Red Queen

by Jolie Jaquinta

  Chapter 22

  Serendipity

  Jesca left the mess tent shortly thereafter, flanked by her masters of personal and household security. She exercised her privilege and skipped the line at the tactical gate to teleport back to the High City in Romitu. The palace was, thankfully, almost deserted at this forsaken hour and in short order she was in her chambers.

  Once there, in a reversal of the usual roles, she helped Phyllis and Clive armor down. Hers had been removed back at camp leaving her in just her armoring jacket. When they were free from the bulk of their encumberment they turned to her. “Let’s have you out of that and get a close look at what that demon did to you”, said Clive.

  Jesca shrugged, but didn't protest the removal of the padded tunic. “It was mostly toying with me. It hadn't taunted me enough to start into really fighting.”

  Clive prodded her, none too gently, while Phyllis stacked the gear. “That's the problem with magical armor. No obvious blows or armor pinches. It's all deep bruising, strains and sprains.” Jesca winced as he torqued her legs against the joints. “I'll get some ice.”

  “What I want to know”, said Phyllis sternly, returning, “is if you planned all of that?”

  Jesca closed her eyes, waiting while Clive rummaged in the magical larder. “If this was a diplomatic function, the correct answer would be to smile enigmatically and say something vague.”

  “But it's not”, said Clive, slapping a towel wrapped around crushed ice on her ankle. She gasped. “Answer your mother.”

  “No”, said Jesca. “I did not plan that. A sphinx would not have guessed they would have worked out I was there, and mobilized such a force so quickly.”

  “First you ditched us, and then you ditched Coral”, started Phyllis.

  “I did not ditch you”, interrupted Jesca. “How could I when I didn't even know where you were?”

  Phyllis's eyes narrowed. “We lost tracking as soon as you entered the hamlet. What did you think you were doing, anyway?”

  Jesca sighed. “I was just trying to do 'the right thing'. Nobility, chivalry, and all the crap I'm supposed to be as Queen. I'm not an example if I let Coral do it all. I made some promise to some peon that I was trying to fulfill. Because my empire is made up of peons like him, and if I can't keep my word to one, how can I keep it to any? I didn't expect the hordes from hell to turn up.”

  “And when they did you sent Coral away so you could confront it on your own?” said Clive.

  “There were non-combatants”, said Jesca, stubbornly. “They wouldn't have lasted five minutes. I've got enough of everyone else's blood on my hands as it is. All I did was put my own blood at risk for a change instead of someone else's. It's what Scioni would have done.”

  They all glared at the walls in silence for a while. “Well, you are probably right about that”, said Clive.

  Phyllis poked her shoulder. “You had us worried. I thought we had lost you.”

  Jesca met her eyes and smiled wryly. “It would take more than that. That armor is so protective I could probably jump into a volcano.” She sat up and adjusted the ice. “For truth, I know it seemed perilous, but it was far less so than you might think.”

  “So, you just had tea and a pleasant chat with a major demon?” asked Clive.

  “Almost”, said Jesca. “Part of it seemed to feel it needed to taunt me first. That it wasn't worth attacking with all its mettle unless I was terrified.”

  Phyllis snorted. “Well no one knows better than your mother that you don't terrify well.”

  “Which really put it out of sorts. I taunted it in return.” Jesca couldn't help smirking.

  “And to think Demara has been absent from court for so long”, said Clive. She was famous for her taunts.

  Jesca smiled. “Actually, I'm pretty hopeful about the whole thing.”

  “Hopeful? Hopeful!” said Phyllis, surprised. “That we now have demons to contend with on top of everything else?”

  “Everything has been a problem”, said Jesca. “Everything. Nothing goes right. Despite overwhelming numbers, armament and magic, we're nearly stalemated. The Spymaster brought that up.”

  “He's an irritating little weasel”, said Clive.

  “Even more irritating when he's right. He had several theories.” Jesca counted on her fingers. “We might have a highly placed spy in our midst feeding them our every move. They might have divination magics significantly beyond our understanding. Or they just never make mistakes.”

  “Of course if he's the spy...” started Phyllis.

  “I've fed him misinformation. I've sent out random orders”, said Jesca. “It didn't make a difference. But”, she paused to push off the ice pack in relief. “today they made a mistake.”

  “Waylaying you with a band of demons was a mistake?” said Phyllis.

  “Doing it and not succeeding was”, said Jesca. “Indefatigable might of that armor aside; I have no doubt that the demon they sent could have finished me off. Given how much they know about our plans I assume they know as much about my defenses. They've been too circumspect so far to expend effort with no hope of gain. I don't think they expected us to breach their barrier.”

  “That was the half-demon, right?” asked Clive.

  Phyllis nodded. “She's not one of ours. She just 'happened' to be there. Coral co-opted her along with him. That blindsided them.”

  “We achieved something today”, said Jesca. “They did not. It seems kind of a turning point to me.”

  “All this from a chivalric jaunt of derring-do!” said Clive. “Who would have thought?”

  “Like a hidden hand out there, guiding us”, said Phyllis, sarcastically. “Like the gods were supposed to do.”

  “There's always the Grey Elves”, said Clive, more seriously.

  “No”, said Jesca. “I think it would invalidate their great 'experiment' if they tinkered with us like that. For now, I'm just going to accept it as serendipity.”

  ARC 3