Chapter 14
Journeys begin with a step
“MILORD, HIS EXCELLENCY REQUESTS your presence.”
Dohma looked up from the papers his sister had been showing him. The valet before him wore Duke’s livery but was very young. He was short, with a perfectly soft, smooth face with the friendly happy smile of a child raised in a good home. The boy’s name popped into his head on cue. “Of course, Brolle, I’ll attend at once.” Dohma handed the papers back to his sister, grinning. “Duty calls, Sis.” She frowned at him as he stood, stretching. Any excuse for getting away from paperwork. I can’t see how my brother and sister can spend all day looking at papers. Moving to follow the boy he asked, “Is he up yet?”
“No, milord. His appetite returns but he still has pains when he moves.”
Brolle lead him out of the palace and down the main road to Duke’s residence. Hard to believe it has only been three weeks since I walked this very path with guards at my back to order Duke to the palace. Now I give the orders and Duke is a trusted friend. Duke’s guards opened the residence’s gate on cue so that he didn’t have to break stride.
The courtyard was a very busy place. Two new hay carts had been shined and polished, their sides replaced with a fine-grained wood, oiled and rubbed to a beautiful rich look. The wheels had been painted a glossy black with red trim. If it weren’t for the gruesome materials being carefully arranged on the first cart he might have taken it for a party cart for an extravagant celebration. Instead, one cart was being loaded with the severed heads of the Nhia-Samri after a slip of paper had been rolled and inserted into each of their mouths.
The second cart held just as strange a sight. Four blacksmiths had been called in and instructed to use their thickest gloves in handling the odassi blades. They worked in pairs. Each blade was carefully lifted by one blacksmith and held in an exact position on an anvil. The second blacksmith would then position one of the commander’s odassi at a specific angle so the angled straight-edge at the tip was squarely across a symbol on a copper band that was at the base of the odassi blade. Then the two blacksmiths would look at each other to be sure each was ready. Finally the one holding the commander’s odassi would strike the back of the blade with a hammer, driving the commander’s blade through the copper band. The effects of this were dramatic to say the least. The commander’s blade would spark and glow red; the second blade would make a sound not unlike a cry of pain. Fire would explode from the symbol and the copper band would snap open; the blade fractured in a perfect line down the middle. When complete, the commander’s blade looked as if nothing happened. The other blade was split, and the copper band remained attached but with its edges curled outward. The broken blade would be placed in the cart reverently and then the process repeated. On the side of the yard were some other tools Duke had special-ordered, which would be used to break the band of the commander’s last blade when the last odassi band had been split.
Not really sure what it is about those blades, but seeing this I am not sure if I should be more afraid of them or that Duke knew how to do this. The boy ran ahead a little to open the door for him. Once again he walked through the beautiful foyer, which was a complete contrast to the scene in the yard. Following where the page pointed, he walked to another set of doors, which the page jumped ahead and opened for him. Stepping through the doors, he was in a grand hallway that lead to Duke’s private rooms. He marveled again at the size of the doors and the unique large handles that would allow Duke to open and close them himself if he wanted to. Everything in this place is scaled to Duke, which makes it just grand by design. Two guards were stationed at both ends of the hall as well as a pair flanking the large double doors to Duke’s sitting room. A guard quickly opened the door for him, letting him walk in unimpeded. The level of service Duke commands is amazing. These people serve him with a speed and rapidity I didn’t think possible, and they all love him, which tells much about that old wolf.
Ladro was sitting at a secretarial desk with two stacks of papers, one on each side, with a single sheet of paper before him, all destined for the mouths of those heads. Ladro put Duke’s seal on the one in front of him, placing it on the left stack and taking an identical paper from the right stack and carefully reviewing it. You really have a flair for dramatic overkill. I can imagine the effect of receiving a message stuffed in every mouth of the severed heads of their own men. Thank the Lord and Lady you are a friend and not an enemy.
Duke was lying propped up on his side on a pile of pillows in a large mound against one wall. The wolf’s head came up as he walked in. “Ah Lord Dohma, thank you for coming directly.”
“Excellency, I live to serve. What do you require?”
