1 State of Grace

by John Phythyon

  The next course was nearly as disappointing as the first. It was a salad, but Wolf didn’t recognize what he presumed was lettuce. It was a jagged, dark green leaf that was hard to chew. There were several sour vegetables included, and it was garnished with nuts that nearly broke his teeth when he ate them. Simone explained it was called carlana and represented the difficulty of life in Alfheim before elves understood God’s purpose for them.

  They were onto their second bottle of wine when the third course arrived. This dish caught Wolf’s attention immediately. Served in stemmed glasses, it was a cold, creamy substance that was yellow in color.

  “This is sorbet,” Simone explained. “It’s a frozen confection served to cleanse the palate. It represents the moment everything changed for elves.”

  “Frozen?” Wolf said. “How is that managed?”

  “I have no idea,” Simone answered. “It’s pulled from a small box that is always steaming from the cold inside. It must be magic.”

  Wolf nodded. They were in Alfar after all.

  He tried the sorbet and found it delightful. It had a light, lemony flavor, and the aftertaste of muktada, carlana, and cabernet vanished from his tongue. It was truly remarkable.

  “Don’t eat it too fast,” Simone cautioned him. “It will give you a headache.”

  The fourth course was a poached egg. It was served with light, red sauce and a rustic slice of bread.

  “Quinthellur,” Simone told him. “After the Revelation, elves were able to see more of the world than ever before. These are the eggs of a Dar Dar Bird. It is a rare animal that gives its eggs freely to those who ask. This is an Elfin delicacy, and it’s a very upscale Sunluvai that features them. I’m surprised Lightwater allowed them to be served to humans.”

  “Can I ask you a question?” Wolf said, suddenly curious.

  “Of course.”

  “Why do you call the Ambassador by his first name but his servants by their last? Is that an Elfin custom?”

  “It is,” Simone said, laughing, “but not for the reason you imply. Elves are known to the world by their last names. That is how all address them. It is the name given them by their parents. Their first names they choose for themselves when coming of age. Addressing elves by their first names is a privilege given only to close friends, lovers, and family. Family are not always accorded the honor, and neither are short-term lovers. If an elf breaks up with a lover, the privilege of using the first name is rescinded. Addressing an elf with his or her first name without being given permission is a profound insult. Any reasonable retribution is not punished in court, and it is difficult to prove the revenge is unreasonable.”

  Wolf stroked his chin for a moment. He really was out of his depth as an ambassador. He didn’t know how he was going to pull off that part of his cover.

  “And Silverleaf gave you permission?” he said. “That’s quite an honor.”

  “Perhaps,” Simone said. “But I am not his first lover, and he is tiring of me. I suspect he will dismiss me soon.”

  “And you’re okay with that?”

  “I am. I knew this would never last forever. Sagaius is not the sort of man who takes a woman permanently. If he did, it would be an elf. I am exotic to him, and he enjoyed playing with a new toy. Now, he’s had me and knows all the secrets of my body and my love. Before long, he’ll desire a new plaything.”

  Wolf stared at her. He was surprised both by her frankness and by her acceptance of her role in Silverleaf’s life.”

  “Did you know all this at the start?” he asked.

  “Of course,” she answered.

  “Then why—”

  “Why did I become his lover? Because I desired him. He is beautiful, he’s rich, and he’s an excellent lover – at least he was before he started to become bored. He buys me pretty things, and he allows me to live a life of luxury. It is a very nice existence. When he is done with me, I will find a new man to replace him, and I will always have had the experience of being with a powerful elf.”

  “And that’s enough for you?”

  “Come, Monsieur Dasher,” she chided. “Don’t judge me harshly. There is more than one path to power and comfort. I am a beautiful woman. I use the power that gives me to get what I want. One day, I will no longer be able to do that, so I use those gifts now to provide for myself when I am older. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be comfortable.”

