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Back in the days when we thought Ged’s accession to the throne was far in the future, before the southern lords shattered the peace of Orestania, Rod’s role, besides being spare prince, was to train as a military man. Ged also had to train, but his trajectory was a little more straightforward, as future king. In a kingdom where dukes refer to secondary crowns, not spares from the royal line, said spare’s job was to fit himself to become the king’s strongest man.
My husband should have become one of Owen’s best generals, and, in time, Ged’s strongest general. His training for that role was the reason he could stop rising from his seat as soon as my fingers rested on his sword hand. Perhaps, together with his trust in me. My impulsive husband has mastered impulse control where it matters.
His impulse hadn’t been wrong, though. His training also sent his hand to his weapon so quickly in the first place, in reaction to the sudden appearance of a dangerous being.
Gorgons are rational, wild, anthropomorphic monsters. They don’t turn men to stone, as in Earthly myth, but they are as overpowered in reality as the Greek stories portray, freezing their prey with a paralytic gaze. Which is why my husband nearly drew his sword upon learning Lady Ilni’s nature.
As my husband stared back at me with concern, Ilni reassured her sister, Childe Ansri, “Sir Diur has guaranteed our safety.”
“That doesn’t mean you should just go and reveal yourself!”
“Her Grace already recognized me as dangerous. According to Sir Diur, she’s the same species as himself, and you know how powerful he is. My only safe course of action was frank transparency. Concealing it could get me killed.”
I chuckled and picked up the goblet that a server had just filled for me, taking a sampling sip to indicate that others could deal with their thirst if they had any.
After setting it down, I smiled and noted, “We classify Gorgons as Class A threats. But we also classify them as rational creatures. Which means she is capable of reasoning, and as a reasonable woman, she has been living as a house knight and a lord’s daughter, and even attending school. I request that everyone relax and recognize that she will not suddenly attack people like a ravenous beast.”
Because Rod wasn’t the only tense one in the room.
“And while I am at it, I will also remind everyone that we vampires are also ranked class A threats”
Regular vampires, that is. I’m not sure what classification fairy vampires would receive, but I suspect at least S class.
I heard some tension-relieving chuckles, but followed by a response I was not expecting, from a very offended Amana.
“The mortals put a classification on you like some kind of a monster or demon?”
“Elder Sister, I am a monster,” I reminded her gently.
“But still…” she started, then stopped and frowned. I mean, my logic was unassailable, right?
I returned my attention to the two noblewomen from Lower Pendor.
“So, Lady Ilni’s mother was a Class A monster tamed by the Earl, which I assume makes him quite a talented tamer.”
“Father’s talent was mediocre, but his appetite for powerful artifacts was quite powerful, Your Grace,” Childe Ansri stated with an acid tone. “As was his perverted desire to collect anthropomorphic monster girls.”
My initial impression that the late Earl of Lower Pendor was an unusually progressive man in comparison to other southern nobles completely crumbled.
Ilni stared down at her folded hands. This was obviously a sore subject. It made me want to find some decency in the man, for her sake.
“But he went to the extent of obtaining a life baronetcy for the daughter. He surely held something like regard for the mother.”
Lady Ilni raised her head, “I’m confident that Mother occupied a warm spot in Father’s heart, Your Grace. She still wound up killing herself to escape him. Obtaining a noble title for me and raising me as a daughter rather than using me as a monster were probably his way to reduce the guilt in his heart over her. At the very least, we were his treasured pets and he regretted being unable to make Mother happy.”
“Ilni…” Ansri quietly muttered, placing her hand on her sister’s shoulder.
I pointed out, “And he must have considered you safe around your sister, since it appears you two grew up together.”
They glanced at each other, then Ilni touched the valley of her chest and stated, “When I was born, Father installed a tamer’s seal.”
The spot under her fingers was covered in cloth, but my [Fairy Sight] could see the presence of a magic stone there. I previously thought it was a pendant, but now I saw that no chain suspended it there. It was mounted directly to her flesh.
With her tone turning darker, Ansri stated, “Ilni grew up with that thing stuck to her so as she grew stronger, it grew stronger with her. Less questionable that way than keeping her bound in magic chains like he did with her mother.”
That image made me feel as bitter as her tone. The Earl had gone from progressive noble to BDSM creep in the space of a few minutes.
“Elder sister, Father gave me a way to stay by your side,” Ilni replied. “I’m happy he did it.”
“He wrote some permanent commands into it,” Ansri continued, clearly not willing to recognize the justification. “She can only use her attack power to defend our family and property, and if she tried to escape or destroy the stone, it would probably kill her. It is hooked into her mind, so she cannot fool it.”
Well, perhaps his image now hovered between two extremes. Leaning toward creepy, though. But I understood why Ilni accepted his actions more than her sister. I knew better than a mortal what the instincts of a monster could do to her reasoning power.
Diur cleared his throat, then stated, “It’s somewhat quicker than I planned, but this has conveniently brought us to one of the reasons for our visit.”
Childe Ansri had a blank look for just a moment, then her mind visibly changed gears as she recognized what he meant.
“It does, doesn’t it?” she agreed. “May we rise for a moment, Your Grace?”
“Go ahead,” I replied with caution. Childe, fiancé, colonel and knight all rose and shifted into position, then knelt… facing Rod.
He immediately frowned. “If this is to swear allegiance, the sovereign in this land is my wife.”
“I beg her tolerance, and yours, Your Royal Highness,” Ansri replied. “I would betray my vassals if I knelt to her, but you are His Majesty’s vassal and the viceroy appointed over us. Kneeling to you is no treachery. Please grant me your understanding, and yours as well, Your Grace.”
