Lord Plaga clenched his fist. “Who are these companions who sit at this table? I will not have my oath bound to unknown parties!”
“Irrelevant, Father. I have already taken the measure of Jess’s companions. The prize we seek shall be ours soon enough through pristine channels, and that aside, none of those who would work cross-purposes to us hold property remotely near our bases of interest. Most of them wouldn’t even be worth the bother of corrupting,” Mord assured with a quiet whisper.
Lord Plaga grunted once, his expression oddly satisfied. Twilight gazed at them coldly a moment before continuing.
“In return, my mistress will not cleave your souls from your bodies and send you all screaming into the Abyss where you would find suffering unimaginable, meeting the final end of all diabolists who so absurdly think to bargain with the infernal forces of Hell.”
Jess could sense her familiar’s cold grin as he allowed the weight of his words to sink in, the diabolists huddled by the stone pedestal visibly shaking beneath Twilight’s contemptuous gaze. “That’s right, worms. If you are so foolish as to bargain your very souls for power, you will have surrendered an eternity of life and rebirth, growth and joy, for neverending agony; all for such a finite span of transient glory.”
“Don't underestimate us, cat. Not all of us are that stupid." Jess could sense the dark mockery underneath Mord's assurances. "Those fools who actually gambled their souls in hopes of seizing for themselves the power of the Tree of Life have already paid the ultimate price to that demon, thanks to you, Jess." He chuckled coldly. "We who stand before you now swore nothing, save to use our own abilities to assist those allies of convenience, having a different prize in mind, one which we have already secured. And if you will note, dear Jess, none of us before you now have raised our blades against you either. The one bloody fool stupid enough to bear his wand to your back, you dealt with most appropriately."
Mord contemptuously kicked the crumpled diabolist Jess had felled but moments before. Skull shattered, Jess shivered at the accusatory glare she seemed to feel coming from the corpse's already cloudy gaze. "Bloody fool! He failed to see beyond his own shortsighted fear, forgetting both that you were saving us the trouble of dispelling that cursed demonlord, and far more to the point, that you were my prize! My treasure to do with as I wish!" His eyes blazed with a hot savagery he had kept in cold check but moments before, thick-soled boots stomping the already cracked skull of his former ally until it finally burst, gobs of blood and brain splattering his feet.
Mord snarled and took a deep breath, icy smile once more firmly in place. “And yet again you proved your usefulness, my darling Jess, conveniently killing him and saving me the bother of risking my oath maiming the damn fool, should he have actually managed to get his wand in line with your back.” Mord then gestured toward the young girl struggling futilely to escape the powerful grip of Mord’s father. “So you see, my darling prize, I am more than happy to come to a mutually agreeable accord. I do want you in one piece and relatively healthy with no more bruises than it takes you to revel in submitting to my will, after all.”
He flashed a grin that was chilling in its possessiveness. Jess shivered under the weight of his hunger. “Fear not, my sweet Jessica. After we settle things here, we shall have plenty of time to embrace your gentle submission. There is no hurry.”
Mord gazed upon the ribbons of blood splashed about the chamber of horrors, eyeing the furrows gouged in stone streaked with gore and broken fingernails, all that was left of the infernalists Jess and her shieldbrother had so ruthlessly cut down. “No need even to let hate's memory fester in your heart, when you forget all else. Those who ravished and maimed Lady Vaila shall never return.”
Mord's bemused, condescending smile turned ice cold once more. “But make no mistake, Jessica de Calenbry. We will come to a suitable arrangement regarding our present circumstance, and soon, or we will kill this child. But only should you force our hand. She is a bargaining chip, no more.”
“Cease your quibbling, Mord de Plaga!” Twilight abruptly snapped, and Jess could feel a terrible darkness to her kitty’s tone, utterly devoid of humor. The tone of a predator measuring its prey. “Do you and your cohorts accept the terms, or do we feast upon your souls? Decide, mortal, and do so now!”
Jess blinked, surprised and somewhat fascinated, realizing in that moment what a fierce and terrible creature her familiar was. “Good kitty,” she crooned.