  Wolf nodded. There were days when he cursed his family for disowning him. He could have lived an easy life. Instead, he lived with death and danger. What he did was more meaningful, and he loved his job. But there would be no quiet retirement for him. His career would end like Sara’s had. One day, someone would be better than he was, and he would be killed. He liked the idea of Simone’s life of ease.

  The poached egg didn’t sit well with him, and he washed it down with another glass of wine – this time a pinot grigio. The main course reminded Wolf of lamb, but it had a very gamey flavor that didn’t appeal to him. Simone had been right. Lightwater prepared them a sumptuous meal, but he’d made sure it was something their human palates would find unappetizing.

  Dessert was better. It was sponge cake with cream and numerous fruits Wolf didn’t recognize. It was delicious, though – easily the best part of the meal.

  By the time they’d eaten everything, they were well into their third bottle of wine. Wolf had taken care to eat every course fully, so as to soak up as much alcohol as possible, but he was still feeling tipsy at the end of the evening. He needed to do something to get his bearings back.

  “You know I haven’t been given a proper tour of the grounds,” he said.

  “I’m not surprised,” she said. “Lightwater isn’t very good with guests who are supposed to be here. It’s a wonder he didn’t give you a lumpy mattress.”

  “Well, you are the hostess,” Wolf said.

  Simone threw back her head and laughed. Then she fixed him with a broad smile. She was clearly a little drunk.

  “I’ll do my best, Monsieur Dasher,” she said, “but I don’t know them very well myself.”

  “Well, we better not get lost then,” he said with a smile of his own. “And call me Wolf.”

  She appraised him again. Her grin was a little more lecherous than the first time.

  “Yes, all right,” she said. “Wolf it is.”

  He soon discovered Simone was being truthful about not knowing the grounds very well. For the most part, she knew the rooms she frequented – the conservatory, the library, the dining room, and both Silverleaf’s chamber and most of the guest rooms. She did, however, show him Silverleaf’s office. Wolf made a mental note of it and memorized the way back. He planned to visit later tonight.

  Twenty minutes later, they’d exhausted what she knew of the manse and made their way upstairs to retire. She dropped him at his door and smiled sexily at him.

  “Well, thank you for a wonderful evening,” he said. “I thoroughly enjoyed myself.”

  “Does the evening have to be over?” she asked, moving a step forward.

  Wolf tried hard to ignore the stirring in his loins and to focus on his affable fool character.

  “What did you have in mind?” he asked.

  “I could come in for a nightcap,” she said, advancing another step.

  It occurred to him, in her current state of inebriation, he might be able to ply her for more secrets. It could be his best chance to get inside information on Silverleaf.

  “All right,” he said. “A nightcap it is.”

  He admitted her to his chamber, made sure no one was watching, and then shut the door behind her.

  “Make yourself comfortable,” he said, “and I’ll get us some drinks.”

  He crossed the room to the bar and withdrew a bottle of merlot. It would taste fine at room temperature, while not being as powerful as the cabernet. He uncorked it, poured out two glasses, and then turned back to Simone.

  He nearly dropped the wine. She was standing before him complete
ly naked.

  “You seem to have lost something,” he said, trying to make light of a very dangerous situation.

  “Oops,” she replied, and started walking towards him.

  She was even more beautiful naked than in the dress. Her breasts were full, and her nipples erect. Her hair shone in the moonlight. Wolf could feel his mind rescinding control of his actions.

  “I poured us some wine,” he offered.

  She took the glasses from him and reached around him to put them on the bar, pressing her body against his as she did so.

  “Later,” she whispered.

  Then she put her arms around his neck and kissed him tenderly. He was out of defenses. He wanted her too badly. He put his hand on the small of her back and drew her to him. Then he lost himself in the passion.

  Chapter 15: A Very Different Kind of Woman

  (Two Days before Revelation Day)

  May Honeyflower smiled wanly at General Blackstone as he stomped around her tiny but neat office. He was a fat man – so unlike a soldier – but he knew how to brandish his rank and often thought bullying local officials would get him what he wanted.