I waved it off. “I have no objection.”
“Your Royal Highness, I swear allegiance to His Majesty and accept vassalage within your viceroyalty as his subject, obedient to his will, regardless of what title or position I am permitted.”
The other three repeated her words in turn, then she finished by explaining, “As a tamed monster bound to me, this oath now binds my sister to Your Royal Highness through her seal, and breaks any ties to your enemies created through my father’s loyalties.”
Rod and I exchanged glances, then I asked, “Did you know of any such ties?”
“I do not, but I would not know of any hidden ones until I felt them, Your Grace,” Ilni answered. “The seal has a mind of its own, after a fashion. It may harbor instructions that I know nothing about.”
Ansri hastened to add, “And if it does, this oath will remove their force. Her loyalties through me to you and to the Crown override them. We already swore loyalty to King Gerald with Sir Diur as our witness, but this face-to-face oath will ensure its hold over my sister.”
Rod glanced at me for confirmation, but I didn’t know, and looked toward the fairies and Pasrue. However, it was Gyges who backed her up.
“That is indeed how taming magic works on reasoning creatures, Your Highness. If she is bound to protect her sister and her sister’s obligations, then seeing their pledge of loyalty to you should break any lingering traces.”
After another exchange of glances with me, Rod gave them a nod. “Very well. I have heard your pledge. I will decide what role you will serve in the viceroyalty later. Please return to your seats.”
In the pause after that brief moment of pageantry, I waved to the staff to begin serving the meal, which began with a lovely serving of oysters that I would call ‘angels on horseback’ if they were wrapped in bacon before grilling. I’m not sure what one calls them when the wrapping is thin slices of marbled steak, but they were delicious.
Since I knew in advance that we would have matters to discuss, all the staff present were Servants, and it was probably their confidence in me that had them working near Ilni without any sign of nerves, despite having heard her species.
This had not been the topic I expected to discuss, though, so once we had dined on the first course, I decided to move things in that direction.
“Diurhimath, you said that matter was one of the subjects to discuss, which implies there are more.”
“There are,” he confirmed. “There’s the matter I originally intended to pursue independently of your war, that involves the residents of that town. As you effectively declared yourself their protector, I now must coordinate with you so that you don’t accidentally interfere with the plan.”
I pursed my lips, then noted, “It’s not that I declared myself, but that the law made me so, the moment you made them residents on my soil.”
He shrugged it off. “I will not dispute points of law as I have no modern legal knowledge.”
Okay, so he wasn’t pushing back against my authority. He is just trying to rescue his plan. Well, he had certainly invested quite a lot of effort in it.
While watching the server remove my appetizer plate, I directed, “So, tell me about this plan you don’t want me to spoil.”
Diur nodded. “It’s quite simple, Your Grace. These people represent a weapon the Demon Lord created to threaten your people and the future of your children. I’ve taken it from him, and now I shall point it back at him.”
I absorbed his words, turned them over in my head, and frowned.
“You’ll have them attack Parna?”
“Naturally, I’m only sending the soldiers,” he replied. “I’m using Oseri as a safe place for their family members.”
“Well, thank you for not sending their families!” I shot back. “That’s not what I’m concerned about! You do realize that we have entire armies facing Parna? What are you going to do with one mage unit?”
“They will not be ‘one mage unit’, Commander. They will be a company of Elder Servants following their Master into battle against their demonic adversary. Perhaps your memory of such formations has diminished?”
My frown didn’t fade.
“You’re not going to war on our side against the rebels?”
“The rebels against your kingdom are a mortal concern. We’re attacking the threat to you and your children.”
“Which means what?”
“Obviously, our target is the Demon Lord leading them.”
My emotional state shifted from concern to anxiety, manifesting as a large lump in my gut.
“Diur, you cannot just lead these people straight at the Demon Lord. This is not the same situation as Ilim Below! We defeated Zagolig because he stupidly placed himself in a weak position out of over-confidence. He didn’t expect to face opposition. Durash will be surrounding himself with upper class demons!”
“Naturally,” was his calm reply.
I looked at his four companions, then at Pasrue, his first Servant. None of them seemed at all concerned…
“Do you all understand what he is asking you to do?” I demanded.
Childe Ansri answered calmly, “Your Grace, Sir Diur has been quite frank with us. We are prepared.”
I can’t really express well just how frustrated I felt, knowing that the hold that the Blood Bond exerted on Servant minds could be driving them into a reckless plan.
“Are you prepared to die?” I challenged myself, not ready to accept the idea.
“I am thankful for your concern, Your Grace,” she answered. “Your consideration for those who have been so recently your enemies shows well your qualities as Duchess. Sir Diur has fully explained what we face, and the demons are a threat to those dear to us as well.”
“That does not justify throwing your lives away!” I retorted.
Colonel Dalil, who had remained silent for some time, cleared her throat.
“If Your Grace permits…”
My brow remained creased as I gave her my attention. “Do you disagree, Colonel?”
“With all due respect, Your Grace, I would not consider the mission so hopeless. The blood bond has raised our strength, and we have the support of Lady Ilni and Sir Diur. We are a serious threat, even to a Demon Lord.”
I stared at Diur, still unsatisfied, but he simply raised his chin and stayed silent.
“You must not throw away the lives of your Servants,” I stressed.
“I will not spend any life carelessly, Your Grace,” he replied, “But I will risk them and more to protect you and your children.”
My mouth twisted. I knew why he was so obsessed, why he kept bringing up the babies, but I still couldn’t accept his methods.
