by D. H. Aire
Sianhiel song out a counterspell even as Grendel threw every charm he had into the air. They flared and exploded with magery. The steeds reared as the floor before them crackled even as the ogre fell backward on the floor turned to ice.
A dark cloud appeared roaring in thunder as lightning flared. Grendel skated past the horses and ran out into the night as Sianhiel cried out and the ice steamed, turning to water.
Lord Je’orj rode through the main ballroom doors, the ogres at his back. “Where is he?”
“Fled into the night!” Sianhiel said.
The ogres raised her hand, “He has escaped… Enough harm has been… done this night.”
George nodded, “Check the grounds! Make certain we’ve no more assassins skulking around.”
The steeds whinnied, turned and bolted back outside with Murfy on their heels.
Sianhiel asked, “Is Her Majesty safe?”
“Yes, though, he tried to rape her.”
“He must be mad. When word of this gets out, he’ll lose much of his support.”
“See that word does, Sianhiel.”
He turned about and wondered why people ever preferred walking through palaces when they could ride. Plop.
:Likely because of that, George.:
The Empress left her older half-sister asleep in her bed asleep, tears in her eyes she quietly closed the door behind her. The servants were otherwise occupied, those that survived the attack. Varian brought bread and cheese; although, it was said that Chef had made some roasts for the ogres.
The naked woman guarded the door and her herald studiously did not look in her direction. There was a knock. Se’and and Lord Je’orj entered, Varian nodded and said, “The Highmage-designate has arrived to dine with you.”
“I had planned a more flattering meal.”
“I’m sorry about the circumstances, Your Majesty.”
She poured herself a glass of wine, “Care for some?”
“Under the circumstances? Definitely.”
Varian moved to take over that task as Se’and watched.
“I had thought it best if you did not join us,” the Empress said to Se’and.
“I could ask Lady Mallory to take my place,” she replied.
“I’d actually prefer your disapproving stare to hers. She’s quite cross with the edicts. They were quite ill-aimed.”
“The ogres are rather loyal, Your Majesty,” George said.
“Yes, and will be welcome in the palace hence. I need all the help I can get… which brings me to our dilemma.”
“Your Majesty.”
“Grendel would take me by force to get what he wants. You are my chosen consort… why do you hesitate?”
He nodded, “Your Majesty, I’ve no desire to be your consort.”
“I’m not looking for a consort. I need a Highmage and husband to help me save the Empire and our world.”
“Husband…”
“My father and mother had no love of one another. Being Empress she told me is difficult enough without love, but she cursed me to losing the love of my father, in turn. She barely let me see him and only under strict supervision. I have a half-sister in there that I truly do not know. That Terhun could ask her to participate in so desperate a gambit and that she could so quickly agree? I asked her why she would do it… Do you know what she answered?”
He shook his head.
“She said our father loved me and would wish it so.”
He looked into his cup of wine.
“Loved me. So, Je’orj, man of a distant star, I’m asking you to marry me.”
He shook his head, “I cannot.”
“Whyever not?”
“I’m not planning to stick around. The Gate is my way home.”
“I need you. We all need you.”
“I cannot… will not marry you.”
“You shall!”
“I’ll be your consort, do what I must, but I do not belong on this world.”
“This is your world now. I offer it to you as my husband.”
“I can’t.”
The Empress turned to Se’and, “Is this something to do with you and that young woman who’s born him a daughter?”
“He’s rather stubborn. He does not even acknowledge our marriage.”
“We’re not married,” George stated angrily. “Your father can’t just wave his hands and say congratulations. I did not agree. Wasn’t even consulted!”
“See what I mean?” Se’and said.
Lonny chuckled, “He is a paradox.”
“So, you’ll bed me and get me with an heir, yes, being my consort means more and you will get control of the Gate… but not marry me?”
“I’ve no choice in the one, but I do in the other.”
“You are insufferable! You would be not better than that… creature calling itself an elflord.”
Se’and shook her head, “You will not compare him to that worthless… Your Majesty, you really would marry him?”
“Do I need to go so far as to give him an enchanted ring?”
:Well, that’s an interesting anthropological state of affairs,: Staff quipped.
“Might I suggest,” Se’and said, “that I adopt you.”
“What?!” the Empress and George shouted.
Stenh winced as Donnialt groaned. The students gathered close, many of whom they did not recognize. Rexil gaped, hearing the word “journeyman” echo through his head.
The Dean of the Academy cast a last helpless look at the tapestry, which had been their only way back, having a feeling that with new faculty members like these, who needed enemies.
Donnialt shook his head, dreading spending a seeming eternity with Revit and Terus to contend with. The twins smiled, which didn’t help one bit.
“Fool!” Kolter shouted as Grendel put on a new pair of pants.
Grendel raged, “I don’t understand! It should have worked! Ogres… and where did they come from? There shouldn’t be a single one in the entire city and I saw two.”
“Now she will name you outlaw, so who will follow you?” Kolter said. “You have no idea our losses this night. Tell me everything! We must save something from this debacle.”
Furious, he told the Archmage everything that had happened. How close he came to becoming Highmage.