  She tried to despise the man but couldn’t bring herself to do it. She pitied him. His thin, grey hair and round jowls made him unattractive, and he seemed to have given up controlling the size of his stomach years ago, preferring instead to throw it around like a weapon. He was out of his element, but he didn’t know it. She was sure his bluster got him results in the Royal Army. Junior officers and enlisted probably quaked at the prospect of fighting under him for fear of failure.

  Here in Alfar, though, no elf was motivated by such poor behavior. He was a boor, and the more he carried on, the less respect he held. Which was why she pitied him. He was in command of the Urlish forces here and a consultant in the negotiations to get the Urlanders off Alfari soil. His lack of skills – his very nature as a fish out of water – only hindered his ability to get anything he wanted. And that just led to more of his tactless behavior.

  May glanced over at Kenderbrick, the representative of Urland’s Shadow Service and caught her grimacing at the general’s continued shouting. May felt sorry for her. This woman knew Elfin culture well enough to be embarrassed for him.

  “Now, I want to know where he is, and I want to know now,” Blackstone demanded.

  “General Blackstone,” May said as politely as she could muster, “why would I know the answer to that question? Your ambassador is your citizen, brought here by your forces. Why would I know why he is overdue?”

  Blackstone turned purple with anger. For a moment, May thought he might pass out.

  “Because you’re the head of what passes for security in this God-forsaken country!” he bellowed pounding his fist on her desk. “When someone goes missing, it’s your job to know where they are!”

  “Calm down, General,” Kenderbrick said. “That doesn’t help.”

  He threw his hands up in the air and stormed away from the desk. With a real effort he tried and mostly succeeded at controlling his temper.

  “General,” May said, “I am the Captain of the Elite Guard. That does mean I am in charge of security, but it does not mean I know the whereabouts of every citizen or visitor. Moreover, my soldiers were not assigned escort responsibility for your new ambassador; therefore I cannot tell you anything salient about why he is overdue. Perhaps he’s just late.”

  “And perhaps one of the damned Sons of Frey got to him this time,” Blackstone said, rounding on her.

  “If that’s so,” May said, adopting a slightly more aggressive tone, “I’m not sure what I could have done about it.”

  “Well, that doesn’t surprise me, Lady,” Blackstone spat. “Especially considering that those damned whackos are out in the street blowing up a market every other day, and they nearly succeeded in assassinating the ambassador before he even stepped off the boat.”

  May took a moment to compose herself. She may have pitied Blackstone for his lack of understanding that led to his coarse behavior, but she was not about to be insulted either. She had to calm herself before she could speak civilly.

  “The near-assassination of your ambassador was the result of Urlish secrecy, General,” she said. “Your government insisted on bringing him in on a merchant vessel with no fanfare. Your government did not inform the Elite Guard or the Central Police or even the Alfari military of his arrival or his arrangements. It was therefore impossible for us to know when he would arrive or to provide proper security.”

  She contemplated apologizing again for the near-death of the Urlish Ambassador but decided not to. Blackstone was irritating her.

  “Well, somebody knew when he would arrive, Sister,” Blackstone growled. “Otherwise, the assassin wouldn’t have been there.”

  “All right, that’s enough!” Kenderbrick said. “General Blackstone, the Alfari government has already apologized for the assassination attempt. Given that their security was out of the loop, they couldn’t have been responsible for the assassin knowing how to find Ambassador Dasher. The very security measure you insisted on prevented them from helping us and indirectly caused the incident.

  “Captain Honeyflower cannot be expected to conjure up the ambassador at a moment’s notice. She needs time to put her network to work. So I suggest you stop insulting her and let her get to it.”

  Blackstone snarled at her, his face twisting in anger. He looked as though he might explode. But he said nothing to challenge his colleague. May liked this woman. She was no-nonsense, and she knew how to deal with elves.