“I thought you should like to take a light snack with me and listen to a report I am about to get.”
Dohma noticed that a table had been placed near Duke’s head with a comfortable chair. The chair sat on the wall side of the table, angled to be able to observe the room as well as comfortably speak with Duke. “Both sound far more entertaining that what I was doing.”
Duke chuckled then winced. “Oh don’t make me laugh, my innards are still re-aligning and it hurts. I take it you were doing your administrative duty.”
Dohma took the initiative and sat down. “If that is a polite way of phrasing ‘boring paperwork’, you are most correct. I cannot imagine why any pirate would desire to take over a country. It is far too much work.”
Duke put his head down on a pillow that kept his head significantly raised. “And that is why Damega and possibly most of his ancestors ran away at every mention of resuming the throne. He felt he could serve people better by being with them, and he got to have an adventure or five.” Duke pinned him with a serious stare. “You, sir, need to learn to delegate.”
It was Dohma’s turn to laugh. “I know how to do this. I was Captain of the Guard after all. I know well the usefulness of empowered people. The problem is we still haven’t sorted out who we can trust. My family will not allow corruption to reign in our government again.”
Duke looked at him quietly for few moments. “Dohma, close your eyes.” It was a sign of how much he trusted Duke that he complied instantly without even thinking about it. “Now listen carefully, do not analyze anything. I want you to answer my questions with the first thing that comes to your head. Do not talk except to answer my questions.”
“Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now, what is your name?”
“Dohma Gerani.”
“How old are you?”
“Thirty-five.”
“What is your sister’s name?”
“Ellua Garana.”
“How old is your sister?” Duke went on, asking simple question after question. Every time he answered, Duke asked the next. There was no pause. Finally Duke asked. “Who should be Dockmaster?” Dohma answered instantly, “Baroness Morthan.” His eyes snapped open, looking at Duke, who was smiling.
“There you go — name Baroness Morthan Dockmaster. That is one job you can forget about.”
Dohma shook his head. “But we have not yet validated her family is not a pretender line.”
“You will find that Baroness Morthan herself comes from a true line. That she might have married a pretender line is not important. I believe her husband is dead, so her title remains from her marriage. She is likely a countess in her own right. Nonetheless you can trust her and her progeny with responsibilities. Does she have any adult children?”
Why did I name her? I don’t even know her. I think I met her once, maybe twice, for only a few moments. I did like her though. Thinking for a moment he recalled, “She has two sons, both serving as officers in the guard. They have both been favored by the weapons master with personal tutoring.” Which is why I made sure to meet the Baroness at a celebration party for the guards.
“So what should her sons do?”
“Well, Eorji would do well to oversee the tax enforcement office, and his brother Illiam really should remain in the guard. He will be an excellent career officer.” Wait, why did I say that? He looked at Duke, confused.
“I told you trust your instincts; they’ll be right. All you have to do is listen to yourself. Feel free to accelerate your research into these people to confirm your hunches, as it will make you more and more confident in your hunches in these matters. Now you have a Dockmaster and a head of tax collections. That should reduce the paperwork considerably.” Duke smirked at him.
“Sorry Excellency, this really is going to take some getting used to.”
“Oh of course it is. Now eat.”
Dohma looked down and the once-empty table was loaded with food and a selection of drinks. When did this get here? Duke’s staff is efficient… and too quiet sometimes; I guess when you have to keep from waking a wolf while working it’s only natural you’d get good at moving quietly and efficiently. He helped himself, as he really was hungry. While he was eating he looked around. Aside from Ladro continuing to check every page before affixing Duke’s seal, the room was empty. Duke was resting with his eyes closed, breathing softly and evenly. “Didn’t you say something about a report?”
“I did, but you came faster than I expected. It will still be another half-mark at least before Elades gets here with the report. So relax and enjoy a little rest, you’ve earned it. By the way, I have wanted to say you did a very stupid, commendable, brash and courageous thing leading your guards into the fight. It saved the day and many of our people. Thank you, but please don’t do it again till you have some rugrats.”
Dohma choked on his bite. Oh ya, I need to ensure the line. That will take some getting used to, too. “I had a hunch.”
