by Jon Skovron
“Not to come get me?” Merivale’s cold steel turned white hot. “The gates can’t close. We can’t possibly defend against this with the spent troops we have! Even—”
“It’s being taken care of, my lady,” said Leston with surprising firmness.
“By whom?”
“A plan is in place. Please, trust someone other than yourself for once,” said the prince. “That’s an order, by the way.”
For the first time in a very long time, Merivale found that she didn’t quite know what to say and was too tired to come up with something, so she simply nodded.
The troops that moved slowly up the street didn’t have any cannons or other heavy artillery. That would have slowed down their approach. But two hundred soldiers with rifles was still more than their current forces could handle.
She caught a flicker of movement on one of the rooftops. Just a quick flash of black that let her know the Vinchen were positioning themselves above the soldiers. That was smart, but it still wouldn’t be enough. Not against that many troops.
Then a little white-haired boy walked boldly out into the middle of the street.
“What is going on?” hissed Merivale.
“Just watch,” advised Leston.
Merivale did not like this feeling of knowing less than other people.
The soldiers came to a halt and looked warily at the boy. He waved cheerfully to them.
“Boy! Clear the way!” shouted one of the soldiers. “Clear out or we’ll be forced to shoot you!”
Merivale could just barely hear his high, piping voice as the boy replied. “I want you to meet my new friends!”
Then all the biomancer creatures from before, somehow alive again, came out from the alleys and side streets. Seemingly unhindered by their own fatal injuries, they swarmed the soldiers.
The soldiers were completely unprepared for such a horrific onslaught. Many understandably broke and ran. Those who stayed and fought didn’t last long. They were torn apart, eaten, dismembered, or disemboweled. One strange crab-like creature was tearing out whole spines and consuming them. Another small ratlike creature leapt at their faces and greedily ate out their eyes, leaving them alive, but blind and shrieking. There were only a handful of soldiers left when the monsters abruptly collapsed back into death. That was when the Vinchen plunged down from the rooftops to finish them off.
“Who is that boy?” asked Merivale.
“According to Jilly, he is Bleak Hope’s ward,” said Leston. “This Hope does have a number of impressive friends. I think a long-term alliance with her would be extremely beneficial to the empire. Don’t you agree, Lady Hempist?”
“Without question, Your Highness,” she said. Then, “Wait, who’s Jilly?”
Hope and Red reached the imperial apartments at the same time. Both of them were winded, so they took a moment to catch their breath.
“It’s probably locked,” said Hope. “Should we break it down?”
“Easier to just pick the lock, don’t you think?” asked Red.
“Oh sure, if you want to be clever about it,” said Hope.
“I mean, if you were just really dying to kick down a door, I don’t want to take that away from you,” said Red.
“No, no, we’ll do it your way this time,” said Hope.
“You spoil me,” he told her, then knelt down and began working on the lock.
A few moments later, it gave a quiet click, and the door swung open to reveal a large, open room. Hope and Red walked in warily, ready for an attack from any side.
“I wish you would have brought that sword of yours,” Red muttered.
“It’s no longer my sword,” replied Hope. “And I swore never to pick one up again.”
“Not even just this once?”
“Not even just this once.”
“What if I run out of bullets?”
“What if you don’t even need bullets?” asked Hope.
“That seems unlikely,” said Red.
At the far end of the room was Ammon Set, sitting on a thick throne made of beige sandstone that blended so well with the biomancer’s rocky skin that he almost appeared a part of it. His hood no longer covered his face, and Hope could easily see his stone-like face staring at her. He was flanked on either side by a line of biomancers, all with their hoods drawn low and their faces hidden.
“Well, well,” Ammon Set said, his voice like rocks grinding together. “This looks familiar. How long ago was it when we took away your hand and sent you on your way? Clearly we were far too benevolent with you the last time.”
“We?” asked Hope. “My understanding is that you are no longer a biomancer. Now you just have the disfigurement of one.”
“Ouch,” muttered Red.
“It was a necessary sacrifice,” Ammon Set told her. “To ensure the security of the empire, I had to take hold of it myself. To make it strong.”
“That’s not what you’ve done, though,” said Red. “You’ve made it a mess. And if Aukbontar were to sweep in here tomorrow, we’d be doomed.”
“I will bring it back together, once I’ve finished off you and your pathetic resistance.”
“Pathetic?” asked Hope. “We’ve crushed everything you’ve thrown at us.”
“What about the two battalions of soldiers that drove off the kraken and made it to shore?”
“What?” said Hope, her stomach suddenly ice- cold.
There was a crack as Ammon Set’s mouth tilted slightly into a slanted half smile. “Your friends below are probably being slaughtered as we speak.”
“Actually, no,” said the biomancer who stood next to Ammon Set. His voice sounded rusty and grating, and when he pushed back his hood, it revealed a face lined with bits of metal.
“What do you mean?” demanded Ammon Set.
“In addition to uniting Vinchen, nobility, and commoner, the two people who now stand before you have even inspired the loyalty of the Jackal Lords.”
“Impossible,” said Ammon Set. “The Jackal Lords are all dead.”