  “Captain,” Kenderbrick said, “Ambassador Dasher is overdue. He was expected by nightfall. It’s almost two in the morning. Ordinarily, we might assume he was just late, but given the previous attempt on his life and the precariousness of the negotiations at the moment, we have to proceed as though his tardiness isn’t benign.”

  May leaned back in her chair a bit. She wondered why Kenderbrick hadn’t been appointed the new ambassador. She certainly had a gift for diplomacy.

  “Do you have a map of his expected route?” she asked.

  “No,” Kenderbrick replied, “but he was to take the main road from El-Amin to Al-Adan. We’ve dispatched a patrol, but they have not discovered his carriage or any sign of him. No witnesses claim to have seen the carriage.”

  “So he could have disappeared anywhere along the main road,” May observed.

  “Correct.”

  “I will contact my man in El-Amin to begin a search immediately. In the meantime, we’ll start an investigation here. It may be that one of our informants has heard something from the Sons of Frey.”

  “Thank you,” Kenderbrick said.

  “Yeah, thanks so much,” Blackstone cursed.

  “Take heart, General,” May said. “If the Sons of Frey had abducted or killed your ambassador, they would crow about it. Since we have not heard from them, my guess is Ambassador Dasher, while overdue, has not yet come to any harm.”

  “Let’s hope you’re right, Captain,” Blackstone said. “Because if you’re wrong, I don’t want to think about what’s going to happen to the negotiations.”

  May nodded. Blackstone may have been a boor, but he was right about that.

  ***

  Wolf crept across the darkened floor of the villa towards Silverleaf’s office. He used another of his Shadow powers to keep from being detected. So long as he stood in darkness – a shadow or other unlit area – he could not be seen. He blended into the darkness, even if someone was staring directly at him. There was plenty of darkness in Silverleaf’s house. Once the servants retired, they put out the lights, making it easy for Wolf to move along undetected. The only illumination came from moonlight through the windows, and it was easy enough to avoid those areas.

  He cursed himself for his weakness with Simone. Bedding Silverleaf’s girlfriend was a dangerous and stupid thing to do, especially in the Alfari ambassador’s house, where he wasn’t a welcome guest. While it was true she came on ver
y strongly, he should still have had the will to resist her. He could only guess that the wine from dinner had clouded his judgment and lowered his inhibitions to the point where such an act seemed reasonable. He cursed himself for that too. He should have been more careful about the amount of alcohol he was consuming.

  He supposed there was nothing to be done about it now, though. He couldn’t undo what he’d done. He’d just have to hope they weren’t caught. When he returned from his reconnaissance mission, he would wake the girl and send her to own room.

  Presently, he reached Silverleaf’s office. The door was open. He’d made sure to leave it that way during the tour Simone gave him, so he wouldn’t have to risk reopening it later. He was pleased to see no servant had come along to rectify the glaring breach of security. Quickly, he slipped inside.

  There were no torches or candles lit, but a giant window allowed in the moonlight, casting the entire room in a ghoulish glow. Wolf could see well enough to investigate. He thanked his good fortune for visiting on a night with a full moon.

  He moved swiftly to the desk and began searching through the drawers. He found several scrolls and took the time to look through them. Most were policy briefs and other items related to his business as a diplomat. One was a map of Jifan – a curious thing for Silverleaf to have, Wolf thought.

  There was one drawer that was locked. Wolf stared at it carefully for a moment. He detected no magic. He then produced a set of lock picks and set to working the keyhole. It only took a few seconds for him to get it open.

  His eyes fell immediately on a small piece of folded parchment that had been sealed with the crest of the Phrygian Army. Wolf’s eyebrows rose at the sight of it. Perhaps Silverleaf was conspiring with the Phrygians after all. He picked it up, saw the seal was broken, and then flipped it open and read it.

  AMBASSADOR,

  EVERYTHING IS IN READINESS. SUGGEST WE MEET ONCE MORE TO FINALIZE OPERATION. USUAL LOCATION WILL PROVIDE THE MOST COVER, I THINK. I WILL AWAIT YOU ON THE FULL MOON.