Duke chuckled and grimaced again. “Ouch. More like you didn’t like being left out of the fight. You were in the right place at the right time, and willing to do what was needed. You’d have made a good Dagger.”
He enjoyed the swell of pride that came with that. High praise from Duke. He really takes Daggers very seriously. Dohma chewed on his food for a while, thinking about the Daggers and guards. “Excellency, I have been meaning to ask you. Did you really start the Daggers with Damega, like the pretenders said?”
Duke smiled. “I didn’t start them, I just continued them.”
“You can’t just drop that, it demands an explanation.”
Duke looked at him with a serious look in his eyes. “The Daggers are continuing an honorable and proud tradition of military service that goes back further than you would believe.”
“My ability to believe has had a lot of exercise recently. Try me.”
Duke moved to get more comfortable. “We have time, so alright, you get your wish. Just the short version though. Daggers, like the knives they are named after, are not just born — they are forged by masters over time with great care. If anything goes wrong they don’t become Daggers. All Daggers start learning a profession as they grow. All are very knowledgeable, and some are even learned scholars. Because they are the people they are, they see to the physical as well as the mental, and tend to end up getting some military experience in a guard or army somewhere. Then, if they want to be Daggers badly enough, are right in the head, and haven’t been perverted by their associations, they get picked up for more training by an experienced Dagger.”
Duke was looking at the ceiling and he lost himself in his explanation. His voice changed slightly, getting softer and somehow more dramatic. It seemed as if Duke were actually travelling further and further away and leaving only his voice behind to tell what had become of him. Dohma noticed that Ladro had not changed papers yet and was holding very still, with his head shifted to hear every word of the coming tale.
“Long ago I was just such a man. I was born to a family that had an honorable tradition of being Daggers so far back it was already lost in time and legend. Hell, one of my ancestors earned a Dukedom for his service. But although this made our family rich, he made sure his children grew up with the right values of honor, courage, and commitment; his children did the same. So it was that in my family we all served when our time came — woman or man, we served. I enjoyed the work, and though not necessary made a full career of it, rising to a very high rank before I became as you see me now.” Duke chuckled ironically. “In fact it was because of my commitment to the Dagger ideals that I stuck my nose in where I wasn’t supposed to and ended up as you see me now.
“You see, a disaster of a magnitude you would find hard to imagine was in progress. All our lands and those of the peoples of magic, including those of the Gods, were threatened with total destruction. The Gods, with the secret aid of our government, were trying desperately to find a way to save everyone or at least some. The result was that our people, along with many of our creatures, were migrated to many new lands with the help of the Gods and the peoples of magic. This was no small task, and it cost all dearly in lives as well as cultures and resources.
At first our original government and civilization held together and we worked with the Gods, elves, and dwarves to build cities and establish ourselves in this new land. It was then we discovered the unexpected results of living with magic we spoke of earlier. Our populations began to shrink and the resources needed to sustain our old ways were simply not feasible, given what was left in knowledge, power, and people to do the work. The old government and militaries started to break down. We did all we could to create a sustainable, safe society, and thus a new empire was born.”
Duke’s eyes glossed over as he went back in his mind. Dohma had one of those feelings. He is going to reveal something important. I must concentrate, this is a key.
“Eventually even that empire was too large to sustain itself and it began to fall. As a final effort to prevent total chaos, the Emperor created the concords which established the smaller kingdoms you now know. Damega learned all this and much more. It was he who showed me what I didn’t understand before. Damega was the one to finally break through my optimism for humanity and proved to me the true state of things. People are people, and a few thousand years wasn’t going to change that. It was humanity’s struggle against its greed and thirst for power which caused empires to fall and change. People are born with certain behaviors and attitudes built-in, which are filtered by their experiences through childhood events, resulting in adults of all types. Most are good, yet some are bad, and enough are really evil. Without a proper balance the majority of good people suffered at the hands of the truly evil controlling the bad. From time to time a hero emerged. But one person was not enough to balance the world. We were missing an organization of men and women with the abilities, training, and commitment to do whatever it took to do what was right. People committed to a higher standard, who could be looked up to and trusted by the majority of good people and feared by the bad and evil, keeping them from making bold sweeping moves. An organization that had to reach out across kingdom borders to touch all realms. That is when I realized every world needs Marines. You see, the three tenants of a Dagger are honor, courage, and commitment.
