Gods of Shadow and Flame

by M. H. Johnson

  Still, she felt fully refreshed after an invigorating scrub, if just a bit sore, happily humming to herself as she made her way to the meal she could already smell tantalizing her tongue, prepared while she had been busy washing her indulgences away as best she could.

  Her mother’s elegant lavender dress complemented her sister’s rich blue and her own forest green, sky blue eyes pinning Jess in place as she tentatively made her way from her private quarters to the dining table. “I understand that we are to expect dear Joshua’s presence after our repast?”

  Jess gave a quick nod as she finally sat down, focusing intently on the delicious repast laid out before her, heaping portions from numerous dishes upon her plate, doing her best to avoid her mother’s stare. “He wanted to refresh himself before attending us, elsewise he would have stopped by once we had finished our... garden walk.” She allowed her lips to curve into a secret smile. “I believe he has matters he would like to formally go over with you, Mother.”

  Her mother gave a considering nod. "Very well, then. I shall certainly make him welcome, regardless of the hour. And I see as well that we are wearing a most lovely piece of jewelry. The ring you now wear quite complements you, my daughter. It is nice to see that your sweetheart still keeps faith with the old ways."

  Apple grinned even as Jess felt her cheeks flush scarlet. “Indeed he does, Mother. He could have given her any trinket upon a bejeweled necklace made of strands of shimmering gold, and that would have been enough for most girls who would not have thought to look beyond the sheen of the gift. Yet instead he chose to honor Jess with a ring made in the true fashion, figures twined as one, secured with a lock of his own hair, symbolizing his loyalty and devotion to her. And if that doesn't show his true intentions, I don't know what would. Truly, Jess, you are such a lucky girl!"

  “Absolutely delicious!” a blushing Jess declared, doing his best to ignore them both. “Why do I not recall ever having tasted roast pheasant quite this delicious before? Is our chef using a new recipe?”

  “What?” Jess asked almost defensively as her mother continued to stare. Yet the baroness, completely out of character as far as Jess was concerned, made no clever retort nor reprimand, merely favoring her daughter with a knowing smile before turning back to her own meal. “I am glad you have a healthy appetite, my daughter. One never knows when one will be eating for two, after all.”

  Apple broke out in a surprised peel of laughter as a furiously blushing Jess quickly excused herself to her private rooms, laughing off her mother's words once she had a moment to collect herself, realizing with a certain amount of wonder that motherhood might be a very real possibility, particularly if the ache she had felt just glimpsing Joshua's beautiful smile today was anything to go by. She was taking no preventive steps like she had at Highrock, and she realized she didn't really want to. And if this wonderful day was anything to go by... she shook her head in amazement at the thought, though at the moment she felt no different, and leaped upon her bed, nestling comfortably amongst her pillows and blankets, realizing at that moment that she was quite possibly as content and happy as she had ever been in all her life.

  Then quite unexpectedly, she fell asleep.

  53

  "Twilight! Malek needs us now!" Heart hammering, Jess bolted upright, drenched in sweat, her chest heaving in panicked gasps. Frantically she strove for calm as a whirlwind of panic tried to consume her. Her dream, so vivid. Her beloved shieldbrother's expression one of hopeless despair as he kissed the ring she had granted him in a final gesture of farewell. She keened with the horror of what she had sensed. Malek and his companions trapped in a realm blacker than any nightmare, utterly alien to dreams of hope or redemption, a place of endless suffering and unspeakable despair.

  Somehow, her beloved shieldbrother had become trapped in that place of unspeakable evil, girding themselves for their last stand as the very forces of Hell readied themselves to rend and tear, consume and devour, toothy maws open wide in anticipation of the mortal souls they would soon devour.

  The horror of it was, Jess knew it was no dream.

  It had been no simple nightmare, but a final farewell from her beloved brother-in-arms who had loved her and fought by her side whenever she had needed him. In this life, and perhaps every other life that had ever come before. She shivered as the thought struck her, yet was strangely certain that it was true.

