jess nodded and smiled. "I take it that was one of the conversations Alex had not managed to jot down. But I agree, you made the right call, my duke. For the surest victories are those of diplomacy, where accords are reached and no casualties are taken. And if your word had been given, then those guards risked much, crossing their former master, and one's word should be honored, always." Jess flushed. "Or such is my opinion, Your Grace."

  "Precisely," Duke diOnni nodded. "Though quite a sum, I shall be candid, for me it was of no moment, and at least a dozen men or so now have the funds to see themselves off to a better life, well able buy already prosperous farms outright, should they so choose."

  Jess nodded, well knowing the worth of five gold crowns.

  "And considering that none even recall this Lord Fal, these men have no employer or even record of employment in the capital, and that Captain Gills, sturdy a chap as he no doubt is, looked near the age when he should be hanging his sword over the fireplace anyway. I will admit that pity, as well as honor, moved me to concede to his request, for as direct and bold as he and his men were, I could see the unspoken desperation behind his eyes. Apparently the Crown seized not only this former Fal's estate, but any and all coinage held by the servitors, declaring they were protecting the estates from theft, as no hireling could possibly be worth gold."

  The duke and Jess shared a mirthless smile. “No doubt some lord will profit mightily under such pretexts,” Jess allowed. “I wonder if the Crown even knows.”

  The duke laughed gently. “So cynical, my Jess, and here I thought you the utter idealist. But of course, none of Eloquin's students would be allowed such naivete for long. The Crown in the legal sense of course knows. Whether the lords elected to head the day to day elements of that position have chosen to share various pertinent details with the king as of yet, who can say? They play with fire, of course, for our ruler is not a man to cross, and if they squirrel away more than the smallest share of seized wealth without the king getting his cut, it shall be their own heads upon the block.”

  Jess laughed aloud, closing her eyes for but a second, sensing much to her comfort that the room was secure. The oak paneling soothed her with the susurrations of an entire wood, a maze of trees and undergrowth any scrying wizard or demon would become hopelessly lost and mired within, perhaps for eternity. She found herself feeling fay and strangely refreshed as she opened her eyes, for all that the duke was gazing at her with wonder.

  “Your Grace?”

  The man abruptly shook his head gazing at her quite normally a second later. "Forgive me, Lady Jessica. For a moment you seemed almost to sparkle, surrounded by ancient trees wise with the passage of centuries. As if I spied a nymph out of fable, come to grace my presence." He sighed and shook his head. "Forgive my flight of fancy. Fatigue is catching up with me at last, and thank the gods I have taken care of the last of these documents. And how arduous it is without a right-hand man by my side."

  Jess gave a sad nod. "Your seneschal. Malek told me he was... not all that he seemed."

  The duke allowed himself a mirthless chuckle. "To say the least. Apparently he was a master diabolist, a member of some shadow council, and had been working unseen from the shadows of his station within my House for quite some time. Frankly, I'm grateful the man didn't rob me blind, though I suppose the information he was privy to allowed him and his allies the opportunity for considerable wealth without impinging upon my own."

  Jess nodded solemnly. “'Twould be utter folly to kill the golden goose. Far better to take the occasional egg that would not be missed.”

  The duke chuckled ruefully. “Till those monsters strove for the ultimate prize, my very soul.”

  Jess allowed herself a fierce grin. "And they paid the ultimate price for that, or so I am given to understand."

  The duke nodded solemnly. “And he the last to fall, your mace crushing his skull, for all that he wore a triple crossed blade insignia.”

  Jess shivered. “A master saberman, then.”

  “Wielding a blade said to sparkle with vilest magics. But then, the account also states that your own weapons burned with a crimson flame all their own, scored from your own fiery blood.” Duke diOnni shrugged. “Tales will always exaggerate, though it seems most clear that you seized the Vor like any student worthy of Eloquin, for all that it cost you a leg to do so.”

  Jess shrugged. “My leg feels fine, now.”

