"Boring how?" Chara asked.
The Blessed of Grannax shrugged. "Shop talk, mostly. Probably at least some indication of how many of us have decided to come, what the basic plan is and so on. That sort of stuff. Things we can fill you in on later, unless you chose to stay and listen in."
Esteban looked at Chara. "It might be wise."
"I'll pass," the young woman told them. "I've got something else I want to look into while we're here."
Leto grinned. "What might that be? Testing your skills at Masters?"
Seeing the dark look that crossed Ramora's face, Chara snorted. "No. I want to see if I can find a sorcerer who can recharge a mystic crystal."
"Ah," Esteban sighed. "I know what this is about."
Ramora chuckled quietly, aware as well. Her young friend had refused to part with the two mystic handguns when they'd left Imicot's keep, determined to find a way to make them useful again.
"Very well," Leto nodded. "Tomorrow, we meet the King, and see if we can all find a role to play in stopping this bastard Draco."
Ramora was happy to drink to that.
She slept easily that night, for the first time since leaving the sorcerer’s tower. The bed, empty without Chara, whose presence she missed greatly, still felt warm, and Ramora dreamed of avenging Collette and all her fellow Blessed.
Chapter Twenty-Six
WITH THE MORNING, Ramora found her heart ached a little less as she watched Esteban and Chara over the table where they took breakfast. The ease the two had between them now gave her joy, even if she found she still loved the other woman dearly, and regretted not being able to have a relationship with her. Perhaps it was the realization of just how dangerous the road she walked was, or the beautiful smile on the young woman's face, she couldn't say. She just knew she was grateful Chara was happy.
By her side, Leto noted the bittersweet smile that touched her eyes, and understood her better than he'd been able to during their week long journey to Lansing. Following her gaze, he could easily grasp how she could feel so strongly for the young woman across from them. Her courage, cunning, and intellect made her everyday looks seem as stunning as the stars in the heavens at night. She was a special soul, without a doubt.
After their morning meal, they checked in with the innkeeper for directions to the nearest guard post. The matronly Halfling was still asleep, but her lovely wife was happy to help them. After a quick check on their horses, they were off, the day ahead certain to be a busy one.
Arriving at the address they'd been given, they found a narrow three-story building bearing the royal crest of the family Fel, rulers of Lansing, from which a steady stream of soldiers came and went, none bothering to give them so much as a passing look. With a shrug, Leto led them inside, only to find the main room flooded with people sitting around or leaning against the walls, waiting to be seen by the officer on duty, a harried young man with the insignia of a Lieutenant.
"Something tells me this isn't going to go smoothly," Esteban murmured as Leto tried to politely ease his way to the desk.
"Picked up on that, did you?" Chara snorted.
"I had a few hints," the Jaguar admitted with a chuckle.
Reaching the desk, Leto found himself delayed as the fresh-faced Lieutenant explained to an old woman that the Constabulary, not the City Guard, was responsible for locating lost cats. Ramora grinned, poking at Esteban a bit and getting a mock indignant look in return. Chara smirked, seeing the two being agreeable for a change.
Leto tapped his foot as the Lieutenant explained to the tiny decrepit woman that she'd have to report to Rim Street Constable’s Office and fill out a form. She nodded, smiling and then asked again if the nice young man could help her find her cat. The Blessed of Grannax exchanged a sympathetic look with the soldier.
Turning back to the little old lady, the Lieutenant started to nod, then a slow look of shock slid across his face as he gradually turned his gaze back to the tall and powerfully-built man with the Tiger head on his brow. His jaw dropped, bit by bit, as it dawned on him a Blessed was waiting to speak with him. The look of awe was almost hysterical to Ramora, who gave a little wave as the young Lieutenant spotted her as well, his eyes growing even wider.
"Ma'am, if you would," he said, standing so quickly he rapped his knees on the desk. With a grimace, he took her by the hand and tugged her around the table, pointing to another solider, saying, "Corporal Grant will take your full statement. Just talk with him, okay?"
"Oh, how wonderful," she cooed, patting him on the face as she tottered over to the Corporal, who didn't bother to hide his look of horror.
