she heard the intonation well enough: male, vampire, arrogant. She
rounded the bend. In front of her a straight stretch of the path led to a
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round plaza with a small fountain in the center. In the plaza, closest to
the entrance from the path, stood a small, blue-furred lees and a
tachi. The lees was on her toes, ready to bolt. The tachi had gone so
grey, it looked desaturated. Across from them four male vampires
stood. Two leaned forward slightly, the third one stroked the hilt of his
bloodhammer, and the fourth crossed his arms on his chest. She’d been
studying the files on the wedding guests, and she had no trouble
recognizing him. Lord Suykon, the groom’s brother. Big, red-haired, and
aggressive.
They were about to get violent. The tachi would retaliate and relations
between the tachi and House Krahr would drown in blood. She had no
authority to stop it. She was just another guest. If she were attacked,
the tachi would jump in. She was sure of it. She’d served food to their
queen and was looked on with favor. The tachi would be honor-bound
to assist her against a mutual threat.
She had to avoid violence and delay. It would be near impossible. She
was a human, and in the vampire eyes, she belonged to Arland but had
no status. If anything, her presence would only provoke.
Maud tapped her crest. The thin stalk of a communicator slid from her
armor and split in two. One tendril reached into her ear, the other to her
mouth. The crest pulsed with white light, letting her know the camera
was activated.
“Arland?”
There was a slight pause, then he answered. “Here.”
“Tap into my feed.”
There was another tiny pause. Syukon said something. The vampire next
to him laughed. Maud picked up speed.
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The lees screeched, the sharpness in her voice making her sound like a
pissed off squirrel.
Arland’s crisp voice spoke into her ear piece. “Backup on the way.”
Her personal unit chimed, announcing incoming message. Maud tapped
it. A contract that made her an official retainer of House Krahr. She
scrolled, spot searching for the right words.
… military service, to be performed as is deemed necessary by the
marshal…
He just hired her as a mercenary, giving her the same authority as any
knight of the House.
“Accept,” she said.
Dizziness punched her as her updated crest interfaced with the armor. It
only took a moment. Arland must’ve preloaded the House interface
onto the crest before he’d given it to her and now it was activated.
Her crest flashed with red. A third tendril sprouted from the stalk,
projecting a screen over her left eye. On it an icon of House Krahr glowed
dimly in the far corner. Next to it, another icon, a tiny banner, waited.
This man. For this man, she would put up with Ilemina. He was worth it.
Maud marched into the clearing. Her eyepiece tagged the lees,
displaying her name above her head in pale letters. Nuan Tooki. The
tachi was Ke’Lek.
“Behold, a human comes!” a dark-haired vampire declared. Her
eyepiece tagged him with a name. Lord Kurr. Now that she was retainer,
the internal files were at her fingertips.
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Nuan Tooki ducked behind her, stuck her hand-paws into the pockets of
her apron, and came out with a handful of darts in her left hand and a
small dagger in her right. Monomolecular edge on both, likely poisoned.
Ke’Lek’s color darkened slightly, but only a shade, a barely perceptible
green.
Suykon smiled.
Maud moved in front of the tachi, looked at the banner and deliberately
blinked to activate the banner.
The crest tolled, like a bell. A bright red spark blinked on her left
shoulder, projecting a holographic image of the banner of House Krahr.
She gripped her bloodsword, and it whined in her hand as bright red light
dashed through it, priming the weapon.
The banner glowed slightly brighter.
“And what have we here?” Suykon asked. “Adorable, is she not?”
Anything she said would give them am opportunity to claim she
provoked them. Any word would be presented as an insult and used as
a pretext for violence. She simply said nothing.
“Are you mute, human?”
Maud waited.
Suykon’s eyes narrowed.
“Lord Kurr.”
“Yes?” the dark-haired knight asked.
“I think our lady is in distress. Look at her being menaced by those two
outsiders. You should go and rescue her.”
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The tachi moved forward.
Maud activated the banner again. Her crest projected a red line onto the
ground and tossed the prewritten warning onto her eyepiece. She read
it. “You are guests of House Krahr in the presence of a knight of House
Krahr. Any violence against other guests of House Krahr will be met with
immediate retribution. Cross this line and die.”
Ke’Lek clicked his mouth in disappointment and stepped back. The line
cut both ways.
Lord Kurr chuckled.