  “And thank all the gods for that blessing! And now, other matters for us to discuss.” Smiling, the duke offered her a fine piece of vellum, and Jess spent some moment carefully peering over the words with trembling hands, her voice dropping to an awed whisper. “You would give to me, directly, the diOnni gardens here in the capital? My Duke, such land is priceless!”

  The duke chuckled gently. "Indeed it is. But nothing is so priceless as my life, the life of my son and my future daughter-in-law. No, Jess. Please, accept it. You have more than earned it. And if by chance you were of a mind to nurture personally the finest garden of exotics upon the face of Dawn, I know the Royal Family would pay top coin for access to them, as would any number of foreign markets that I would be happy to serve as a distributor for."

  Jess happily signed the document, sensing absolutely no malice or deception, the document as plain and above board as she could hope for. Though no scholar, she was no fool either, and pleased to see that the document placed her under absolutely no obligation.

  "'Tis a shame my cat isn't here to counsel me, but all looks well, and deeply honored I am for your gift, Your Grace, though perhaps it will be best under my father's stewardship, for obvious reasons."

  The duke smiled and nodded. "Well do I understand the intricacies of Erovering's many laws of inheritance. Of course it shall be under your family's care initially, but it shall be yours the moment your family declares you worthy of your own independence, you marry, or, dare I say it, you formally declare yourself a Delver."

  Jess nodded, impressed. “I know the law is tricky for Delvers. They are given considerable liberties with a minimum of obligations, but they may not rule as a noble outright. Of course, even well-to-do freemen may own land, but then there are other legalities to consider since Delvers are neither aristocrats nor commoners, for all that their freedoms are second to none.”

  DiOnni nodded. "And few would treat a Delver with anything less than noble deference in any case. Fear not, dear Jess. My lawyers shall assure that you shall have full rights to the property, whatever your legal status."

  Jess bowed her head a second time, truly humbled. “Your Grace, this is an incredible gift.”

  She felt his fingertips gently caress her cheek. “Please, Jess. It is diOnni. Just diOnni.”

  Jess smiled, heart fluttering as the lord in question smiled back.

  Handsome, she thought. Truly handsome, with a man's maturity and strength, whereas Raphael was still as much a boy as a man. All the distinguished maturity of middle age, with a frame as strong and vital as any man in his prime. Jess began to envision all sorts of enticing scenarios, before flushing and looking away.

  “Jess?” The duke's voice was filled with sudden concern.

  “What about Malek?” Jess asked, desperate to change the subject. “Forgive me for even bringing it up, or seeming for an instant ungrateful, it is just that I would be more than willing to share my prize with him, for he is my battlebrother, as deserving of any boon as I.”

  The duke smiled. "Worthy Malek de Sousel has been granted a stipend, and not an inconsiderable yearly sum either, my Jess. For I can tell his is a restless soul, and he shall take comfort in knowing that he can draw upon his funds at any bank of note in any capital city or branch of the diOnni trade houses in all the continent." He flashed a confidential smile. “And as the prize is mere coinage and not deed or title to property or business, I can grant him the gift directly, without his sire being obligated to stand in as caretaker.”

  Jess blinked, then slowly smiled back. “Your our wise ind
eed, my duke. I love him as my own brother, but I agree, brilliant as he is, he would be restless running even a small baronetcy, even if we didn't have to worry about his father doing all he could to rob Malek blind. Between you and me, perhaps it is a blessing in disguise that he is not on the best terms with his family. He is free to wander the world, no ties of obligation strangling him in a vise of expectation that would shrivel his dreams to ash."

  "And who would know him better than you?" the duke allowed. "For such was my measure of him as well. Frankly, dear Jess, you are both fierce with wanderlust. Even I can sense it. I can only hope you find it within you to settle down with time. There are sweet joys in life quite apart from the adventure of the open road or Delving in realms of living dream, I assure you."

  “What, you mean settling down with a handsome man and raising a flock of babes?” Jess joked with a smile, abruptly flushing, the way the duke's gaze carefully measured her. They were the richest shade of brown, eyes she could lose herself in.

