by Ren Garcia
"Lieutenant Kilos believes that Lady Poe is a Black Hat?"
Syg laughed. "No, no … that she is a Shadow tech female."
"Do you think that's possible, Syg?" Dav asked.
"From what Ki told me, yes I think it's very possible. It all fits together."
"She doesn't have a mark like you do," Dav said.
"Lt. Kilos says she wears a cover on her face—says she saw it at a party once. Haven't you ever Sighted her?"
Pardock looked shocked. "One does not Sight one's own sister."
Syg blushed a little. "In any event, may I see her?"
Pardock thought for a moment. "Tomorrow. You may see her tomorrow. She is finally asleep."
* * * * *
Syg's heart nearly broke—Dav announced he had to leave her for a day or two. There were some Fleet meetings in Atalea that required his presence. As soon as he returned, he promised he would take her to Castle Durst.
She didn't want him to go. They had never been apart, but if she was to be his countess some day, she will have to get used to occasional departures.
She'd live, though she missed him terribly.
* * * * *
So, Davage dressed, called down to the Seeker, and awaited Lt. Kilos in a ripcar. As it neared, Syg handed him his CARG. He saddled it, kissed her good-bye, jumped out of the window, and landed on the ripcar's hood, Kilos thankfully giving over the controls to him. Rolling the car, Davage sent it into a near-vertical plunge down the sheer side of the Castle and hit the thrusters, Kilos hanging on for dear life.
"Showing … off … are … you?" Kilos cried.
"Absolutely!"
"I'm … going to … get you … for … this … some day!" she managed to shout, hanging onto her cap as he laughed.
Approaching the crags and Harken forest, which Davage knew by heart, he trimmed the ripcar to manage the updrafts and pulled up, blasting the throttle, zero G'ing the crew cab and sending Ki's stomach into her throat.
That's when he saw something.
Far below, he saw a hooded figure standing under an overhang at the edge of the forest.
Davage didn't like the look of it.
Whipping the ripcar around, he kicked the thrusters and screamed into the overhang, where he popped the struts and landed in a cloud of dirt and fallen leaves.
He hopped out. Kilos followed, drawing her SK.
"What is it? What did you see?"
"I saw a figure, a hooded figure."
"Could it be just a passing traveler?"
Davage Sighted. He could see the faint heat trail of footprints fading down the path. Davage followed them, Kilos at his side.
"Possibly. But I'm not taking any chances. I had a message yesterday, from Marilith."
"Marilith … again? For someone who's made a name for herself by hating your guts, she sure loves to talk to you, doesn't she?"
"She said she was coming to kill Syg."
"How's she going to do that, Dav? She's a Black Hat."
"How does Marilith do any of the things she does? I'm not taking any chances."
The trail led to a small stand of trees, where it ended. The figure had Wafted away. Dav whipped his head around, Sighting for it.
It was nowhere to be seen. He hit his CARG in frustration.
Kilos holstered her pistol. "Syg can take care of herself, Dav."
He caught a residual image of the figure as it retreated. He could do that too. Some called it the seventh aspect of the Sight—to see things that once were there. Dav didn't count it as a separate aspect, though. It was simply seeing something that was invisible.
"It was here," he said. "It was wearing a gray robe with a hood."
Ki shook her head as she watched Dav Sight the path, his eyes glowing in the muted olive light. She'd gotten used to seeing his glowing eyes. She still thought it was a wondrous thing but didn't get mesmerized by it like everyone else did. She figured being a Brown sometimes had its advantages. Browns were too skeptical a people to be overly impressed with anything.
"Can you see its face?"
Dav got in front of the image. He saw a man's face, blonde hair, blue eyes, deep within the hood.
"I see a man."
"A man? So, we just probably scared some poor traveler or pilgrim half to death," Ki said, kicking at the carpet of leaves on the path floor. "So much for northern hospitality."
"Wait," Dav said. Sighting harder, he saw the man's face shimmer. "It's a Cloak. A good one too."
The Cloaked face faded away, leaving a dark, cloudy void under the hood. He caught a hint of long blue hair, but that was all.
"We must back to the castle!" Dav said
"Dav, Marilith is crazy, but she's not stupid. Syg is too powerful to take on in a straight-up fight. If she is gunning for Syg, then she's going to take her time, size her up, and devise a plan that favors her. She's not going to go storming into your castle and face a Black Hat Hammer. And she's going to want you there to watch. If anything, you not being around will ensure nothing happens."
Dav thought a moment. Ki was probably right. He looked at the fading image, the hooded figure, the wisps of blue hair. Either Marilith was going to have to be stopped cold, or for her own safety, Syg would have to go.
Maybe he was the last Blanchefort after all.
5
LADY POE
Syg waved and watched the ripcar fall into a suicidal dive down the side of the castle. She could feel a slight hint of warm air rush up as he hit the thrusters several hundred feet down. She wanted to go with him. She envied Ki for being able to go with him.