“Fierce cat. I knew there was something I liked about him,” Malek declared, flashing his shieldsister a dark smile she returned in full.
Mord actually appeared a bit shaken, which made Jess grin all the more fiercely, even as she did her best to quell the agony of her heart as she heard Vaila cry out in despair, no doubt terrified that Jess would allow her beloved child to die for the sake of Jess’s own bloodlust. Yet there was no way Jess could possibly explain what was truly going on. However arrogant he was, Mord had seen Jess and her shieldbrother butcher all their allies, had seen her small band cow even a demon into retreat. If he thought that Jess's fury ran so deep that she would cut through little Louise herself in her quest for his blood, he was forced to bargain carefully.
Pushing aside the anxious terror she felt for little Louise shrieking still in her captor’s arms, Jess only allowed Mord to see her bloodthirsty grin, even going so far as to lick her blade and smile, approaching slowly enough to inspire fear, yet not so rapidly as to trigger panic. As if all she wanted was a pretext to tear out his throat. All part of the dark games of bluff and intimidation that were the heart of the battlefield negotiations, as her favorite instructor Eloquin had hammered into the stubborn minds of his least hopeless students. Jess could only imagine what he would think of the negotiations she was involved in at that very moment.
“Enough, Jess!” Mord snapped. “I know you don’t really wish to see how savagely we can tear out little Louise’s throat before you venture another step closer, you damn hellion.”
Jess allowed herself a single dissonant chuckle before stopping and stretching, as if amusement alone and not heart clenching fear on behalf of the terrified girl before her was what compelled Jess to freeze in her stride.
Mord chuckled softly, shaking his head ever so slightly. “You play a bold game, bitch, and I admire that. I really do.” He turned his gaze fearlessly to match that of the sapphire eyed familiar who perched so comfortably upon his master’s shoulder. “Very well, Familiar. Provided that none of you will transcribe what has occurred within this waking dream or otherwise betray our roles in what has transpired at the college this night, and that none of you will attempt to maim or kill those of us who face you, or otherwise strike out at us in anger, then we will swear to commit no further infernal activities upon Highrock grounds. We shall even leave you these pretty toys, and leave off in attempting to maim or kill you, or striking out at your families or your peers at your ‘table of lords.’ Oh, and should one of our number betray you and break this oath, he and his family alone will bear responsibility for violating the oath.”
Twilight tilted his head thoughtfully, as if giving the words careful consideration. “You understand, of course, that oaths of these sorts go deeper than the common tongue. I sense the inner meaning of your words, so obfuscation and deliberate misconstruing of their meaning will not spare you my wrath, should you violate their intent. And when you swear those words, you will take your masks off! My mistress shall know the faces of those she would bind her word to.”
“I know that, bloody cat!” Mord hissed. “One day I will claim Jess, and she will come to my bed willingly! But 'til the eventual day our families are joined, I have no interest in her or hers, on that I swear!”
Twilight chuckled dryly. “Then for all save the last declaration, I shall counsel that we accept your oath. Don’t think you can trick my mistress into committing herself to marriage vows that easily.”
Mord’s furious gaze immediately softened, tilting his head in mocking
salute. “Well played, cat.” He turned to his cohorts. “Take off your bloody masks and swear to the damn pact! We have what we came for, so you’d better mean it,” he snapped.
And all did, Jess was amazed to see; with solemn shaking voices, as if the thought of crossing Jess was enough to terrify them. She felt a dark sort of pleasure in that. Mord and his father alone swore their oaths with an imperious disdain, acting fearless even to the end, as Lord Plaga gently placed a shrieking and crying Louise into her mother’s arms, stepping back slowly, making it abundantly clear with his every movement that he was loath to cause either any further pain, lest Jess use that as a pretext to madly lash out in a berserker's fury.
Jess could all but taste the man’s carefully concealed dread, and it filled her with a delicious sense of power.