  The duke only smiled and shrugged. “Perhaps, dear Jess, perhaps. In any event, I want you to know that you are always and forever welcome to visit any of my estates, for however so long as you desire. You and Malek both. Alex and Jera as well, of course. Pretty much my son's entire circle of friends,” he allowed with a chuckle. “And I do hope you will take me up on that offer, from time to time, however the tides of fate and circumstances greet you. By means overt or discrete, you will always find safety and succor under my roof.”

  Jess bowed her head in solemn gratitude, well able to understand that he was offering her or hers shelter, even should the tides of politics turn against her family, a fear in the back of every lord's mind. “My duke, I don't even know what to say!”

  A strong hand gently clasping her shoulder. "Then say nothing, hero of my House. Only accept these final tokens." With that she was handed the duke's own signet ring, and a pin as well.

  “Your Grace?”

  “With my ring, you will always be welcome at any diOnni property or manor, to say nothing of letting the world know that you have my favor. The pin declares you hero and savior of my House and duchy. There is no higher honor I can give you as a diOnni.”

  Jess ceremonially fell to one knee, bowing humbly as a knight would before her king. “Your Grace, I am grateful beyond words for the honor you have bestowed upon me.”

  A gentle tap upon both her shoulders. She was wise enough to say no words as the duke solemnly gripped her shoulders, rising her to her feet. “It is I who am grateful to you, Jessica. By all historic precedent, the rank of Knight you and Malek have both earned, noble youth coming to the aid of duke and heir against forces unquestionably corrupt and foul, vanquishing said foes with the purity of your hearts and the skill of your blades. For all that we live in times when certain noble sentiments are best noted discretely, know that you shall always be honored under any roof that bears my crest.”

  Jess bowed again, smiling, tears flowing freely from her eyes. "Thank you, Your Grace. Your words mean more to me than you know."

  The duke chuckled dryly. "Even as you cry a fortune upon my fine marble floor. Welcome home, Jessica de Calenbry, Knight of diOnni. For my House is your House, and ever will be, for so long as you wish it."

  Jess solemnly bowed once more. “I am truly grateful, sir.”

  Duke diOnni sighed then. "Just as I am grateful to have a chance to repay even a fraction of the debt I owe you. That being said, a few matters are still left for us to address." With that he opened an exotic ivory box looking not at all out of place in his luxuriously appointed study, removing several artifacts with solemn distaste. Jess shuddered at the sight of the blade which she knew, just knew, had cleaved through her shin. For all that the saber was twisted and pitted, dark runes blasted to oblivion, it still radiated the aura of a rotting thing, as far as Jess was concerned. The triple crossed blade pendant she recognized, and it brought a chill to her. Very few swordsmen could ever hope to earn such, even after a lifetime of study. Apparently, she had faced a true master of the blade. The uniform tucked inside appeared to be standard seneschal attire, but even she could sense the foul lingering magics within the silken cloak the duke was about to remove.

  Faster than thought she smacked the duke's hand away, slamming aside the box.

  A box that went skittering off the table completely, heading straight for the door being opened that very instant by a confused looking servant.

  Banging against the hardwood door with a resounding crack, the door slammed shut and held fast by Jess's fierce will.

  The duke gazed at her for a speechless moment, Jess abruptly flushing, realizing only after the fact that she had committed a terrible breach of protocol. “I am sorry, Your Grace. Please forgive me.”

  The duke gazed at her curiously, apparently not at all offended, only surprised. “Jess?”

  Jess frowned. “That cloak. It still seethes with evil.”

  Carefully, she approached the box that had skittered across marble tiles, much as if she were stalking living prey. She gazed at the duke's belt knife.

  Solemnly, the duke unsheathed it, placing it into her waiting hands. Jess felt the sharp blade slice a hot line of fire upon her cheek, as if her hand acted of its own accord.

  "Jessica," the duke winced. Jess paid him no mind, feeling her blade heat up with sudden wrath upon sensing the dark brooding sentience she sensed trapped still within the box

  Desperate to break free.