“Apparently not all. A young boy has allied himself with the prince.”
“Just one little boy? He won’t be much trouble,” said Ammon Set.
“Hmm. Except it seems he’s been wighted.”
“Nonsense. There hasn’t been a successful wighting in over a century,” said Ammon Set.
The metal-laced biomancer turned to look at Hope, his cloudy, rust-colored eyes not giving away any emotion. “You ask a good question, Vinchen. What does Ammon Set mean by ‘we’?”
“What are you talking about, Chiffet Mek?” snapped Ammon Set.
Chiffet Mek ignored him and continued to regard Hope. “I am the current senior member of the order of biomancery, and I speak for the council. We believed, wrongly, that only the might of the biomancers would save the empire from Aukbontar. But you have proven that biomancery alone is not enough. Only in unifying all elements of the empire can we hope to survive the storm that will one day sweep across the world.”
“I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at, Mek,” said Red.
“That I was wrong, Lord Pastinas,” said Chiffet Mek. “The Council of Biomancery has stood neutral in this conflict between Ammon Set and the prince until now. It is time for us to choose a side.” He turned to Ammon Set. “And it is not yours.”
“Wait!” shouted Ammon Set.
Chiffet Mek touched Ammon Set’s neck, then stepped away. As Ammon Set stared back at him, his stone features began to soften so that his face could express the horror he felt at this betrayal. He lurched to his feet and stumbled away from the throne and the biomancers. Hope and Red stepped nimbly aside, keeping their distance as they watched him stare down at his hands, which had also become soft like flesh. But it became apparent that his body was not turning back to flesh. Not exactly.
“It is time to stop clinging to the traditions of the past. Instead, we must look toward the future,” Chiffet Mek said. “We must have progress above all else.
We must think more efficiently …” He smiled coldly. “And cull the fat.”
“No …,” said Ammon Set, but his voice sounded bubbly. His features began to sag. He swayed as his legs wobbled beneath his robes and his arms became rubbery and limp. Then he began to lose all shape until he was nothing but a giant mound of jiggling fat in a robe.
Hope looked over at Red. “Is he … dead?”
“I sure hope so,” he said.
Chiffet Mek turned to them. “What can we do to make amends for our cowardice and lack of foresight?”
“Are you kidding—” began Red, but Hope held up her metal hand and he fell silent.
“You say you were neutral, but we consider your lack of action to defend the prince to be treason. Therefore you will need to surrender to us.”
Mek didn’t seem surprised. He turned to the other biomancers and they all linked hands. There was a moment of silence, then Mek turned back to Hope.
“Very well. What are your terms?”
Hope looked at Red. “Your turn.”
“Me?”
“You know the situation here much better than I do,” said Hope.
“Ah, well, yes …” As Red turned to Chiffet Mek, his grin was suddenly so wide, it looked downright sinister. “First, you must accept Leston as emperor and renew your oath to him. Second, you must honor any commitments he or the empress dowager have made during this conflict. Third, you must help facilitate a peaceful treaty negotiation with Aukbontar. Fourth, you will cease all involuntary experimentation on people immediately.” He paused for a moment, his red eyes sparkling. “You got all that?”
There was a pause, then Chiffet Mek nodded.
“Pretty thorough for coming up with something on the spot,” murmured Hope.
“Thank you,” said Red.
“So those are your terms?” asked Chiffet Mek.
“One more.” Hope could hear the sound of fine shoes clomping up the last set of steps and recognized the footfalls immediately. “When Brigga Lin walks through that door in a few moments, you will invite her onto the council and welcome her as one of your own.”
Again there was a momentary pause as the biomancers communicated silently.
Then Chiffet Mek turned back to Hope and Red. “Agreed. We understand the depth of our wrongdoing and thank you for leniency. I swear, on behalf of the entire order of biomancery, that we will abide by your conditions for surrender.”
“Sunny,” said Red. “Now’s your first opportunity to put it into action.”
Brigga Lin burst into the room, a flurry of white fabric, her arms waving, her hands poised, her expression fierce and deadly. Then she assessed the mood, and noted the empty throne. Her arms lowered slightly.
“What’s going on?”
Chiffet Mek looked at her for a moment, and Hope couldn’t detect any resentment or disgust. In fact, he seemed completely indifferent.
“Brigga Lin, we humbly ask you to sit with us on the council as an honored member of the order of biomancery.”
“Huh.” She thought about it a moment, then dropped her arms completely. “If I accept, I intend to train other women in the arts of biomancery.”
“I suspected as much,” said Chiffet Mek.
“And you accept that?”
“I am now senior member of the order of biomancery and my will is paramount.”
“Progress, above all else,” Brigga Lin said quietly. “Wasn’t that your focus?”
He nodded. “You remember my instruction well. And if this is how progress must be achieved, I have no choice but to accept it.”
“At least you’re not trying to pretend you like me,” said Brigga Lin. “Fine. I accept your invitation to the council.”
“Very well done, my wags,” Red told the biomancers. “See, it’s not nearly as hard as you thought to be decent, regular people. Now, for the finale, how about you all go down to the courtyard and present yourselves to your new emperor-to-be?”