  The curtain was opening on the final act of a play Jess was dreadfully certain was taking place even at that very moment. She trembled in anxious fear for her beloved Malek, even as shaky hands secured the strap of her helm, now fully kitted in the bronze armor she had taken such secret pride in hiding from her mother's prying eyes, never truly thinking she would ever need to wear such again. But as General Eloquin had once counseled, even during times of peace a foe may strike at any time, and only a fool dares to leave herself completely unprepared, armed only with foolish hope.

  She knew she had donned her gear near as quickly as any Squire trained under Eloquin, yet all she could think of was how terribly slow she felt, even as she strapped on her sword, only at that moment making out the faintly surprised and worried voices of her family and Joshua as well.

  “Twilight! I need you!”

  And in that instant, she felt the comforting weight of her most beloved familiar firmly upon her shoulder, her ally in all things, whether he came from the smoke and shadows of the ether or no. "Come, Jess. There is no time to waste! Good, I see you are ready, for our Hound is in mortal peril. Morlekai's band has fallen into a trap so vile that should they perish, Hound and angel shall never again stride the forests and fields of Dawn. Not in this life, or any other. They shall be lost to us, my Jess. Lost in the bowels of Hell."

  Shuddering, Jess nodded. “I know, my dearest Twilight. I know.” She grimaced. “And you do not even need to tell me that this is when a choice must be made. To sit here softly, idly, as our friend dies a horrific death, or to be insane, to be mad enough to charge headlong into Shadow, untried and untested, once more.”

  Her laughter was bitter with irony and a fierce acceptance of the death she would dance with once again. "For you know my answer, Twilight. There is no choice. To leave one's friends to die is no choice at all!"

  Twilight's fierce grin of approval was something Jess could sense even as she prepared to open the door and make her escape. “Well said, my queen. Come. You and I both know where we must go.”

  Jess gave a tight nod as she slammed open her bedroom door, her Joshua blinking as he stumbled back in surprise. Apple looked shocked, gazing at Jess mouth agape, their mother's look one of surprised disbelief. "Jessica de Calenbry, what by all the saints do you think you are doing?" Agda paled, taking in the full significance of Jess's gear. "You are wearing a Delver's armaments! No, Jessica. You are not leaving these quarters. I forbid it! Now you tell mother exactly what’s going on, so I can talk some sense into you!”

  “No time!” Jess shouted as she adroitly dodged her mother’s attempt at interception racing for the door. “Malek is trapped in darkest Shadow, his life in peril! I will save him, Mother, no matter what obstacles fate strives to throw my way!”

  Her mother's expression was one of horror, for all that her voice was the same cajoling, motherly tone she would use to talk Jess out of the mad flights of fancy that had sometimes grabbed ahold of Jess during her younger years. Not that her family thought much had changed, of course. "Jessica, for gods' sakes, listen to yourself! You were struck by a bad dream, no more! Just like your father used to be, after the war. You are mortal now, my daughter. A Delver no longer. You couldn't rescue Malek even if he needed rescuing, and he is probably just fine!"

  Agda took a deep, calming breath, as if trying to compel calm in Jess as well. "I know what we will do, my daughter. Just sit yourself down and have a soothing sip of your favorite apple brandy while I summon Dean Echobart and have him contact the local chapter of the Adventurers Guild straight away! Just to assure you this is nau
ght but a war dream plaguing you."

  Her attempts at placation grew ever more panicked as Jess's every movement declared she would not be deterred, heading straight for the exit. "Jessica de Calenbry, stop this instant! This is pure insanity! Where are you going to go? How could you possibly find him? Only in your garden is it spring. The rest of Erovering is frozen solid, and you would suffer your death of a chill if you went tearing out in the night beyond the boundaries of your groves, improperly dressed, tromping out into a blizzard! Please, Jess, listen to reason!"

  "She is right you know, beloved." Soothing words from a husky voice that sent shivers through her even now, her lover gently smiling at her, so sneaky and clever, gently holding her close while her mother had distracted her.