It came as no surprise to see the face of Erno de Vilde revealed; small, wiry, presently gazing at Jess with absolute hatred from his beady little eyes, and of course, Vaki de Slaktare; his bloated form straining the very fabric of the black robes he wore. Vaki was less able to hide his panic under the hate his companions wore like armor. His bulging eyes blinked back tears even as bulbous lips quivered with barely concealed terror. Both Erno and Vaki had ridden Mord's coattails from the very start, all of them enjoying taunting Jess and doing their utmost to make her life miserable, especially during her first year at Highrock, and Jess was somehow not surprised to see their ties to each other went far deeper than that.
The three older men standing beside Mord and his cohorts could only be their fathers. For their dissipated faces looked so much like their children’s, save showing the price to pay for unbridled excess, all of them showing the marks of men fallen to poppy, wine, and no doubt other vices as well. And all three of them glared at Jess with unbridled hate.
Jess smiled.
Twilight at last turned the weight of his terrible sapphire gaze upon Jess and Malek. “It is time.”
Jess nodded, taking a deep breath, forcing herself to utter the words. “So long as the oath is kept, and you do not cross me or mine, I will cause no deliberate harm to you or your clans.”
Mord favored Jess with a wide, mocking smile as the words seemed to hang in the air, and Jess felt a curious sinking in her stomach, wondering if she had made a terrible mistake, somehow. Her kitty’s gentle patting of her cheek reassured her, however.
“Fear not, my Jess,” her familiar purred. “He may bait you, he may taunt you, but if he attempts to cause you any permanent injury the oath is nullified, and you may cleave his head clean from his body, as you like.”
Mord blinked, disconcerted by Twilight’s cold grin.
“There is a problem with this oath," Jess grumbled.
“And what would that be, my lovely little filly?” Mord taunted.
“Well Mord, if I am unable to transcribe the pact we both swore to, how will I know I can’t just walk up to you and tear out your throat?” Jess’s smile was cold as the grave. Her fist seemed to clench and shake of its own will. Of the battle she had just survived she felt not the slightest trace of fatigue, just a terrible sense of exhilaration, every muscle tingling with the need for explosive action once more. “With each Delving into Shadow, I feel myself growing that much stronger. It won’t be too long before I can do just that, I bet.”
Mord’s eyes widened as he gazed at Jess, and she could swear she sensed fear radiating from him. Yet he let nothing show save his customary mocking smile. “Don’t underestimate my own prowess, wench! I would almost like to see you try. For then you will have broken your oath to me, and that will give me no small amount of power over one of your kind.” His smile turned dark, hungry. “Won’t it, cat?”
Twilight chuckled softly. “Fear not, my Jess. I shall remind you of your oath, and of their oath to you, should it ever become necessary to do so.”
“Unacceptable!” Lord Plaga snapped. “You all swore not to transcribe the events of this day! You shall have to hope you have the common sense not to cross my son, or you may rest assured, Jessica de Calenbry, we will extract no small measure from your soul for any violations of your oath!”
“So that was the hidden prong of your attack,” Twilight mused. “No doubt your intention is to entice your son to goad Jessica at every opportunity, intending to use the slightest blow as pretext to compel her via geas, no? It is fortunate indeed that my memory is exquisitely astute, whether in the realm of mundus or dream."
“And I say that if you reiterate to your master what has occurred this day, you will have transcribed the events upon her mind’s eye, and thus you yourself be in violation of your oath!” Lord Plaga declared.
Malek sighed. “A bunch of sophists, through and through. I knew we should have just killed them.” His words evoked a fresh burst of tears from a still terrified Louise, even as Jess protectively held her and her mother close, claiming them the moment Lord Plaga had stepped away from them. “I’m just kidding,” Malek grumbled. “Really.”
“I don’t have to reveal to my mistress all that has occurred to remind her of her oath.” Twilight flashed a toothy smile. “And you are fortunate that this is so, Lord Plaga, for were I not around to remind her, she would not even be bound to her oath, particularly since you deliberately contrived to entrap her in ignorance. For in the game of souls, foolish man, ignorance truly can be bliss.”