“Daggers are required to live and exemplify an ultimate standard in honorable ethical and moral conduct. Honor encompasses and requires many traits and behaviors. A Dagger must never cheat, steal, or lie, but that is not enough. Each Dagger must cling to an uncompromising code of personal integrity, accountable for their actions and holding others accountable for theirs; and above all, honor mandates that a Dagger never sully the reputation of being a Dagger.
“Then there is courage. Courage isn’t just blindly doing idiotic things for glory. For a Dagger courage is honor in action, a moral strength, willing to do what is right, regardless of the conduct of others. Courage means willingness to take a stand for what is right in spite of adverse consequences. Every day a Dagger can wake up and smile, knowing they did right and will do it again.
“Finally, Daggers have commitment, which is a total dedication to the Dagger ideals and to the world as a whole. Some call it ‘all for one and one for all’. But that is too simple an explanation, because commitment includes the ideal that if you want a job done right you give it to a Dagger. To a Dagger, commitment is a combination of a relentless dedication to excellence and selfless determination. Daggers never give up, never give in, never willingly accept second best. Excellence is always the unachievable goal that must never be forgotten or abandoned. There is no such thing as an ex-Dagger — once a Dagger, always a Dagger, because commitment never dies.
“I was a career Dagger officer and I tried to live by that standard always. But after coming here I had become the hero, just one soul, who could only be one place at a time. Damega showed me we needed Daggers everywhere.
“I taught him all I was, all I knew, and he embraced it like none I have ever seen before or after. He was an unbelievably good template for others to work towards. I was only the trainer; Damega was this world’s first true Dagger, son.”
Duke sat silently and Dohma noticed tears beading off of Duke’s eyes. He misses Damega. If Damega was the first Dagger then Duke probably thinks of him as a son; which means he had an argument with his son and went away, only to… Dohma sat up as the realization hit him. The pretenders said Shar-Lumen delivered Damega’s dead body. Oh Lord — in Duke’s eyes Shar-Lumen killed his son! Worse, he killed him before they made up. Dohma sat respectfully quiet, watching Duke in his silent remembrances of things long past.
Duke pretended to adjust the pillow, but Dohma knew he was cleaning his eyes. Duke’s ear twitched. “Ladro.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Get back to work.”
“Yes sir.” Ladro smiled and put Duke’s seal on the document in front of him, grabbing the next.
I wonder if Ladro knew this all before. Still there is something I wonder, which will distract him from his mourning of Damega. “Why did you call them Daggers instead of Marines?”
Duke’s eyes snapped open and he looked at Dohma for a minute. “How do you know that name?”
“You said, ‘That is when I realized every world needs Marines.’”
Duke chuckled and grimaced again. “I need to watch it around you. After nearly fifteen thousand years this place had forgotten that name and many others. There was a pattern here of calling mercenaries Blades, brokers Hands, and so on. So using a name like Green Berets, Seals, Star Legion or Marines would not have invoked any special feeling, and hell, I haven’t seen a beret since just after the migration, why the hell would I want to introduce that silly headwear again? Damega came up with the idea of sticking his dagger in the table to call attention to himself over other mercenaries. Those we started training did the same, so calling them ‘Daggers’ just made sense.”
Thankfully, before Duke could go back to remembering, Elades stepped into the room. Duke looked at him and nodded.
“Excellency and Lord Dohma, we have broken the code used by the Nhia-Samri. We have deciphered most of the materials captured when we took the Llino Outpost.”
Duke smiled. “First, what was that bird carrying?”
“Sir, the bird’s message was ‘abort and track.’”
“So the whole mess with Ticca at the gate would not have happened; which means we wouldn’t have been able to track them down so efficiently. Excellent, this will make sending the commander’s odassi home so much funnier as they won’t know he didn’t get the order. Continue.”