Whipping back to the Blessed of Grannax, the Lieutenant tried to bow and salute at the same time, accomplishing neither. "Sir! Please pardon the wait! How can the City Guard, by which I mean me, be of service to the Blessed of the High Gods, by which I mean you, and the Lady, of course, as she's one too!"
"Easy, Lieutenant," Leto chuckled. "No need to be so formal."
"Of course, Sir!" he exclaimed, trying to salute again, getting the wrong hand, then the right one.
"I feel safer already," Chara muttered, getting a snicker from Esteban and a sarcastic look from Ramora.
Leto rested a hand on the young officer’s shoulder. "Deep breath, son."
"Right," he nodded, his face reddening with embarrassment. "Sorry. Lieutenant Lawrence Rills, of the City Guard. How may I help you?"
"I'm Leto Alimon," the Blessed told him. "King Untar Fel requested I meet with him. This is Ramora, daughter of the War Wolf, and our companions, Chara and Esteban. Might you be able to help us reach the castle?"
Rills turned red again as he stammered for words for a moment, before declaring loudly, "General Alimon! Please forgive me for not recognizing you! We, the City Guard, were aware you would be arriving shortly, and clearly have, obviously, because we're under orders to escort you straight to His Majesty, Untar, King of Lansing, which is here, where you are now, unexpectedly!"
Ramora arched her eyebrows, trying very hard not to laugh at the young man. Behind her, her companions didn't succeed, snickering erupting as they turned away. Leto gave the poor man a sympathetic smile and patted him on the shoulder again.
"So, that's good, then," he said after a moment.
Red as a beat, Rills' face fell a bit. "Sorry for my outburst, sir! I'm very excited to meet you, and the Lady Ramora, who I take it is as famous as you, and will forgive me for not knowing who she is!"
"Rills, take a breath, please," Leto urged.
Chara snorted on her own laughter, drawing an annoyed look from Ramora, which only sent her and Esteban into a fresh fit of laughter as they pointed at her. Glaring, she turned back to Rills, who was bending over, on the verge of hyperventilating.
"Ah, boy," Leto sighed.
"Sorry," Rills gasped. "I'm okay! Really! So sorry! Just gimme a sec! I'll be fine!"
The small band stood waiting as he gulped in air, steadying himself on his desk. Around them, people were starting to stare, making Ramora uncomfortable. Leto waved to them and patted the young man on the back gently. Esteban and Chara had to sit down.
"I'm good," Rills assured Leto as he stood. "My apologies. It's really exciting to meet you, Sir."
"Picked up on that," Leto said, a patient smile affixed to his face.
Flushing again, the Lieutenant groaned. "I really am sorry. We've been expecting you for days, you see, and I never imagined you'd walk in here, while I was on duty. Normally, I work the wall, you see, so it's like fate or something that I'm even talking to you."
"You're rambling again, Lawrence," Leto told him.
"You know my name," he squeaked.
"I do," Leto replied, trying not to laugh. "You introduced yourself."
"I did, didn't I?" he gasped. "Sorry, again, sorry. So sorry."
Exasperated with the young man, Ramora stepped up and flicked him in the forehead with a finger, making him jerk back and stare at her in surprise. Spreading her arms, she waved at
the door. Leto sagged a bit at her more direct approach.
"Right!" Rills exclaimed. "The castle. You guys need to go to the castle! I'll escort you there myself. Billy, take the desk!"
Sliding around them, Rills waved them to follow as he grabbed his officer’s jacket and led them on. Leto gave Ramora a pathetic look, to which she shrugged. Turning to follow, the Blessed of Ramor smacked her friends in the head and motioned them on. Somehow, they collected themselves enough to do so.
It was going to be one of those days, she could tell already.
"Sorry again for back there," Rills said as he led them through the streets of Lansing. "It's just, I've kept up with your exploits, General Alimon. It really is a huge honor to meet you in person."
"Forget about it," the Blessed of Grannax said. "I'm just a soldier, same as you."
Rills laughed at that, a nervous wheezing sound punctuated by snorting. "Oh, no, you really aren't. Your gambit in the Nerim Valley was pure genius, Sir. My commanding officer even said so, and ordered us all to study it."