Her eyepiece scanned him, highlighting a long, slightly glossy streak on
the left side of his armor. A recent patch job, and not very good
one. Patching armor was as much of an art as science, and it took a light
touch. He’d been heavy-handed with the tools. He should’ve let
someone who knew what they were doing repair it, but armor
maintenance was a point of pride. It was a small target, less than a
quarter of an inch wide. She would’ve missed it without the eyepiece.
“This is the only warning you will receive.”
“My fair maiden,” Kurr roared, pulling out a massive blood sword. “I
shall rescue you.”
Kurr charged.
The moment his foot crossed the line, she dropped to one knee. His
blade slid over her shoulder, screeching against her armor. She thrust
her sword into the patch and twisted. The armor cracked with an audible
snap. The nanothreads contracted, ripping themselves apart.
She freed her blade, pushed to her feet, and hammered a kick into Kurr’s
exposed side. The impact knocked him back over the line. He stumbled,
doubled over, clutching at his side. Blood dripped between his
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fingers. Half of the breast plate hung down, crawling and shifting as the
individual nanothreads attempted to reconnect.
For a moment everyone forgot to posture and just stared. She had pried
Kurr out of his armor. The humiliation was absolute.
The prompt flashed on her eyepiece again.
“You are guests of House Krahr in the presence of a knight of House
Krahr. Any violence against other guests of House Krahr will be met with
immediate retribution. Cross this line and die.”
Kurr gripped his sword. “I’ll kill that bitch.”
“Kurr!” Suykon barked.
Kurr charged.
A shadow fell from the sky. She barely had a chance to shy back. An
enormous male vampire landed in front of her in full combat armor, his
broad back blocking her view. Hi
s grey hair was cut human short.
The new vampire swung his blood hammer. It ripped the air with a hair-
raising whine and connected.
Maud lunged to the side, trying to see.
Kurr was flat on his ass, trying to breathe. The other two vampires knelt
by him, trying to activate his crest. Only Suykon remained standing.
The new vampire opened his mouth, displaying his fangs, and bent his
head forward, exhaling menace, like a bull ready to charge. He was a
giant even by vampire standards. Her eyepiece tagged him, identifying
his name.
Maud blinked.
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“Our apologies, Lord Consort,” Suykon said. “We meant no harm. We
clearly misinterpreted the situation.
Lord Otubar unhinged his jaws and said in a deep voice. “Leave.”
The two knights picked Kurr up like a child and the four of them took off
down the path.
Lord Otubar turned to the lees and the tachi. “What were the two of you
doing here without an escort.”
Nuan Tooki ducked her head, fluffing her tail, and clasped her little paw-
hands together, looking almost terminally adorable. “Please forgive us,
Lord Consort. It’s all my fault. I was lost. This brave tachi came to my
rescue and then these mean vampires came and menaced us. You are
not like them. You are a good vampire. I was so frightened and helpless,
and you have saved us. I am so sorry.”
Oh please.
“Go back to your quarters.”
“Thank you.”
The lees scampered off. Ke’Lek looked at them, hesitated for a moment,
and followed the lees down the path.
“Dismissed,” Lord Outbar said.
Her legs carried Maud down the path before her brain had time to
process what happened.
“My lady,” Otubar called to her back.
She stopped and pivoted to face him. “Lord Consort?”
“Good strike,” he said.
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Chapter 11 Part 1
June 18, 2018 by Ilona 872 Comments
Maud sat on the barren balcony. Her quarters projected the screen in
front of her and she scrolled through the files of the wedding party,
trying to make some sense of it. Her new status gave her access to more
detailed dossiers, and she was speed-reading them while she could. The
wealth of additional information made her brain buzz. She was in a
rotten mood.
Wind stirred her hair. Maud glanced up, and her gaze lingered on the
distant mesas. She liked being high up, but the breathtaking view failed
to pull her out of her unease. The Kozor and Serak were planning
something, but what? They had only two hundred fighters, while the
Krahr had thousands.
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She’d tried to find Arland after her encounter with the overly
enthusiastic best man and his yipping escort, but he wasn’t anywhere
she could go. She left a message on his unit, but he hadn’t responded.
She had been spoiled. For the last few weeks, he had been at her beck
and call. She only had to say his name and there he was, ready to help.
Now she wanted to talk to him, and he was out of reach.
He is a marshal. I’ve been taking his availability for granted.
She missed him.
Maybe he got bored.
It was a definite possibility. She could just be a brief infatuation. He
rescued her, got to be the hero, and it was exciting with the inn under
siege, and now, the regular life returned, and the novelty faded. Maybe
she was a travel romance.
The recording of Arland facing his mother replayed in her head. No. He
loved her.