  "There is no gateway to Shadow, at least not here, in the heart of your own Domain." He chuckled softly as Jess reflexively gasped. "Fear not, my betrothed. Your secret is safe with my brother and I both. Well do we know the old ways so many jaded nobles would keep hidden. That only those versed in the ancient art of Claimance can truly serve their gods-given purpose of warding our land from darkest Shadow." Joshua sighed, holding her to his chest, Jess still stunned by her lover's revelation, even as Twilight hissed his discontent at the delay.

  "It is okay, my dearest Jess. And your mother need not look quite so shocked. Of course we understood its significance from the very moment your miracle of a garden sprung forth, growing ever stronger even as winter froze the rest of our great nation to a standstill. And it never swayed or affected my feelings for you in the least, you know. Though I do hope that when the time is right, you will confer your blessings upon all of Erovering and her chosen rulers, so that we may protect the land entire from darkest Shadow."

  Agda blinked at these words, shuddering, taking a deep breath and giving a slow nod. "But of course you are right, Your Grace. I have no doubt that our dear Jessica will serve by your side as dutifully as any wife, for I know already how fiercely she loves you, how proud she is to wear your ring even now."

  Agda favored a trembling Jess with the gentlest of smiles. "Come, my child. Relax. You are plagued by dreams of battles long past. You need to breathe easy and take tea with Joshua and I as we discuss your futures together, and what we must do to prepare you for your upcoming trip to the capital, and life by Joshua's side." Gently, she gestured for Joshua to lead her daughter to the divan where they had been conversing but moments before.

  Joshua gave the slightest of nods that Jess could sense as his chin rested upon her shoulder, and before he could act Jess did what she knew she must.

  “Ach, Angels above, Jess!” Joshua’s hurt cries haunted Jess even as she expertly twisted around him, trapping his arm only momentarily before springing free of him, the door to their luxurious quarters springing wide of its own accord to allow the passing of its mistress. “Jessica, where on earth are you going? Hold! I’m not leaving you unescorted, whatever you may think!”

  Yet Jessica did not hesitate to pick up her pace to a run, leaving her mother's panicked shouts far behind, only dimly aware of her lover's deep slow breaths as he ran gamely by her side.

  "Excellent dodge and evade, my mistress," Twilight commended. "For a moment there I feared your mother had actually managed to cause you to doubt yourself, trapping you in her spider's web of false logic and fallacious obligations."

  Jess’s smile was a grimace. “I love her with all my heart, Twilight, but if she thinks I will for even a second take the easy route, to leave Malek to die in Shadow and forget all memory of him forever, she is a bloody fool!”

  "Jessica dearest, who in the world are you talking to and where are we going, anyway?" This from a gamely smiling Joshua, easily matching her stride.

  “I’m headed for the maze,” Jess curtly confided. “For just as I sense my shieldbrother’s dire peril, so too I sense that there lies the path to save him, if I can but see the way to his side.”

  Joshua frowned before giving a resolute nod. "Very well, then. I shall take your word for it. Together we shall make our way to the rose maze, and see what we shall see. Just promise me one thing, dearest. If the maze turns out to be naught but an innocent diversion with no path to your friend, will you trust that perhaps all is well, and it is the haunting of memory and dream that sways you, not the actual clarion call of your friend's dire peril?"

  Jess turned to stare at her Joshua, who suddenly blinked and stepped back, startled, perhaps, by something he saw in her gaze. “And you must in turn promise not to follow me, should I find the path that I seek, dearest Joshua. For the way to Shadow is a path of peril and doom. Few souls indeed have the weight to survive its depths unscathed. And your soul screaming eternally in the Void is one nightmare I beg you to spare me from suffering.” Her tone, quiet and heartfelt, turned hard and cold as winter steel. “Where I go, Joshua, do not try to follow. Promise me that, if nothing else.”

  Her prince chuckled wryly. "Fear not, my love. For I have no intention of risking all that I am, just for a lark to see if I can survive that place of terror and wonder both. And frankly, my heart, I truly do hope we find nothing but roses upon our little foray, so that we may return to our quarters where I will do my best to soothe you of all your night terrors, holding you close so as to keep all hauntings at bay. For I would have you dream of nothing but sweetness and love in my arms, dearest Jess."

