Death's Handmaiden

by Niall Teasdale

  Nava was beginning to wonder whether she just attracted people with nervous stammers. Rochester had shown no signs of being nervous in class, however. Melissa had begun to get over her reticence to stand out in class and was speaking more or less normally when she answered a question, but she had been shaky. Rochester spoke clearly every time, though Nava had noticed that he did not look directly at Luca Newton when he spoke to her…

  ‘I know,’ Nava said. ‘I’m Nava Ward, but I suspect you know that.’

  ‘I’m Melissa Connelly Avorn,’ Melissa put in.

  Rochester turned his head to look at Melissa. His eyes did an abrupt swerve from her chest to her hairline and his cheeks coloured. ‘I-I-I-I kn-know that as w-well.’ His attention returned to Nava, or rather Nava’s fringe. ‘I w-wanted to t-talk about–’

  Nava held up a hand, bringing the speech to a stop. ‘If it would make you more comfortable, I am quite all right with you speaking to your food. You seem to have some difficulty talking to women.’

  Of course, Rochester’s cheeks went so red that orbiting satellites could likely see them. His head snapped around so that he could stare at his tray. ‘I-I-I–’

  ‘Take a deep breath… and then continue.’

  He did. And he did continue while not risking a look at either of the two women. It did seem to work better for him. ‘Y-you seem to have a very good intuitive g-grasp of metaphysics, Nava Ward. I have been impressed w-with your performance in class. Y-you are almost on a par with me.’

  ‘You’ve learned more than I have,’ Nava replied. ‘It’s clear that you’ve been studying the subject on your own before coming here. I’m simply good at picking up the lessons and in using the science in practice. I appear more learned than I am, perhaps.’

  ‘You’re the only person even close to my level.’ He paused and then added, ‘Uh, no offence, Melissa Connelly.’

  Melissa grinned. ‘None taken. I know I have a lot to learn. That’s why I’m here. I bet you plan to take the academic track in your final years though.’

  ‘Metaphysics is my passion! Metaphysics and chess. I don’t suppose either of you p-play?’

  ‘I don’t, sorry.’

  ‘I don’t really play games,’ Nava said. ‘Perhaps I should learn, but I have other priorities currently.’

  ‘Chess is a game of tactics and strategy,’ Rochester said. ‘It teaches valuable lessons about war and the tactics of winning it.’

  Nava considered that for a second. ‘It’s a game, is it not? With rules?’

  ‘Yes. Yes, of course.’

  ‘The problem I see there is that war has no rules. Assuming that it does is a recipe for disaster. However, I’ll look into this “chess” and see what I make of it. It may be interesting.’

  ‘You make it sound like you’ve never heard of chess before,’ Melissa said, grinning even more brightly.

  ‘I think I’ve heard mention of it. I had a rather… isolated early life. There are a lot of things I’ve never heard of which I’m sure you would consider everyday knowledge. For example, I’ve no idea who the singing stars the girls in our class swoon over are. For that matter, I have no idea who the female singers the boys seem to find so interesting are either. Sporting teams are a mystery to me.’

  ‘W-well, same here,’ Rochester said. ‘I have n-no interest in sports.’

  ‘You don’t talk about your life before you came here much,’ Melissa said.

  ‘No, I don’t,’ Nava replied. There was a finality to the statement that had Melissa looking down at her food. ‘I don’t like talking about it,’ Nava went on because it seemed like the right thing to do. ‘It…’

  ‘It brings back painful memories?’

  ‘That’s one reason. Rochester Hunt, did you have a motive for complimenting me on my skill in metaphysics?’

  ‘W-well, I th-thought we c-could study t-together. St-study partners c-can be h-helpf-ful in–’

  Nava decided to stop him before his stutter ran entirely out of control. Again. ‘That sounds like it would be agreeable, so long as you’re willing to have Melissa Connelly asking questions when she gets stuck. I have already agreed to help her where she needs it and I will not back out of a commitment already made.’

  ‘N-no, of course. I wouldn’t ask you t-to. I h-have found that helping others with a subject can often solidify my own thoughts on the t-topic. I would be h-happy to assist Melissa Connelly as well.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Melissa said. ‘In which case you can call me Mel.’

