.
Under normal circumstances, I would have woke up with my head whirling, considering what I had been told by the two angels. I mean, basically, they were planning to make me some kind of trainee angel, right?
But I didn’t get the opportunity to think about such things upon waking up, because of the tongue in my ear.
It belonged to Serera, who was also groping my bosom from behind while pressing into my back. I turned my head to object and had to immediately dodge an attempted kiss.
“Lady Serera, last night, you promised…”
She made an impish moue and noted, “I never said I wouldn’t give you opportunities to change your mind.”
I firmly removed her hand and pulled away, sitting up. Looking around, I noticed we were alone.
“Our playmates just left. I paid them and sent them on their way. I gave them a half-sovereign tip each, as well,” she said.
“That’s fine,” I nodded. “You found my coin-purse then?”
“Oh, no, I paid for it. Your money is still in the sitting room.”
I was about to object when she put her finger on my mouth and added, “Consider it a treat for my friend’s daughter. We adults can easily afford such things.”
She hopped out of bed, stretched, shook out her hair, grew a raiment that looked similar to what Caris had been wearing, and told me, “You need to bathe just like Déhare, right? I drew and warmed the water for you already. Do you want me to wash your back?”
I had sat up by this time, but I still had some modesty left. I was keeping myself covered up with my arms. “Thank you, but no. I enjoy bathing by myself.”
Should I explain that the opportunity to bathe in private was a luxury I hardly ever enjoyed anymore?
It was only now that I realized that the robe I had worn during last night’s visit was missing. Of course, they had already implied that those visits occurred in some sort of illusory reality. The fact that I was back in the state of dress that I fell asleep in gave evidence of that.
“I’ll fetch you when we go to breakfast then,” she answered. “About how long do you need?”
“An hour?” I suggested.
She smiled and headed for the bedroom door. She paused there and said, “I’ve left the soundproofing magic in place, in case you need to release any tension from last night. You don’t have to remain entirely without relief, you know?”
I turned deep red once I realized what she was talking about. When I looked away and didn’t respond, she laughed and shut the bedroom door.
Breakfast was another fairly joyless affair, just as lunch and dinner had been. I enjoyed waffles… yes, lovely breakfast waffles with whipped cream and syrup, just like back on Earth… but had to endure Feraen’s continued disapproving atmosphere. Serera assured her no less than three times that the two girls from last night had still been safe and sound when they left in the morning, but she continued to disapprove of my hiring them in the first place.
“Just because they have fallen into such a sad state does not give you the right to prey upon them!” Feraen had insisted to me. That cut deep, since I had occasionally had the same thoughts. But Serera came to my defense in an unexpected fashion.
“I was curious, so I had a chat with those two before they left this morning,” she told Feraen. “It was quite interesting. One studies at the Royses magic academy. She earns her tuition with this job. And the other is the daughter of their manager, following in her mother’s trade. It didn’t seem like either was the sort of unfortunate you suggest.”
I couldn’t help myself. Remembering Uncle Owen’s worries about the southern provinces, I noted, “I’m sure it was a reasonable assumption for you, considering the place where you serve. Considerably more mortals live in poverty in Parna.”
As the last words left my mouth, I realized it was more-or-less a criticism of her employer. Feraen saw it the same way, if I read the dark stare she gave me correctly. Well, if the shoe fits, as they say…
“I’m sure Pendor has a much higher class of prostitute,” she sniped back.
“Mother has been working tirelessly to improve the lives of Pendorians, so it’s quite probable,” I returned without hesitation with a smile. I had no problem playing this game.
“Dear ladies,” Serera interposed, before we could escalate. “Mortal politics is a dreadfully boring subject. Please end this.”
Feraen had a sour look on her face. Probably from failing to get the last word. I put another bite of waffle into my mouth and savored it.
After finishing a reasonable amount of it, I set the utensils down and dabbed my lips with the napkin.
“So,” I ventured, “Exactly how long should we expect to wait here?”
Lady Serera made a moue as she considered. “Well, I had originally expected to simply receive a temporary seal for each of you. Properly speaking, such should have been immediately issued on my warrant.”
“If you can go there without their permission, why not leave us here and go?” I wondered. “You could receive permission directly from the king, couldn’t you?”
Serera bunched her lips in a bitter expression, then stated, “If I had a witness to stay with you, I would. I’m not going to leave you behind when the only fairies in town are this bunch who are explicitly aligned against you.”
“Are you insinuating that we aren’t trustworthy?” Feraen bristled.
“My Lady, if you hadn’t arranged an alliance made up entirely of her mother’s enemies,” Serera responded with dry tones, “I might be persuaded to trust you. Next time, child, I recommend you include a few neutral parties in the mix, for appearance’s sake.”
“I didn’t ‘arrange’ anything!”
“You didn’t? I’m disappointed. If Domerà or the Legate selected that bunch, I would have expected more subtlety in the choices.”