  Despite the dire nature of what Jess sensed was to come, she was able to surrender one heartfelt smile for her lover. “Thank you for your loyalty and affection both, my Joshua. Now come. If we are to make our way to the rose maze it must be with all haste, for I will slow down for no one at this point!”

  Joshua nodded gamely as they headed through the lush garden towards the rose maze proper. "Come then, my love. A race of it!" Gently laughing, he took the lead, Jess continuing at her steady pace, girding her mind for what was to come.

  54

  “Are you ready, my Jess?” Her familiar asked quietly as they lost themselves in the rhythm of their jog, the words seeming to resonate within the deepest recesses of her mind.

  “Without the slightest hesitation, my Twilight. Free of any influence save my own heart, I make my choice. Let us save our shieldbrother, no matter what the foe or peril!”

  Twilight’s teeth flashed in an approving grin. “Well said, my queen.”

  And then Jess heard Joshua's breathless curse as they approached the maze, and only then Jess smelled it. That sickly foulness that so spoke of death and rot. And perhaps something far worse, emanating from the half secluded dining alcove just on the outskirts of the main entrance itself.

  Twilight hissed, which did naught but affirm Jess’s already queasy sense of certainty that something awful lay in wait. “Trouble, my mistress. Dark and foul. And by what bane is it able to slip free of the wards that protect our Domain from all incursions?”

  Wordlessly Jess shook her head, even as she unsheathed her blade.

  The stench was so bad even Joshua could smell it, his demeanor as he gazed upon his lover and her serious expression was instantly that of a commander measuring his troops. Gone was the gentle bemusement of a man indulging his beloved. Suddenly all seriousness, he too unsheathed his blade, simultaneously blowing his commander's whistle sharp and hard in a short code that Jess, a former commander in training as were all Squires of War, knew perfectly. It was the alarm for all available men to immediately come to commander's aid, with perimeter defenses alert and ready at their stations, lest the source of the alarm was itself a feint or ruse.

  Within moments, Jess heard alarm bells being rung, short sharp codes whistled shrilly through the air which Joshua curtly answered before putting aside his whistle. "Jess, hold back! The atrium stinks of death. I know you can smell it as well as I. Whether a crime scene or a trap, best we wait for reinforcements."

  Jess nodded curtly even as she approached the rose-laden atrium, sensing the foulness as just the faintest tingle upon her senses, in addition to the stench of ro
t and decay. So too she sensed its nature. Dark as dark could be. What some would call infernal. And for it to have breached her wards... -Unthinkable- She shook ever so slightly, her familiar’s reproving glance at her momentary flash of terror shaming her hesitation to fury.

  “You are no coward, my queen. No matter how potent or fragile your form, we have always faced our foes, striking from the shadows or head on, whatever allows us to seize the day. Retreat ever but a ruse, fear never allowed to claim your soul.”

  Her shaking was no less, though now she trembled not with terror, but with rage.

  “Better.” Twilight nodded curtly. “Come, my Jess. Foulness resides in our lair. And it remains for us to root it out. Now! We have no time to waste! It need not attack, only delay to fill its no doubt nefarious purpose.”

  Jess nodded. “We need only make it past the atrium into the maze itself. For I know that however foul or vile our foe, nothing from that twisted realm of Hell can breach our maze.”

  "Jess! Now is not the time, my love. I have signaled for the guard, and for them to bring the dean himself! One of Erovering's most potent archmages, his affable demeanor is but an act. He was stationed here for a reason, my Jess. He is my shield against all daggers that would strike you from the shadows, your ward against all nobles that dare to dabble in darker arts, and I fear dark magics indeed lie before us!"

  Jess blinked in surprise, then it all clicked into place. Of course. She remembered all too well Lord Echobart's timely intervention more than once with Franken, Echbart the one man who was not afraid of facing the inquisitor at the height of his madness, even as every other noble would tremble and look away from those glaring eyes. The dean doing his utmost to force what concessions he could to assure Jess's safety, not afraid to throw down the gauntlet when Franken had done everything in his power to see Jess summarily judged and perhaps even executed before any trial. Indeed, had the far more impartial Alben not intervened, it could well have ended in a second bloodbath within her grove, just a few short months ago.