  "Can't escape, can you, thing? Can't flee the wood all around, choking you in your cage. And here is where you will die!" Jess knew her furious whispers made no sense, and she did not care. Feeling the duke's dagger blaze with her own hot fury, she executed a slashing lunge into the trembling box.

  The duke cried out in surprise when his chamber was suddenly filled with the hideous screams of the damned, the ivory box bursting into splinters and ash, the cloak she had pierced blazing in sudden crimson flame.

  “By the gods!” The duke cursed.

  And within seconds the searing hot flame had completely consumed the cloak, the marble tiles having cracked under the furious heat, and Jess could sense the thick wooden beams beneath holding fast to secrets and integrity both. Their enemies would know nothing of words spoken that day, and best of all, that vile artifact was dead, Jess thought with fierce satisfaction, before blinking in some surprise, not truly sure what was happening, or why she had acted as she had.

  “Jess? Are you all right?”

  "I think that cloak was, well, alive," Jess admitted at last. "Though it lives no longer, I am happy to say." And it was true. She could feel the enchantment dying with a final dark scream. She shook then, the duke gazing at her in sudden worry. She knew her expression was one of horror. No injury had she suffered, however, quite the opposite in fact.

  She shivered with a strange ecstasy. As all the terrible potency of that twisted artifact had poured into her like the sweetest of wines.

  Fiercely, she shook her head to clear it of horror and euphoria both, focusing on what few contents remained amongst the ivory splinters, for near everything had been destroyed in that conflagration, only traces of palest ash remained.

  Palest ash, and a thick lock of golden hair, strangely luminescent.

  Jess could sense how ancient it was.

  A child's lock of hair.

  Jess gasped and paled at the sight of it.

  The duke gently gripped her as she stumbled back.

  “Jessica, what ails you?”

  “That hair. Whose is it?” Her voice a thready whisper.

  The duke sighed, gently stroking her shoulders. "In truth, we don't know. We feared that perhaps it was a victim of my former seneschal, kept as a dark talisman, perhaps. Or perhaps it is but a keepsake, the last flicker of humanity in what was otherwise a treacherous serpent of a man. But in truth, we just don't know," the duke confided.

  Jess picked up the lock of hair, hands trembling. “I think I will keep it, if it's a
ll right with you, Your Grace.”

  The duke looked at her curiously. “If you are sure, dear Jess, then by all means.”

  Nodding, Jess tucked the locket away in her belt pouch, though she knew not why.

  Gently patting her hand, Duke diOnni led her to his personal armory, and Jess decided she didn't mind his touch at all when he formally linked his arm to hers. She quite liked it, in fact.

  "I suspect you have done me yet another good turn, even if neither of us fully understands the significance of what has just played out," he said. "Even so, you prove yourself my champion once more, and every knight should be granted a sword worthy of her station." With that he gestured for her to take her pick of what a breathless Jess realized were a collection of masterwork blades, each one of exquisite quality steel that felt perfectly balanced, almost an extension of her hand, so artfully did they move in that sacred dance of death that she knew so very well, flowing through forms ingrained into her very soul.

  "Truly, you know your way around a sword," the duke mused, Jess smiling as she found her heart torn between two in particular. Both were of excellent workmanship and as well balanced for their styles as any blade she had ever held in her hand. One was perfectly straight, edge tapering to a strong point, excellent for a fatal thrust between gaps in armor, or a modestly powerful cut. The second blade was slightly curved and single edged, looking very much like a two-handed saber. Jess could tell already that it would be fair in the thrust, and devastating in the slash.

  Duke diOnni grinned, seeing her indecision. “Take both, my Jess, for you have certainly earned them.”

  And with a heartfelt smile, she did.

  Soon after, Jess found herself sedately journeying through the wealthiest parts of the city in the midst of an almost festive gathering of friends and diOnni family, sedately making their way to the heart of the gardens that were, much to her continued surprise, now hers. It continually caught her off guard to see so many well-dressed and polished nobles bowing low before the always smiling and gracious duke, showing a civilized and charming face to a society Jess had long thought as cynical and corrupt as could be.