“My mother’s enemies?” I asked. “Does she have a lot?”
Serera chuckled. “Your mother is the self-appointed patron of Orestania, child. Although she has her father’s tacit approval. Fairies who go too far in that country suffer her wrath. And since Her Highness is living proof that a powerful fairy enchantress trumps a powerful fairy knight, there are few who can challenge her. Those who are resentful of her interventions are naturally hostile toward her, but cannot strike directly against her.”
“You don’t think it’s mostly hype?” Feraen asked, in a tone that suggested she herself thought so.
The fairy captain’s lips spread in a broad, humorless smile. “Why don’t you try challenging her to a duel some time?”
“Challenge a non-knight? How could you suggest such a thing?” Feraen sounded slightly scandalized.
“Lady Feraen, there is not a living soul who would consider it dishonorable for you to challenge Her Highness to a duel. Everybody knows you would lose.”
Feraen looked ready to explode, “Such an outrageous claim…!”
“This is why children are such trouble,” she commented with a wry shake of the head. “Lady Feraen, I would lose, and in under a minute. I have not the slightest doubt of the conclusion. It would take at least five of me, and probably more, to fight her to a draw.”
Feraen gaped at her in shock.
Serera added, “The last time she fought seriously was long before you were born. You children don’t know the risk you’re taking right now.”
At a loss for words, Feraen concentrated on her pancakes.
“Well,” Serera declared, “To defend against the possibility that they are stalling, we shall head to the Legate’s office and haunt him until he does whatever he does next. I cannot allow him to be comfortable while I am annoyed. That state of affairs would lack balance.”
# # #
Feraen was visibly unhappy at being forced to come along with us. I half-expected her to refuse, or attempt to demand we wait, or claim the need to run some other errand. But it had become clear she was unable to defy Serera. We went directly after breakfast. Nobody had luggage or any other reason to keep the rooms, so once I retrieved my sword belt and my companions changed back into their armor, we left the keys at the desk and departed.
We had no escort this time, but I noticed a surreptitious tail — probably a lesser fairy, judging by her mana– who began following once we took to the air. I glanced over at Serera, who gave a small nod. She had also noticed it, but she didn’t look bothered. I wondered if all our activities had been watched since we arrived.
There were mortals scurrying about when we landed in the Council Hall courtyard, but no fairies in evidence. Serera immediately headed toward the ornate doors that our welcoming party had emerged from, yesterday.
Panicking mortal guards scrambled to reach the doors first and pull them open. They just managed to do it in time to keep Serera from having to wait. I gave them a smile and a nod as we passed them and entered the building.
We passed through a vestibule and more doors (held open by more guards) into a lobby with a tall vaulted ceiling. On the far side, a corresponding set of double doors probably accessed another vestibule to doors in the outer face of the building.
Large staircases rose to the second and third floors on both sides of us, but Serera simply rose into the air. None of us had dropped our wings yet, so I and Feraen followed her up, quickly reaching a balcony on the third floor that was probably designed as a landing pad for our kind.
The hall had a very different feel than Uncle Owen’s palace. Almost a reserved, cloistered feel, with carefully varnished hardwood floors and silk-covered walls painted in scenic imagery or scenes of rustic villages or elegantly clad maidens at play. Large pottery jars holding arrangements of dried branches and flowers sat in niches every twenty or so feet, and the lighting was gentle on the eyes despite the corridors being well-lit. The hall curved, following the contour of the building. We had walked at least a hundred paces around it when a set of doors came into view at the end of the corridor.
Honestly, I had half expected the corridor would continue all the way around the building, but it seemed that wasn’t the design plan, at least not for this corridor.
Serera probably intended to march straight up to the doors, but when we were a dozen or so paces away, they came open and the Legate emerged, framed by two other figures.
His eyes were dark as he stared at us, and he crossed his arms.
“We are not ready to summon you yet, My Lady,” he declared.
Lady Serera placed her hand on her pommel. “I am not prepared to wait any longer, My Lord. You are hindering a royal knight in the course of her duty.”
“I have a duty as well, to insure the safety of our sacred sanctuary. I do not have an obligation to allow just anyone to enter it.”
“Her Highness is, at the very least, not ‘Just Anyone’, My Lord. You have had sufficient time to determine what your next step will be. I am here to hear it.”
“I am still waiting the answer to a number of inquiries I made to the scholars.”
“Inquiries of what?” Serera asked. If her voice could possibly grow frostier, it had just done so.
“Merely a few points of law,” he said lightly. “Technicalities which the court raised which would be of little interest to you.”
Serara stared at him as if waiting for more. Finally, her brows raised slightly, and she declared, “Any ‘technicality’ that you can’t tell me about is a technicality that I say does not exist.”
The Legate’s smile vanished. She had just straight-up called bull on him.