  ‘M-Mel… Thank you, Mel. You may call me Chess. It’s the one nickname I’ve picked up which I’m comfortable with.’

  Melissa giggled. ‘Chess. It suits you. And now I actually have a chance of getting through the year-end exams without failing.’

  235/1/20.

  ‘I admit that I’ll need to further study such things as tactics if I wish to make it through to the final years and forget about all that,’ Rochester said. He now spent his lunch hours with Nava and Melissa, and his stutter was effectively gone unless he forgot and looked either woman in the chest.

  ‘It’s a matter of utility,’ Nava said. ‘However, it’s also a matter of effectiveness in your chosen profession. It’s never to your detriment to broaden your horizons. That’s why I’m on the support stream.’

  ‘I… won’t argue,’ Rochester said and then he prepared himself to argue. ‘However, I feel–’

  Nava saw the attack begin and could, perhaps, have avoided it, but doing so would have driven her into Rochester and Melissa, so she braced herself to take the hit. Walking in the opposite direction from the trio were four boys, third or fourth years from the general look of them. They were laughing about something and appeared thoroughly engrossed in themselves, but Nava saw the leader’s eyes scan over her before he shifted his footing so that he would collide with her. You could tell he was the leader because he was bigger than the others by a few centimetres and had a cockier attitude about him.

  The impact jarred through Nava’s body and she twisted her torso to shrug as much of it off as possible. There was going to be a bruise on her shoulder soon enough and, annoyingly, the uniform dresses were sleeveless. But it was the immediate reaction of the bully which brought all nearby motion to a halt.

  ‘Watch where you’re going!’ he exclaimed in a loud voice. He was a redhead with green eyes and a significant amount of muscle on his tall frame. He was trying, and failing, to hide a smirk.

  Nava regarded the man for a second. ‘I would suggest that you take your own advice, but your action was deliberate.’

  ‘What? Are you accusing me of deliberately barging into you? You insult me and expect me to let this stand? Apologise.’

  Nava could see where this was going. The whimper from nearby suggested that Melissa could see it too. Nava had two courses of action: apologise or be challenged. The apology would defuse the immediate situation, but not the overall threat. Unfortunately, the other route would likely solve very little either… ‘I will not apologise for your actions.’

  The bully straightened his back and squared his shoulders. ‘I am Devin Girard Sonkei and I challenge–’

  ‘Declined,’ Nava said.

  Surprise showed on Devin’s face until it was overridden by arrogant confidence. ‘You can’t just decline a challenge from–’

  ‘I can and have. Section three of the school disciplinary code, paragraph six. “Frivolous, casual, or contrived duelling is forbidden.” I am within my rights to decline a duel where the challenger has engineered a situation in order to make a challenge possible. Now, if that is all, I’d like to get some lunch.’ Turning on her heel, Nava started off in the direction of the refectory, Melissa and Rochester hurrying to catch up with her.

  ‘Don’t walk away from me!’ Devin roared from behind her. ‘This isn’t over!’

  ‘No,’ Nava muttered, ‘I don’t suppose it is.’

  235/1/21.

  Nava was annoyed, but it did not show. She was cu
rrently missing lunch because the Student Security Force’s captain had summoned her to a meeting. Luca Newton had passed on the ‘invitation’ in homeroom that morning. Nava was now standing at one end of a table where four people sat in judgement. They all had sandwiches and drinks.

  ‘Nava Ward,’ the one at the other end of the table said, ‘you have been accused of declining a challenge to a duel. I am Courtney Martell Garavain, Captain of the Student Security Force. I will be dealing with this, quite serious, infraction of the school rules. How do you answer the charge?’ She was calm about it but appeared mildly amused. She had short brown hair and dark eyes. Her skin was a lighter shade of brown and she was a pretty woman. She had been the SSF head for two years and was now in her fifth year at the school. Nava had familiarised herself with all the student representatives after meeting Mitsuko.

  ‘This is regarding the incident with Devin Girard yesterday?’ Nava asked. What else would it be? And where was Devin? If he had accused her, he should be here, missing lunch.

  ‘That is correct.’

  ‘Devin Girard purposefully bumped into me in order to extract an apology or a duel. Under the rules of this school, I would be required to decline such a challenge.’