“The majority of the materials are expected logistics. We now are aware of two other outposts nearby. One is situated to record all merchant traffic.”
Duke nodded. “That is not surprising. Monitoring the merchant traffic will reveal much about who is in favor and not. Anything else?”
“Two items of extreme importance, sir. The first is that we have answered two of your primary objectives. Specifically, who killed Magus Vestul and why.” Elades pulled out a paper and held it to read it directly. “‘Llino Outpost, you are instructed to intercept Magus Vestul before he meets with Duke. He is carrying vital information on his person in his pouch at all times. The pouch is to be seized and sent to Hisuru Amajoo unopened. In no way is a Nhia-Samri to come into direct contact with Magus Vestul, and anyone not Nhia-Samri involved is to be eliminated without a trace.’”
Duke started a low rumbling growl. “That answers why but not who.”
“Sir, according to the reports, the second-in-command, by the name of Ossa-Ulla, hired a Knife named Keelun who vanished at the same time Magus Vestul did. They suspected Ticca intercepted him since she publicly wore Magus Vestul’s pouch the next day. She trapped them by hiring a mage named Lebuin who blocked their assassination attempt on her to recover the pouch. They were not sure if Magus Vestul was dead or alive. The final report, addressed to a Warlord Maru-Ashua, written for delivery when the documents were recovered, suggests the theory that Magus Vestul hired Ticca prior to coming to Llino. Ticca arrived early and pretended to be inexperienced while making similar arrangements with Magus Lebuin, who they also suggest is a Guild special operative, perhaps even a Dagger himself. Ossa-Ulla is blamed with falling for the entire trap and exposing their presence; the commander also accepts blame for not more directly overseeing Ossa-Ulla and allowing this to happen.”
Duke’s tail wagged in spite of the growling. “This is very good news — one of ours completely foiled them. But if correct, she failed to protect Magus Vestul. She could not know of the Nhia-Samri element until too late and that would throw any Dagger for a loop if unexpected. Hell, I didn’t know they were here. This has been a very surprising trip. But why didn’t she just report to me if she was working with Vestul? We have confirmed she is carrying his pouch, so she must still be operating under some instructions we are unaware of. He was coming to give me something important. Now we know it is some kind of data, most likely that damned research project he has been so secretive about for the last few decades. But how did Shar-Lumen learn about it when even I didn’t know?”
Elades looked slightly worried. Duke picked up on it. “There is more, what is it?”
“Sir I don’t think we killed Ossa-Ulla. The local commander wanted to kill him for his mistakes but Warlord Maru-Ashua wouldn’t condone the request. Instead he was demoted and the commander sent him out on a mission outside Llino the day before you started the hunt.”
Duke did not look happy. “Details, please.”
“Sir, Ossa-Ulla was ordered to take an additional agent and proceed to Algan to burn Magus Vestul’s home to insure any possible copies of the information sought would not fall into your possession. He was to then proceed to Rhini Wood and gather intelligence on just who Ticca is, before reporting back to the outpost just east of Llino. He left via the Delivery Channel using something they call a breather.”
“God damn it! When the hell did they get scuba gear? We have been letting ships out since before the hunt after careful inspection. If they have scuba gear there is no need to be on or near the ship he could just wait at the gate.”
“Sir?”
Duke looked at Elades. “Sorry. Scuba gear allows one to carry a supply of air underwater. There is no need to surface and one can stay underwater a very long time undetected. It is pretty complicated and I thought forgotten.”
Elades frowned “Sir, Ticca was supposedly heading to Breorchy and that is in the general direction of Algan.”
Duke’s eyes went wide. “She is going to Algan to recover everything! Ossa-Ulla and another Nhia-Samri are also going there. I bet he is pissed off enough to try to trap her. How good are Nigan and Risy? And didn’t you say Lebuin was still in town?”
Elades nodded. “Lebuin is at his father’s merchant house with his servant. They haven’t been able to arrange a ship due to the blockade and such. As to Nigan and Risy, they are good but probably not good enough yet.”