Jilly sat next to Nettles. Or the Black Rose. Or whatever she wanted to be called. Jilly didn’t really much care, as long as the ornery slice didn’t die.
“She’ll be fine,” the skinny Aukbontaren named Etcher assured her. “She just needs to rest and heal.”
“We’ll have Alash make her something just as great as Hope’s hand,” she told him.
He was kind enough to smile and nod reassuringly, even though he likely had no idea what she was talking about. That was when Jilly decided she liked him.
“Watch out!” The shout came from a soldier who lay bandaged and exhausted near the door. He struggled to rise. “The biomancers are coming!”
Everyone in the courtyard tensed up. They were all exhausted, even the Vinchen. Now they would have to face the worst foe of all?
They appeared in the doorway. Fifteen men in white hooded robes, looming like some childhood nightmare. Even Jilly felt her defiance crystalize in fear.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, let’s not get the wrong idea here, my wags! It’s all chum and larder!”
Red pushed his way through the line of biomancers and stood there smiling at the people in the courtyard for a moment. Then he shooed the biomancers to either side. “Make room, make room.”
Hope and Brigga Lin emerged from the palace and stood in the middle of the line of biomancers. It was a sight Jilly would never forget, no matter how long she lived. She would cherish that memory almost like a talisman whenever anything seemed impossible.
“Your Highness?” Red called as he looked around the courtyard.
“Rixidenteron, you’re okay!”
The prince ran across the courtyard and, to Jilly’s surprise, embraced Red in a firm, brotherly way.
After a moment, Red gently parted them. “There, there, my wag. These gafs got something to say to you.”
The biomancers all pushed back their hoods, and then they were suddenly just people. Fairly ugly, what with their biomancer marks. But still just people.
One with metal bits on his face bowed low to the prince, and the rest followed after him.
“We hereby renew our vows to you, the rightful ruler of the empire, that we may serve you and your allies to our last breath.”
The prince stared at them in shock, his mouth slightly open. Jilly had to agree, it seemed preposterous. After everything that happened, they were just expecting to be welcomed back?
The lacy woman known as Lady Hempist moved smoothly over to his side.
“As tempting as retribution sounds from the standpoint of personal satisfaction, Your Highness,” she told the prince, “I’d advise you to accept this humble plea, so that we can get on with the work of healing our broken empire.”
He turned to Lady Hempist, and Jilly saw something sad in his eyes. This, she supposed, was politics, and Jilly wondered if his heart maybe wasn’t stern enough for such things.
Finally, he sighed. “Very well.” He turned back to the biomancer. “I will accept you again as the left hand of the empire, but only on condition that I have the right hand of the empire to serve as a counterbalance.” He turned to the Vinchen. “Will you come out of seclusion to once again serve the people of this empire?”
Stephan gave him a tired smile. “I think we already have, Your Highness.”
“It seems, however, you will need to select a new grandteacher,” said Merivale. “That is tradition, is it not?”
“It is,” said Hope. “And I suggest Stephan. Although he is young, he has shown himself to possess the qualities of leadership and courage that will greatly benefit the Vinchen order.”
“I’m afraid I must respectfully decline,” said Stephan. “I am not ready for such an honor.” Then he drew his sword and held it out so that it pointed skyward. “Instead, I nominate Hope the Defiant as grandteacher of the Vinchen order. Who is with me?”
The other Vinchen followed suit, drawing their swords.
“Hope the Defiant, grandteacher of the Vinchen order,” they said in unison.
Hope’s expre
ssion stayed calm and thoughtful, but Jilly saw her sway ever so slightly. Brigga Lin subtly took her upper arm to steady her. That was the moment Jilly realized she loved these two women more than anything.
“I accept your nomination,” she said, her voice remarkably clear, all things considered. “And I swear that I will dedicate my life to the benefit of the empire and the Vinchen order.”
The prince smiled. “Well, Grandteacher, will you join us once again at the palace?”
“No,” said Hope.
Everyone froze.
Then she continued. “We will once again serve the people of this empire and provide a counterbalance to the power of the biomancers. But we will not do so at the palace. Instead we will live among the people we serve.”
“Sunny.” Red rubbed his hands together. “Well, that’s about it, then, isn’t it? We’ve got it all worked out.”
“There is one more thing,” said the prince.
“Oh?” asked Red.
“I must ask that you take the role as official adviser to the emperor.”
Red winced. “Is that an imperial command?”
“It’s a pleading request from a friend,” said the prince. “The empire needs you. And so do I.”
Red sighed and smiled ruefully at Hope.
It dawned on Jilly what was really being asked here. If Hope was refusing to stay at the palace, and Red agreed to be at the palace, that meant they couldn’t be together. And Jilly felt pretty sure they were supposed to be together.
As Jilly watched Hope and Red, somehow something was communicated between them without words or biomancery. Then Red turned back to the prince.
“Of course, Your Highness. I would be honored to accept.”
26
The repairs to Stonepeak began immediately, despite everyone’s exhaustion. The kraken had stopped the fleet early on in their bombardment, but even so, more than a quarter of the city had been reduced to smoking rubble, and the number of deaths was incalculable.