  ‘You have evidence that he attempted to force a duel?’

  Nava considered the statement. Specifically, she considered the tone of the statement. There was a hint of eagerness about it, as though Courtney was hoping that Nava had evidence. ‘No,’ Nava said, and the relaxation of Courtney’s facial muscles suggested that Nava had not mistaken the eagerness, ‘but you do.’

  Courtney’s eyebrows lifted. ‘Explain.’

  ‘You have access to security camera recordings. There are two cameras covering the stretch of corridor where the incident happened. If you review the recordings, you’ll see that Devin Girard changed direction to ensure a collision. Additionally, his reaction was too quick. He was ready for his arm to hit my shoulder and knew exactly what he was going to say.’

  There was a wall screen in the room and Nava was made to go through the encounter with Devin from two different viewpoints. It took twenty minutes. At the end of it, most of the SSF members were looking annoyed while Courtney appeared disappointed.

  ‘It’s subjective,’ Courtney said. ‘There’s not enough evidence here to charge Devin Girard, but I believe we must acquit Nava Ward based on what we can see in the camera data.’ Nava relaxed inwardly; again, this did not show. ‘I must caution you, Nava Ward, that making a habit of declining duels will negatively affect your academic record. I hope that we will not see you here again. Dismissed.’

  Nava bowed her head slightly before turning without a word to head for the door. If she hurried, she would probably be able to wolf down some lunch before she had to rush to afternoon lessons. Still, it seemed likely that this was not the end of the matter and Courtney’s attitude to the situation had Nava wondering. Some research was in order, but that could wait until she was back in her apartment in the afternoon.

  ~~~

  Devin Girard Sonkei was a bully. That had not come as any real surprise given Nava’s experience of him, but here she was looking at his duelling record and seeing clear evidence of his nature which no one could seriously deny.

  Devin’s family, the Girards, was a minor family within the Sonkei clan, but they had been trying to rise up the ranks for a while. Marriages had been arranged and they attended all the right parties. Social media was a gold mine for that kind of information, but it was the duelling records that gave part of their game plan away.

  Duelling was part of the legal code of the Clan Worlds and, as such, it was regulated. Nava thought it was not regulated enough, but regulated it was. Part of that regulation was that every duel had to have an official, independent witness and be recorded both as a video and in the form of a report. These records were all available to the public via a government web service. The Girards duelled a lot. They held their honour above everything, it seemed. Rarely did they lose a duel, which suggested to Nava that they were picking their opponents carefully.

  Devin was a chip off the Girard block, with a soupçon of malice added to the mix. He was a fourth year now and he had, on average, fought a duel every month for the last three years. He never lost. Thirty-five duels, thirty-five wins. However, he rarely fought anyone on the combat stream and when he did, it was always late in the year when he could have worked out their strengths and weaknesses. He always fought blood duels, but he fought them with Concussive Force. In three years, he had killed seven students and put another sixteen in the school’s infirmary. Nava rubbed absently at the bruise on her right shoulder and reassessed her position on Devin. Devin Girard was not simply a bully – he was a murderer. He had deliberately engineered duels in order to kill people and no one appeared willing to stop him.

  A chime from the door broke Nava out of her reverie. ‘Open,’ she said to the room as she rose to her feet to meet her guest. It was probably Melissa, come to see whether Nava wanted to do anything before dinner.

  The sight of Mitsuko standing in the doorway was something of a surprise, though it did not register on Nava’s face. ‘Good evening, Nava Ward,’ Mitsuko said. ‘Might I come in?’

  ‘Of course,’ Nava replied. ‘Please excuse my meagre accommodation.’

  Mitsuko smiled slightly as she walked through into the single-room apartment. ‘It is hardly what I’m used to. I assume you were thinking that? I live in one of the better blocks closer to the teaching buildings and this is far from how I’m used to living. Am I right?’

  ‘I’d imagine not, but I’m more referring to the fact that I cannot offer much in the way of refreshment.’

  ‘Ah.’ Mitsuko waved the comment away. ‘I don’t mean to take up much of your time anyway. May I sit?’