“Fetch Lebuin now.” As Elades darted out of the room Duke looked at Ladro. “Ladro, arrange a covered wagon with four post horses and fill it with pillows. I am going to go to Algan as fast as possible.”
Ladro looked up. “Sir, you need to heal.”
“Damn it! I’ll heal en route. In fact, I’ll likely be able to move faster than the wagon on my own in another week. Time is wasting, go now.” Ladro grabbed the stack of sealed papers and exited quickly.
Dohma was thinking when Duke interrupted his thoughts. “Have you finished reading the city instructions?”
“I ran through them quickly, but I couldn’t quote you any of it.”
“You need to be able to open and close the gates and turn off the defenses when you are ready; any issues with the commands?”
“No, I know where to look and the pronunciation guide is straightforward enough.”
“I would like for you to see me off to the gate. I want to make sure you can open and close it. I’ll be taking this Lebuin with me. He is central to this somehow. Oh, and for all the Gods’ sake, do not ever cuss and request something of the city. In fact tell your whole family that cussing is not allowed ever again for them. I cannot be sure what the city will do if you get spitting mad and start yelling out commands in any language.”
He looked at Duke, confused.
Just then the guard opened the door and all four blacksmiths were there.
Duke looked at him. “It would take too long to explain. I’ll explain it later, if not to you, to your great-grandchildren.” He then looked at the blacksmiths. “Tell me you cut the correct one last?”
“Yes Excellency. We took special care before doing it.”
One of the smiths produced another split odassi. “We brought both for your inspection.” They brought the two swords close to Duke so he could inspect them.
“Very good. All the others are done and counted?” The smiths all nodded. “Good, any final questions on the last process?”
They all looked worried but answered. “No, we understand.”
“Very good, everything else is proceeding well. Go ahead, there will be no further need of that.”
The smiths nodded and left, leaving only Duke and Dohma in the room. Duke looked over at him. “Any more questions?”
Dohma leaned back with a glass of wine. “Thousands, but for now I think you need the rest and I need to think. Should I stay longer?” he asked hopefully.
Duke nodded and smiled. “If it won’t be too much of a bother. I’d like you to be here for the interview with Lebuin.” With that he put his head down and closed his eyes.
Ladro came back in quietly and sat down at the desk, continuing to process the papers. It was less than a mark before Elades came back with a very odd look. Dohma looked closely at the man. He’s embarrassed about something. I wonder if Lebuin already got out of the city.
“Sir.”
Duke lay there, waiting. “Yes, Commander? You look like you got caught sneaking off with the cookies. What is it?”
“Sir, Lebuin wasn’t there. Ticca really pulled an excellent switch.” He waved his hand to the guard at the door and two men walked in. The tall one was dressed in simple clothing bearing the Mage’s Guild sigil. The other wore an excellent double-breasted blue vest over a light blue silk shirt with large pleated sleeves, loose gray leggings tucked neatly into shiny light brown riding boots with silver buckles. However, both had wide belts with swords, fighting knives and a dagger prominently displayed. “Sir, these are Nigan and Risy.”
The taller one stepped up. “Excellency, I am Risy, Dagger in service to Journeyman Lebuin. This is my partner.”
The shorter, well-dressed dagger did a half-bow. “I am Nigan, Dagger in service to Journeyman Lebuin.”
Duke just stared at them for a minute and everyone started looking a little uncomfortable. Finally he sat up slightly. “Risy, you are not in service to Ticca or Magus Vestul?”
“No Sir, Ticca is our commander and we are all in service to Journeyman Lebuin, although technically our service is up. Still, we felt we should try to complete the original objective, just in case.”
“Can you tell me your mission, please?”
“I don’t see why not. Journeyman Lebuin just earned his badge, sir. He has some rival in the Guild who has caused some Knives to be on his tail to trip him up. He hired Ticca to help him with the Knives and to see him safely through some quest for a new type of magic for the Guild. Ticca hired us to impersonate Lebuin and Ditani, laying a false trail while she snuck them out for the primary objective. We were only to be a target and to get a chance to have at some Knives. After that our coin is done, and I think with where everything is we did a good job, sir.”