Kolter shook his head. “We will announce that the Empress is dead and Je’orj murdered her. She has not enough troops or guards to stop the inevitable riots, which will further distract the Empress for realizing what we intend.”
“She only has to reveal herself.”
“We tell them that the human mage has set a pretender in her place, anything that woman says will be a lie.”
Grendel frowned, “And your Lord’s army will be here in mere days.”
“We must delay their consummating their marriage. Our best chance is still with you becoming consort. The Empire is threatened by the Faeryn heresy, and worse, we’ve a foolish young Empress who doesn’t understand what’s best for the country. We can change that. Fail me again, Grendel, and there is nowhere you can hide from me or my master.”
Esperanza had gotten little sleep. Her scryers were set up in new accommodations in the palace by the palace indoor pools. Most were asleep now, the remaining were linked to the city network and beyond.
“Mistress!” one of the duty scryers said.
Stifling a yawn, she said, “What?”
“I thought I saw people saying the Empress was murdered.”
“What?” she rasped.
Verny was shaken awake. He blinked, his head rising from the table in the tavern, “What?”
“I must admit,” his partner said, “your patronage in helping me buy this fine tavern is very much appreciated. However, I’m beginning to think the timing is rather bad.”
“Why? You’re not watering down the ale anymore, are you?”
“No, you made it clear that those days are over for me.”
His wife and Cook were the only others here and
they were barring all the doors, locking the shutters as shouts could be heard outside.
“What’s going on?” Verny said, having had his last meeting end just before dawn.
“They’re saying that the human mage murdered the Empress last night.”
“You and a good half the populous likely saw him riding hard through the Tier,” he muttered, “accompanied by Legionnaires, no less.”
“Oh, I know it’s a lie,” Rolf said. “You know it’s a lie… but what will they believe out there?”
“Is that caf I smell?”
“Cook’s got it brewing. We’re all going to need it.”
Verny drew a charm from his pocket. “This would go black if anything remotely like the Empress’s death had occurred, which means all hell’s about to break loose.”
“Which is why I woke you,” Rolf said to the man he knew to be an Imperial agent.
“Thanks,” Verny muttered, blearily trying to think it through.
Balfour woke to his daughter crying, realizing what disturbed her. The dwarves on the wall were shouting, a crowd raged and threw garbage against the once more splintered wood of the main gate.
Andre knocked on the door, “Milord, they’re screaming that Lord Je’orj murdered the Empress. The Imperial Guard can’t hold them back.”
“Is Cle’or or Fri’il up?”
Andre replied, “Cle’or’s out front.”
“Tell her I need to see her immediately.”
“Uh, yes, Milord.”
When Cle’or entered the room, Balfour told her to put her foot up on the bed. “Milord?”
“Humor me.” She started to and he interrupted, “The other one with the anklet.”
She did. He touched his finger to the anklet, “Se’and, Se’and, can you hear me?”
‘Se’and, Se’and, can you hear me?’
She abruptly woke. “Balfour?”
Je’orj groaned as he stirred in the high backed chair, his computer staff starting to glow brighter beside it.
Lonny rolled over beside Se’and under the covers. “Bal?”
‘Se’and, how’s the Empress this morning?’
“She’s fine.”
‘What exactly happened last night?’
“Grendel raided the palace. Many of the guards and servants are dead and he… he sought to rape her to become Highmage.”
‘What?’
“She’s unharmed.”
George was awake and staring at her as Staff shared the psychic transmission. He glanced at anklet, which was glowing, matching resonances with computer staff.
“Bal, uh, he thought he had her, but Terhun had arranged for an imposter. He didn’t realize he’d gotten Carwina. She’s fine, we stopped him before… before anything worse happened.”
‘Carwina? He hurt Carwina!’
“She’s fine, Bal. Scared and shook up, but Her Majesty’s taking care of her, personally.”
‘Really unhurt?’
“Really,” setting down her hand on the budge in the blanket next to her, a bulge that stirred at the sound of her voice. “Now why have you reached me like this?”
‘Well, we’ve this mob at the gate claiming that Je’orj murdered the Empress…’
“They think the Empress has been murdered?” she said as George suddenly stood.
An arm stuck out from the blankets at the far end of the bed, “What? Someone thinks I’m dead?”
“Apparently,” George said, feeling a twinge from a crick in his back.
Lonny woke sensing his concern. The Empress’s grand bed creaked as hooves shot out of the edge of the covers and she raised her maned head, nickering.
The bed collapsed, waking Carwina who cried out as she slid against the steed’s back, Se’and and the Empress tumbling after. George shook his head as Staff offered, :Now isn’t that quite a sight.:
The ogress standing guard outside the room, pounded on the door, “Everything all right… in there?”
“Fine! Just fine,” he yelled back as Lonny rose taking the blankets with her. The three women cried out, grasping back at the sheets. “Your Majesty, please reconsider.”
“What?” she said giggling, as she hugged her startled half-sister, “and miss all this? Now, turn your back, we would dress.”
Breakfast was a full bore meeting. Terhun had set a map of the city and beyond. “Soon the bells will chime calling the Court to session,” the Empress said. “I will announce Grendel traitor and would be rapist for his action taken against my person and honor those who came to succor us.”