  ‘Of course.’

  Mitsuko took one of the bench seats at the room’s table, Nava sitting opposite her. ‘I’ve come regarding Devin Girard,’ Mitsuko said.

  ‘Ah.’ They were the same clan. Was Mitsuko about to go down in Nava’s estimations by defending the man?

  ‘I believe you are a perceptive woman, Nava Ward. I believe you will understand what I’m about to say, but I consider it my duty to say it.’ That did not sound good. ‘Devin Girard will not let this matter go. The fact that you were able to persuade the SSF that his challenge was illegal will simply spur him to greater efforts. He will get his duel and his duelling style is…’

  Mitsuko appeared to be searching for the right word, so Nava decided to supply a few. ‘Dishonourable? Lethal? Murderous?’ Mitsuko’s eyes widened briefly; that had been a little shocking. ‘I’ve reviewed his duelling record. He picks fights he’s almost certain he can win. He selects lower-status victims where possible and, when he believes he can get away with it, he kills them in duels which should be to first blood. His name likely shields him from the retribution he deserves. The Sonkei clan has no seat on the Clan Council, but they are far from powerless within the Clan Worlds, as you well know.’

  ‘You’ve done your research.’ That seemed like a tacit admission of the problem without actually agreeing with Nava’s assessment. ‘What will you do if he issues another challenge to you? Are you unwilling to defend your honour?’

  ‘I’m clanless. I have no honour in the eyes of the majority of people.’

  ‘Yes, but–’

  ‘I also have personal reasons for avoiding duels. However, if I am challenged by Devin Girard a second time, I will not decline, and he will regret his choice of actions.’

  235/1/25.

  It did not take long. The following Monday, after classes this time, Nava was back with the SSF. This time, Devin Girard was there as well, apparently unwilling to risk a second judgement against him. This time there was also an audience: Devin’s three cronies were there, Melissa and Rochester had come along to provide support, and Luca Newton and Mitsuko had arrived to watch the proceedings. The teacher was likely there to determine whether she had a problem
student in her class, or maybe to provide support.

  The subject of the inquiry this time was…

  ‘Nava Ward has been spreading rumours about me,’ Devin proclaimed. ‘I have it on good authority that someone has been claiming that I am an honourless coward. I have witnesses who have seen Nava Ward spreading this disinformation. I demand that I be allow to challenge her such that I may clear my good name.’

  Courtney was sitting in judgement again. She looked a little tired. ‘We have received written statements from several students…’ Her gaze shifted to the three boys sitting together behind Devin. So, the witnesses were about as credible as Nava’s accuser. ‘These corroborate Devin Girard’s claim. How do you answer, Nava Ward?’

  Nava, standing at the end of the table again, considered her answer carefully. To everyone around her, it seemed that there was a brief pause before she spoke in the same uninflected tone she always did. ‘I have been spreading no such rumours regarding Devin Girard. The witnesses are mistaken.’

  ‘She’s calling them liars!’ Devin barked.

  ‘Devin Girard,’ Courtney said, ‘you will leave the proceedings of the SSF to its members.’ There was a hard edge to her voice; Courtney really did not like Devin. ‘Are you calling these witnesses liars, Nava Ward?’

  There was another brief pause. ‘Yes.’ She went on before anyone could respond. ‘Further, while I have spread no rumours regarding Devin Girard, he is a dishonourable coward intent on committing his eighth legalised murder.’

  ‘Silence!’ Courtney shouted over the ensuing chaos. The roars of anger from Devin’s side almost drowned out the sound of Melissa having a fit behind Nava. The other members of the SSF were shouting almost as loud as Devin’s people. Silence happened, if a little slowly. ‘Nava Ward, you understand that making such a claim means that you will be required to accept the challenge from Devin Girard?’

  ‘Courtney Martell.’ The voice came from behind Nava, but to one side. Mitsuko had decided to intervene.

  ‘The chair recognises Mitsuko Trenton,’ Courtney said.

  ‘Thank you. My impression of Nava Ward is that she would not stoop to spreading rumours regarding another student. I believe the testimony suggesting that she did is… mistaken, as she put it. Perhaps she was misheard. Further, Nava Ward is clanless and has not grown up with the deep understanding of honour within each clan. I believe she should be given the opportunity to withdraw her statement without recourse to a duel.’