Mord took a mocking bow. “You will have to forgive us as we must depart now. Pressing matters and all that. It has been a most enjoyable little adventure, however, and I do look forward to our next… ‘engagement’. And remember, cat, it is very hard to maim someone in a school filled with dedicated healers. Why, with Sir Jevons on our staff, even the most savage of beatings tend to heal up in no time. Isn't that so, Jess?” Coldly beautiful as always, Mord’s cruel laughter followed him as he and his companions made their exit, appearing to fade away like a mirage. And save for streaks of crimson, broken nails wedged in stone by desperate hands clawing for salvation, the chamber of horrors seemed strangely empty, for all that the stench of blood and brimstone remained.
Jess took a deep breath even as a terrible wave of fear and fury washed over her before receding completely, leaving her feeling shaken and utterly drained. She looked down with a gentle smile to see Louise hugging her legs fiercely.
“Thank you, Jessie! I know you would save us!” Louise cried, unselfconsciously wiping tears and snot upon Jess’s legs.
Jess smiled, bending down and gently kissing the sobbing girl on the cheek, regretting at that moment that she was clothed only in a shirt of mithril. Nothing to wipe away tears, dark sigils, or dribbling noses, for that matter. “It's all right, dear Louise. Now let us help your mother and leave this place and all its terrible memories behind.”
Lady Vaila's gaze was filled with such awe and gratitude that Jess felt of a sudden utterly self-conscious, her cheeks blushing scarlet with embarrassment, knowing full well what a bloodthirsty hellion she must have appeared to the gentle herbalist, savagely killing near a dozen men taken completely by surprise, coldly bargaining for Lady Vaila and her daughter's very lives, as if they were no more than mildly valuable pawns upon the board of powers and principals upon which all life was played. "I am sorry, my lady," Jess whispered softly. "You have seen a side of myself I would have kept from you, if I could."
Yet Lady Vaila only shook her exhausted head, her weary smile conveying such gratitude that it pierced her heart. “No, beloved Jessica, servant of the great tree of life. It is I who thank you, with all my heart.”
Jess heard her familiar hiss in surprise and gazed at him curiously. A strangely flustered Twilight began grooming himself with savage intensity, refusing to meet Jess’s eyes. “Come, my mistress. Let us not worry over silly titles when we should be heading back to the lands of the living. I, for one, am starving for a plate of delicious fishies.”
Jess chuckled softly, indulging her familiar with a gentle scratch behind his jaw. "Of course, my dear kitty." She then turned towards her fr
iend with a tender smile, impulsively kissing the herbalist on the cheek, much as she had her daughter. "This will hurt only a moment, dear Vaila," Jess assured. "But before we leave this dream we need to remember who we really are." Gently, she rested her forehead against Lady Vaila's, feeling her start and gasp, even as little Louise gently looked on, her small hand snugly within Malek's far larger grip.
“What’s Jessie going to do?” Louise whispered.
“She’s going to fix your mother so she feels better. Jess is good at this sort of thing in the realm of dreams,” Malek assured, Louise giving his reply a solemn nod.
Jess did her best to tune everyone else out, matching her breathing with the herbalist’s, feeling the ebb and flow of her life force, feeling violations she had suffered in this terrible place. Jess growled softly, feeling Vaila start, before gently kneading her shoulders. “What we experience here, what we felt, is in one sense but a dream, dear Vaila. What you must remember, always remember, is your true self.”
Of a sudden Jess jerked Vaila’s chin, locking brilliant blue eyes upon Vaila's haunted gaze. The older herbalist gasped, rendered speechless somehow, even as Jess gently smiled, stretching the woman’s horribly mangled fingers with her own. Malek gave an impressed whistle as Jess realigned them perfectly, and within seconds they appeared as pristine and strong as the diligent professor had always kept them.
“All those injuries you remember were but figments of a dream, my dear Vaila. And as you awaken, all memories of the struggles faced shall fade gently away, and you shall feel whole and healthy once more," Jess gently assured, her hand gently caressing the herbalist's torso, back, and everywhere she had been injured, till within moments she was gasping with surprise and wonder, almost shaking with relief, the agony of her wounds having left her as if they had never been. The shuddering professor gazed with wonder upon dexterous fingers now free of damage and pain, no longer mangled and crippled by the vicious depredations of the diabolists who had died so horribly for their sins but a short time ago.
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