Ramora gave Leto a humorous look he chose to ignore as he said, "It was as much good luck as it was strategy, Lieutenant."
"You're way too humble, Sir," Rills told him. "I mean, you crushed an entire Demon Seed regiment all by yourself."
Waving it off, Leto corrected him quickly. "It was a group effort, son. I had an entire battalion at my back, after all."
"Still, it was pretty amazing," Rills told him, turning to walk backwards as he looked up at the taller man in awe.
"Horse," Esteban offered a moment before the soldier ran into it.
"Sorry," Rills yelped as he spun around. "Sorry, horse."
Chara rolled her eyes. Gods, but she hoped she hadn't been that bad around Ramora when they'd met.
Ramora sighed, reminded of Chara when they'd first met.
"Maybe eyes front is a good idea," Leto offered.
"Yeah, probably," Rills chuckled nervously.
Waving the young man to lead on, the small band fell in behind him as he continued to recount Leto's various victories, calling each in turn magnificent, brilliant, pure genius, and inspired. Clearly uncomfortable with all the praise, the Blessed of Grannax offered his companions a hesitant shrug. Chara and Esteban quietly applauded him, as Ramora snickered silently. Finding no help from them, the broad-shouldered warrior turned back to Rills, nodding patiently.
"Hey, have you seen the Heroes of Heaven trading cards?" Rills asked suddenly.
Leto shook his head, trying hard to keep smiling. "I can't say that I have, no."
"They're really great," the Lieutenant gushed. "I've got the whole set, including all three variants on yours. Maybe, you know, if you have time, you could autograph them for me."
Leto nodded wearily. "Sure. Of course."
"Really?" Rills looked ready to explode from glee. "Man, just wait till Billy hears that! He's gonna be so jealous!"
With the young Lieutenant rambling on endlessly, he led them to the castle, waving them past the guards without missing a single beat in his ongoing monologue of how awe-inspiring Leto was. For his part, the Blessed of Grannax took it with a kind smile, his patience amazing to Ramora.
With a man sent to alert the King that General Alimon had arrived, Rills guided them up through the massive building until they reached a sprawling chamber he declared as a receiving room. Spread throughout were long, wide couches, settees, love-seats and chairs, all appointed with overstuffed cushions that invited lazy reclining. In the middle of them sat a huge table with an ornate arrangement of flowers.
Rills continued talking as they stared at the posh furnishings. Ramora flopped down in a chair and threw her leg over the arm with a content smile. Chara gave her an annoyed look as Esteban sniffed the flowers and Leto tried to figure out how to shed the overeager Lieutenant.
Within a few minutes of their arrival, the wide doors burst open, admitting a staff carrying wine, ale, water, and an assortment of treats that threatened to make the huge table bow under their weight. The band completely failed to suppress their amazement as Rills gave a nervous laugh, explaining that Untar had greeted all the Blessed who'd answered his call similarly.
Ramora accepted a goblet of ale, refusing to get up, as Chara drooled over the sheer number of delicacies and sweets laid out before her. Leto made to move for the table, struggling to get around the young Lieutenant.
"Oh, yes," Chara giggled, stacking food on a plate. "They've got turkey, roasted ham, chicken, beef steak, and I don't know what this is, but I'm going to eat it. Hey! Bacon!"
"Didn't we just have breakfast?" Esteban asked, wide-eyed at her appetite.
Chara glowered at him. "I've been eating rabbit and pheasant, breakfast, lunch and dinner, for the last five months. They have pig! I'm eating it."
"Of course, beloved," he sighed.
Ramora snickered as she sank back in her chair. Leto managed to snag a sweet, Rills still talking up a storm and asking questions he didn't give the Blessed of Grannax a chance to even answer before taking off on another tangent. Esteban shook his head, sniffing at the food curiously.
"Say what you want about Kings," Chara declared around a mouthful of pork sausage. "They know how to eat!"
"Please, slow down, before you choke," Esteban urged.
"You slow down," she mouthed, waving a pork chop at him. "I'm eating here!"
"We can all see that," he groaned as Leto and Ramora tried to hide their laughter.