She was now alone in Castle Blanchefort with Countess Pardock, her children, and the stricken Lady Poe.
She put on a light dress that Dav had bought for her, and carrying her sandals, she went down to the main hall, her Black Hat sense of direction allowing her to navigate the huge, confusing castle with ease. The place was gigantic. She came across a dark, interesting hall full of portraits as she walked.
Portraits! The Hall of the Ancestors.
She took a few steps and waded into the dim hall. There were hundreds of portraits starting at the floor level going all the way up to the lofty heights of the ceiling.
She made a mental note of its location and would have to come back later. She had seen this place in her visions and was keen to explore it.
Downstairs, she met up with Pardock and a tall, handsome youth, her son—Enoch, Lord of Vincent, Dav's nephew. Her youngest son, Grenwald, was still asleep in his room.
"Good morning, Lady Sygillis," Pardock said. "I trust you slept well."
"I did. I love this castle. It already feels like home."
"Glad to hear it. Well, you wanted to see Lady Poe. She's this way, in the Telmus Grove getting a bit of air. I put her there this earlier this morning." She motioned with her arm, and they went out into the morning sunshine.
Strolling casually, young Enoch a few steps back, they entered a massive grove full of exotic plants, stone Vith vistas, and huge trees. The sky was a deep northern blue, with white clouds rising in the distance. Syg swiveled her head about, trying to take it all in. She wished Dav was here. She wanted to experience this for the first time with him.
"Of course you know I had to Stare you yesterday," Pardock said as they plunged into the green.
"Yes. I hope I passed your test."
"You have a lot in your past, obviously, which I won't go into now with my son present. You have a vile temper, a sharp tongue, and a copious jealous streak … but you truly do love my brother and wish him nothing but the best. You wish to be his Countess and bear his children. That is good enough for me. Dav is big enough to deal with your temper and tongue and jealousy on his own, I suppose."
"Would you raise a sword should I have failed your test?"
"Yes. I've done it before. Surely you know that."
"Then, we are in agreement. We both love Dav, you as his sister and I as his future countess, and we both want nothing but his hea
lth and well-being."
"Agreed. I will happily pass the baton in this case."
They smiled at each other and continued down the path.
"I will instruct our seamstresses to begin making you your gowns. House Blanchefort doesn't have a single pre-set color, unlike House Vincent with blue all the time—I must say I get a little tired of blue sometimes—so you may take your pick."
"Is wearing a Blanchefort gown a prerequisite to being a countessin-Waiting?"
"Yes it is," Pardock said with a tone of finality. "The moment he asks and the moment you say yes, you will be wearing a Blanchefort gown."
"I'm partial to black, as I'm certain you can guess."
Pardock shook her head.
Enoch trailed closely behind them. He was a thin, handsome boy wearing blue Vincent leggings. The blue image of an axe was embossed on his shirt. Being so young, he had that typical "unfinished" look that all Elder-Kind youths had, not shedding it fully until about the age of thirty.
Enoch stared at Syg.
"Lord Vincent," she said after a bit. "You appear to have a question. Please, fire away, sir."
He paused a moment. Then he asked, "Did you fight my uncle?"
"Enoch, what did I tell you?" Pardock said.
Syg laughed. "It's all right, Countess. Yes, Lord Vincent, I did fight your uncle, of a sort. It was a fight of good against evil, of light against dark. We fought with words and ideas, with love and patience against vileness and rancor."
"And what happened?"
"Well, obviously, good won and evil fell away. The prize was my heart and my soul. Your uncle defeated me and in the process, he saved me … and I am his forever. I'll fill you in on a secret: I never had a chance against your uncle. It was never a fair fight."
"You don't want to kill him?"
"Only occasionally."
Syg and Pardock laughed.
"I want to fight a Black Hat. I want to win her heart forever, if she is as beautiful as you," Enoch said.
Syg blushed. "You're too kind, sir. Then I would listen to your mother and do as she says, and listen to your uncle, learn from him, become a man like he is, and I am certain you will easily win such a fight."
Eventually, they came to a large courtyard. A tall, thin figure sat slumped on a stone bench near a weathercock.
Poe, Lady Poe of Blanchefort.
Poe the Sad, they said.
Crazy Poe, others said.
"Poe?" Pardock said. "Poe, dear, you have a visitor."
She looked a lot like Dav, tall and thin. She had short blonde hair with wispy blue streaks in it. Her expression was vacant, eyes halfclosed in long slits. She mumbled and drooled.
She was wearing a green gown—simple, yet elegant and finely made. A Blanchefort gown. Syg looked at it. She supposed it could be worse. Wearing one of these will be a small price to pay to keep Dav and his sister happy.