Duke was looking at the floor, mumbling, “Ditani, Ditani…could it be?” He looked up at Risy. “You do look like him. Boys, you did a very good job. In fact too good. With this information you must forgive earlier comments I may have made about you abandoning Ticca to fight alone at the gate. I now see that it was Lebuin and Ditani whom she was buying time for. Elades, go get that cart ready; we must leave as soon as possible. Tell Bravo they are to assume primary role here, Alpha is going with me. Alpha, prepare and report in at the west gate in one mark. The remaining Daggers will take orders from Lord Dohma until my return.” Elades left at a sprint. Looking back at Nigan and Risy, he added, “You boys missed a good fight.”
Nigan smiled wickedly. “No chance of that, sir. We wouldn’t miss the preliminary skirmish for nothing. We slipped in with the guards and helped protect Lord Dohma here. And as you are heading after Ticca, if it is all the same to you sir we’d like to join up — might be more fighting.”
“Your service honors me. No time to go back to the Dolphin, and I assume you gave Lebuin and Ditani all your gear. You’ll find all the gear you might need and some horses in my stables. Pack for maneuvers and report to the west gate in one mark.”
Dohma just stared at the two Daggers in shock. They were in my guards just for a fight and protected me? Now they want to follow Duke to help Ticca. My Lord, Daggers really are living up to what Duke described. Then the first part hit. “Preliminary skirmish?”
Duke saw the look on Dohma’s face and started laughing hard. “Oh ouch! Don’t make me laugh, damn it!”
Sayscia wrote a few instructions for the healers on the supply report. Setting her quill down she carefully set the report in the stack of similar papers for her secretary. Looking at the desk she sighed. So many wounded beyond our abilities, I can’t believe another war is starting. She was reaching for another report when she heard the familiar tread approaching in the hall. Smiling she leaned back and waited.
After placing a pack just outside the door Boadua came into her office dressed in sturdy brown leather riding pants. She had a cream-colored cotton shirt on under hard-formed leather armor which protected her chest and back, with a leather skirt to protect her thighs. Over this she wore a wide belt with a short sword and belt pouch. On the front of her belt she had a dagger with a lovely silver pommel; its ivory hilt engraved with intertwining vines and winged cross-guard sheathed in another carved piece of ivory with intertwining leaves and flowers.
Sayscia looked at the travel pack resting on the floor behind Boadua in the hall just outside the door. Lady she means to leave. Sayscia stood and looked at Boadua seriously. Boadua looked fit and ready in her old costume; yet she stood uneasily looking at Sayscia holding a neatly folded green cloth over her right arm.
Boadua stood straight, looking Sayscia in the eye. Sayscia knew what it all meant and that there was no chance of changing Boadua’s mind. Boadua carefully placed a golden-chained amulet on the desk and held out the green cloth. Sayscia’s eyes watered, her heart felt heavy and her spirit sank taking in the stance of her friend and trusted second.
“Duke is leaving, and Alpha Squad needs a senior medic.”
Sayscia stepped around her desk and gently took the green priestess’s mantle from Boadua. “You are still a priestess of Dalpha.”
“I am a Dagger first, Sayscia. You, more than most, know what that means.”
Sayscia sighed. “Yes, Boadua, I do. Commitment never dies.”
Boadua shook her head. “No, it doesn’t.”
Sayscia didn’t bother with the traditional parting. She grabbed Boadua in both arms and squeezed her hard through the leather armor. Boadua returned the hug generously. “You stay out of the fighting. You’re the medic, so you have to be there to put them back together. If you get yourself killed you can’t do that.”
Boadua sniffled and then held Sayscia at arm’s length, by the shoulders, looking at her eye-to-eye. “You aren’t my commander now. But, I promise you I’ll do everything possible to bring them, and myself, back.”
“You can take all you need from the temple supplies.”
Boadua smiled. “Thank you, I have.”
They both laughed and wiped tears from their eyes.
“Very well, but I also want you to take this.” Sayscia moved quickly to the storage locker on the side wall. Opening it she took out a leather pouch and filled it with a number of small individual vial boxes, each one containing a precious vial of Dalpha’s Draught, sealed and packed in the box with cotton felt. This store was part of the war preparations Sula had ordered on her arrival. Turning, Sayscia held out the pouch.