"Hey, Rills," the young woman said, grabbing another handful of bacon. "Shut up and put food in your mouth for a minute, will you?"
"Oh, I'm not hungry," he said before turning back to Leto. "Would you care for a plate, Sir? I'd be happy to prepare it."
"Not at all," he replied quickly, holding up the strawberry-filled treat he held. "I'm good, thanks."
"More for me," Chara grinned around a mouthful of ham.
"Let us hope you leave some for the rest of the kingdom." The heavy baritone all but boomed over them, filled with mirth, drawing them to the towering man who swept into the room.
Easily as tall and broad-shouldered as Leto, he had a shock of black hair that refused to behave, curling wildly around the narrow silver circlet he wore. Eyes like emeralds danced in delight as he smiled past a thick, well-trimmed beard that gave him a regal appearance. Dressed in fine, but common, leathers, boots and a simple linen shirt, his royal majesty, the King of Lansing, Untar Fel could not have looked less the part.
By his side, a slender woman about Chara's height hovered, looking over a thick book past her glasses, decked out in a well-made brown leather vest over a cotton shirt that topped a long skirt the same color of the vest. Her brunette hair hung to her waist in a braid as thick as her forearm, and when she looked up, gray eyes scanned the gathered band critically, making them all feel somehow smaller.
"Your Highness," Leto said, kneeling.
"Please, don't," Untar chuckled as he strode over, the woman sliding at his side like a snake. "We're both Blessed of Grannax here, Leto. Stand, as a friend."
"As you wish," he nodded, rising and shaking the hand the King offered.
"I see you brought friends," Untar said, glancing at the two women and Werecat. Then he noticed Rills, who hovered at Leto's side, smiling in a goofy way.
Leto bowed lightly. "If I may, Sire, I'd like to present Ramora, daughter of, Priestess to, and Blessed of Ramor."
The warrior waved but made no move to get up.
"The pleasure is mine," Untar said after a moment.
"This, then, would be Esteban, a friend and fellow warrior against the Demon Seed," Leto told him quickly, turning him away from the warrior.
The great Cat bowed deeply. "I'm honored to be in the presence of such a great man."
"You are welcome here, my friend," Untar replied, matching his bow.
Seeming relieved at least one of them possessed manners, Leto directed the king's attention to Chara. "Last, Lady Chara, from Rheumer, in Fival."
Glancing over, she smiled past the bacon that dangled from her mouth, gave a sloppy half-curtsey, then asked, "Hey, have you ever considered making a bacon wine?"
Leto buried his face in his hand as Ramora spit ale all over herself. Esteban sighed heavily. Untar arched an eyebrow as the young woman looked around at her companions in confusion.
"I can't say I have," he admitted.
"Get on that," she told him.
"I'll look into it," the King struggled to say.
Giving him a thumbs up, she stuffed some more sausage in her mouth, refilled her wine and circled the table like a predator at a watering hole. Ramora dried herself with a cushion from the couch. Esteban wondered if he could survive the jump from the window as Leto turned red in embarrassment. Rills just kept smiling.
"Normally, they are better mannered," Leto stammered.
"Really?" Untar asked in surprise.
Thinking of his first meeting with them, Leto sagged, admitting, "No. Not really. This is about as good as it gets."
To his surprise, the King of Lansing grinned. "Good. I hate when people feel they can't be themselves around me."
"You're gonna love us, then," Chara chuckled as she gnawed at another pork chop.
"Yes," Untar said slowly. "Please, allow me to introduce my chief of staff, Leena Adaway."
"You're going to be late for a meeting with the Merchants Union," she told him, ignoring the rest.
Untar frowned. "They'll wait. Blessed business."
She frowned slightly and made a note in her book.
"Anyway," the King grinned, clapping his hands together. "Thank you for coming, General Alimon. I'm certain with your shrewd tactical capabilities, we'll be able to make short work of this scoundrel."
"Thank you, Sire," Leto bowed. "However, I think you should be made aware that Ramora here has something of a unique history with this Dark Blessed."
Turning back to her, Untar considered her for a moment. "Does she now? Pray tell, dear lady, have you laid eyes upon him?"
Rise (War Witch Book 1) Page 31