As long as they didn't try to make her wear shoes. That's where the trouble will start.
"She is like this often," Pardock said. "And then she is better for a while."
"How have you helped her in the past?"
"Our father left instructions upon his death. He said to take her to the grove on days when she cannot stand, and when she starts speaking in tongues, to leave her."
"And if I am following correctly, Sadric's Rain begins shortly thereafter, yes?"
"Correct. I'm not a fool. I know the Rain comes from her, but I've not witnessed it firsthand. So, you are thinking that Lady Poe's condition and you, as a former Black Hat, are somehow related?"
"I am … and now that I see her, I'm convinced that's the case."
"And you can help her?"
"I can."
Syg approached Poe and slowly sat down.
Gently, she placed her hands on Poe's thin face. "Ah," she said. "There is a cover here." She used a tiny bit of Silver tech and loosened the cover. With one easy motion she pulled it off, revealing a huge sweaty, angry black Shadowmark—a much larger one than Syg's.
"Elder's balls!" Enoch cried. "She's a Black Hat!"
"Enoch, don't be silly—and watch your language, boy!" Pardock said.
"She's not a Black Hat. She could have been one, but she's not. This is a Shadowmark, just like mine. It's basically a birthmark. If you are born with this, then you have Shadow tech flowing within you. Somehow, Poe was born with this and was not abducted into the Black Hat Sisterhood. Your father must have protected her from the Black Abbess, and that was a brave thing for him to do. It's the unmarshalled, uncontrolled Shadow tech within her that is creating this problem. I'm amazed she has lived this long without proper training."
"Can anything be done for her?"
"Yes, yes, certainly, but first she'll need to be rid of this excess Shadow tech. She is rife with it." Syg loosened Poe's gown and placed her hands on her thin ribs. "Can you smell it?"
Enoch leaned forward to smell Lady Poe, and Pardock cuffed him on the back of the head.
"I'll need someone to open her mouth and hold it open."
Enoch came forward again, head still smarting, closely watching his mother, and gently opened Poe's mouth.
"Get ready for some rain," Syg said.
"Will this be safe for my son?" Pardock asked.
"It's metabolized. All of the toxins remain within, and it's safe in this state."
In a moment, thick gray mist came pouring out of Poe's mouth, quickly filling the courtyard and the grove beyond.
They stood in the dense mist.
"You smell that, mother?" Enoch asked, flush with excitement. "I smell it!"
"Quiet, you!" Pardock said in the fog, groping around, trying to find him. "Blanchefort women do not create strange smells. Do not forget that!"
"Is this Shadow tech?" Enoch asked in the fog, unable to contain his excitement.
"It is. Shadow tech, in a harmless misty form … the poor dear. This will take a while," Syg said.
"Is it … is it going to change into some sort of terrifying, snorting beast? Mother! Mother! I'mgoingtofightmyfirstShadowtechmonster!" Enoch cried, running his words together.
"Get back to the castle, boy!" Pardock shouted in the fog. "The only thing you're going to be fighting is the back of my hand when I locate you!"
Syg, hearing Enoch's excitement, manipulated some of Poe's misty Shadow tech into a twisting, smiling insect that looped and cavorted in mid-air.
"Do you see that? Do you see that? I'm going to get it now!"
"No you are not, and you will not enjoy the light of day for months after I get hold of you. Sygillis—Sygillis of Metatron, are you behind this?" Pardock yelled.
Giggling, Syg, vanished the insect.
"Awww!" Enoch cried.
Suddenly, Poe began speaking. She spoke in an ugly, sinister voice.
"Sygillis of Metatron. I am coming for you! I am going to kill you! Hahahahahahahahahaha!"
"Who am I speaking to?" Syg asked quietly.
"Your enemy! Your rival!"
"It's Marilith!" Pardock shrieked, frantically groping for Enoch in the fog. "I'd know that foul voice anywhere!"
"Dear Pardock, do not think that I have forgotten about you. After I have killed her, I will kill you too. It's long in coming! I hold you responsible for everything!"
Poe tried to rise up, but Syg held her down. "I'll allow you to run, Sygillis of Metatron. Run away and hide and you may live!"
"I am not going anywhere. If you are seeking to drive a wedge between me and my Lord, then you have made a mortal enemy today, Marilith. I will meet you wherever you choose, and we will settle this. And be fair warned: only one of us will be walking away when it's over."
"It will be settled with your death. I will give you no peace. I will hunt you down."
"Incorrect. 'Tis I who will be hunting you down. 'Tis I who will be giving you no peace. Let us meet. Let us fight like women."
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
The voice faded, and Poe's open mouth gushed fog.
<
br /> After a time, the fog stopped and Poe opened her eyes. They were Dav's eyes. Syg felt a twinge; how she missed him.
"W-Where am I?"
"In the grove," Syg said.
"Who are you?"