Se’and withheld asking if she would acquiesce to her being adopted as her Sister. The Empress had made it clear that, while the offer honored her, the Court might look dimly on her joining, what they would term, a barbaric harem.
“Your Majesty,” Esperanza said, “we’ve riots here and here and we’ve started sensing a threat coming out of the west.”
“Out of the west? You mean beyond our western border?”
“Out of the western provinces,” Esperanza replied. “The land is suddenly obscured to our scrying and should not be.”
“Then Grendel’s planned a complete takeover. Terhun!”
“We’ve no active agents in Hayden or Llewellyn, Your Majesty. But given time I should be able to rebuild your spy network in those provinces… That Lord Hayden would be interested in taking control of the Empire through force is more than disturbing. As your mother often railed, he’s not provided recruits for the Legion for years.”
“Terhun, I’ve sent nearly all my legionnaires north. Esperanza, recall them!”
Esperanza cleared her throat. “Uh, you’ve legionnaires arriving in force in two days out of the east.”
“I have?”
“You do,” Terhun said. “They were coming to parade… a surprise from Lord Lyai. I knew you wouldn’t mind.”
George tried not to laugh.
“A parade?” the Empress said. “How large a parade?”
“Lee thought,” Esperanza replied, “you would appreciate the pageantry of a thousand infantry and three hundred cavalry, on these most truly amazing mounts.”
“Remind me to thank my cousin once he finishes his rounds. It’s so nice to have family and friends one can trust,” the Empress said, then added, “but do we have two days?”
“More importantly will they be enough?” Se’and asked.
George said, “Might I suggest Her Majesty present herself and put the rumors to rest first, which should put a crimp in Grendel’s plans.”
“Lord Sianhiel has assured me,” Terhun said, “that former members of the Legion here in the capital are being recalled to duty, which should help us settle matters if we can gather them quickly enough.”
The Empress frowned, “How many?”
“Possibly a regiment, likely far less.”
“You may find we’ve friends who will aid you, as well, Your Majesty,” Se’and said, hearing Cle’or whispering through their link that hundreds of dwarves were clearing the mob from the streets around the estate.
George glanced at her and shook her head as staff caught the signal. He glimpsed what Cle’or was seeing. She glanced back at Juels, who climbed up the estate wall behind her and stared grinning. Cle’or shook her head and glanced back. Geofrei was exhorting his clearly short, long bearded but determined pole armed carrying friends. :Three hundred sixteen in view,: Staff offered.
Cle’or glanced down the street and hundreds more marched out of the Dwarves’ Quarter. “I’ve a feeling we’re going to need a lot more friends,” George said.
Terhun nodded, “Your Majesty, we need support of the Court.”
She washed her hands as the Court bells rang and said, “Varian’s taught Clawd to ring the bells well at least.”
Carwina said, seeing the Empress stiffen. “At least you’ve one loyal herald.”
Three had been found dead throughout the palace. Varian was working alone now using every available hand to help him prepare for the session
. Murfy pushed on the wall, which slid back revealing a tunnel not on any archive plan, soon moving toward a better vantage to watch and wait.
Chef gave a wave to their resident guardian, who had doubled the numbers in the kitchen during that grim night. The ogre made an odd sort of whistling sound and the hearth closed behind him. The cooks stared, knowing they all owed the creature their lives. “Back to work!” Chef cried, then shook his head, thinking, my, my, that ogre could eat.
Chapter
32
“And this would be our guest?” the cowled, black robed woman asked.
Mahr said, “Yes, Ma’am.”
Ruke stared, not liking essentially being a prisoner, but certain it was very important to stay friendly. “Ma’am, I mean no disrespect, but I’ve got to report this to Lady Cle’or.”
“So I’ve been told,” she replied, staring back and forth between Mahr and the lithe youth. Their auras were weaving together and she suddenly had a vision. She staggered.
“Mother Shaman, are you all right?” the Sister beside her asked.
She lowered her cowl, “Ruke is to be treated with all honor…” She took a deep breath, “He is, indeed, who he claims to be.” And will be more. “He’s to be provided bodyguards. Mahr, you and your friends should do nicely, I’ll gather the others.”
Mahr grinned and said nearly breathless, “Uh, thank you, Mother Shaman.”
Za’an and the others behind her looked at each other.
“Mother Shaman,” the woman beside her whispered, “I thought the plan was…”
“There’s been a change in plan. It is time to seek out our kinswomen and have a chat with Lord Je’orj.”
Mahr turned and kissed Ruke’s cheek. He blushed, uncertain as to precisely what was going on. “Come on, we’ve got to change.”
She grabbed his hand and half-dragged him back upstairs. “What do you mean by ‘got to change?’”
Za’an shouted to those not close to Mahr, “Gather our weapons!”
Those girls who were, giggled and ran up the stairs, shoving Ruke along as he hesitated. Mahr grabbed her pack and pulled the bindings in the middle, which turned it from a black bag to livery. Za’an barred the door, then joined the others in doing the same. Suddenly they were disrobing, Mahr paused to glance at him and said, “We’re going to be the best bodyguards you’ve ever had.”