The only way to have constant access to Arland was to marry him. That’s
what marriage was, at the core – the exclusive right to spend as much
time with someone you loved as they were willing to give.
Her screen chimed, announcing someone at the front door. Her heart
beat faster. She touched the screen and there he was. She shot out of
the chair as if she’d found a scorpion in it and dashed through the rooms
to the door. She took a deep breath to steady herself.
“Open.”
The door slid aside. Arland looked at her. To the casual observer, he
would have looked fine, but she’d spent too much time studying his
face. She saws distance in his eyes and it chilled her. Something
happened. She frantically cycled through the possibilities. Did she
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embarrass the House? Did she some how hurt his feelings? Did he read
her message and it pissed him off?
“My mother requests your presence at the picnic in groom’s honor, my
lady.”
“I’m honored, my lord. Weapons?”
“Not permitted.”
“Allow me a moment to check on my daughter.”
“No need. Lady Helen and the rest of the children have been taken to
the lakeshore.”
And Lady Helen had failed to check in with her. They would have to have
a talk tonight.
He stepped aside, letting her pass. They walked side by side.
“Lord Kurr?” she asked.
“He lives. Barely.”
Too bad. “I apologize if I caused any offense.”
“You didn’t. Your conduct was exemplary. You’ve exhibited remarkable
self-control, my lady. House Krahr is fortunate to have the benefit of your
service.”
Nope, he hadn’t read her message.
passage to another small mesa rising on their left. According to her
personal unit, the picnic was held there. Even without the unit, clumps
of vampires spread across the green lawn would’ve been the dead
giveaway. Once they reached the mesa, they would be in public and
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she’d have to kiss any chance at a private conversation goodbye. She had
to clear this up now.
“Is something the matter, my lord?”
“Everything is well,” he said.
Okay, that was all she was willing to tolerate. “Then why are you
impersonating an icicle?”
He glared at her. She matched his stare. She was reasonably sure they
were being watched from the mesa, but she didn’t care.
The look in his eyes got to her and slipped into English despite herself.
“Did cat get your tongue?”
His face iced over. “No. Lions didn’t injure my mouth. You and I have a
complex relationship, my lady. These complications notwithstanding, in
public you must conduct yourself in accordance with your place in the
chain of command.”
“Are you pulling rank?”
“Yes.”
She laughed and walked off. They were almost to the tower.
“My lady.” The unmistakable command suffused his voice.
“You should read your messages, Lord Marshal.”
She made it another three steps before he snarled, “Maud!”
Maud pivoted on her foot. “Is something the matter?”
He bore down on her. “You resigned. Why?”
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“What do you mean, why?” It was painfully obvious. Maybe he really did
have second thoughts.
“You should have at least given me the courtesy of telling me face to
face,” his voice was quiet and icy.
“I tried but you were busy. The message was my only option.”
“When?” he asked, his eyes dark.
“I don’t follow.”
They definitely had an audience now. The voices didn’t carry that far,
but just about everyone in the lawn was looking their way.
He forced the words out. “When are you leaving?”
It stabbed at her. “Do you want me to leave?”
“Do you think this is funny? Because I fail to see the humor. I’ve given
you a place in House Krahr. You’re throwing it in my face. That can mean
only one thing. You’re leaving.”
Oh, you idiot.
“You almost married Betin Cagnat on Karhari. You were in negotiations,
with the contracts being drawn, and you haven’t even entertained my
proposal. I told you that I’m content to await your decision. But if you
have feelings for another, it is only fair that you tell me.”
I wonder when he had learned that tidbit.
“Being a knight of Krahr would have allowed you time to make your
decision. It was the best option available under the circumstances.”
“Is that why you offered it to me?” she asked, keeping her voice mild.
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“No. I offered it to you because you were in a dangerous situation
without any authority to intervene. But after you accepted it, it felt like
the best solution.”
He was trying to keep her close any way he could. He must’ve been
worried she would leave and offering her an in-House position was his
way to ensure she stayed.
Behind Arland a young vampire knight stepped out of the doors, a tablet
in his hands. He saw Arland and broke into run, heading toward them.
“Now you’re leaving,” Arland ground out. “I just want to know why. What
is it about me you find lacking? Is it that you still have feelings for
another? What is it?”
“Are you done?” she asked.
“Lord Arland!” the knight called out. “I have an urgent message from
Lord Soren.”
“I deserve an answer. Surely, you can give me that much.”
“The Writ of Command, Part Seven.”
He frowned. “Prohibition of fraternization between knights separated by
more than three ranks? What does that have to do with anything?”