Boadua looked at her for a moment, then took the pouch and slung it over one shoulder carefully. “I’ll try to not need to use these.”
“I know. But better to be prepared, right? Plan for the worst, expect the best?”
Boadua nodded. “Thank you for not making this difficult.”
Sayscia waved her out. “Just make sure you come back. If you get yourself killed I’ll be seriously mad at you when we next meet. This isn’t ‘goodbye’, just ‘until we next meet’.”
Boadua nodded, smiling. “Until we next meet.” She turned and stepped out, grabbing her pack, and walked off rapidly towards the front of the Temple, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.
Sayscia rolled the green mantle into a tight roll and hugged it for a time. Her work forgotten, she stepped out into the hall and started walking. In her mind she reviewed all that had passed in the last few cycles. Sula, Dalpha’s own daughter, arriving without warning — at first she’d felt it was a blessing for the Temple. But, Sula had immediately ordered preparations which could only be for a war or worse. They labored to find and train new acolytes, and to prepare large quantities of medical supplies. Then Sula had started going out on mysterious business. After one of those outings Sula had returned with Magus Cune and introduced him as her direct agent saying the Temple was to send notice to all of Dalpha’s hospices to give Magus Cune anything he asked for without question.
Then a box was delivered that contained sealed messages. The first message scared her to the core, as it accurately described events that happened the next day, warning that every care was to be taken to not take actions without Sula’s or Dalpha’s approval, as the consequences could lead to the destruction of everything she knew. Sula then had shared that she had hired a new, inconsequential hunter-Dagger to identify specific people and place a tracking hook keyed to Sula and Cune.
Cycles of careful preparations followed, and then came the whole emergency rush to heal a new Journeyman. That servant called Ditani had just ran into the Temple, unceremoniously grabbing Dalpha’s Light, handing it to her, and pushing her physically out while screaming she had to move faster to heal Lebuin. Sula, who had walked out into this and with only a single look had taken up the servant’s side, had provided the last physical push through the doorway to the hospice and then dodged back into the Temple as if she needed to hide.
Then the revelation that the great Magus Vestul had died, knowing he was to die, and was also the source of the mysterious packets of information. She’d discovered Sula crying publicly in the Temple the next morning and had consoled her as she cried for a full day after that, occasionally calling out Vestul’s name and asking her mother what could possibly be so important to require such a sacrifice. How Dalpha herself had come into the Temple and asked to be left alone with her daughter. After that interview Sula had radiated rage and determination. Sula’s rage had cooled, but the new determination in her eyes never wavered.
Sayscia didn’t pay attention to where she was going. She realized she had climbed the entire stair to the tall tower without noticing the journey. From the high tower over the Temple Sayscia saw that the dock gates were open once again. She watched dozens of ships preparing to or already setting sail. Looking at the docks, she smiled, seeing them once again busy with commerce. Squeezing the green fabric in her hand, more tears came to her eyes. She stepped to the western side of the tower and looked out into the distance. She saw, just over the western wall, what could only be Duke’s carriage heading west, escorted by a thirty warriors on horse. The western and southern gates were open and farmers were bringing in much-needed food for the city. Her eyes tried to find one particular Dagger with Duke; she found her by the color of her snowcap blanket, appaloosa horse, and the green cloak she wore, which was the same color as the mantle Sayscia held. Lady, watch over her and let her come home.
“She’ll be back.”
“You don’t know that, Holy One.”
Sula stepped up to the bannister with her. “She rides as if born to it.”
Sayscia laughed. “She was, and she had much practice over the years.”
“Duke has cleaned the city of Nhia-Samri, and now goes to help Ticca and then kill more.”
Sayscia nodded. “Yes, Holy One. Please watch over her.”
Sula put her hand on Sayscia’s shoulder. “I have Magus Cune’s help. I will do what I can.”
Sayscia nodded and softly said, “Once a Dagger, always a Dagger.”
Sula was gone and the platform was empty; alone, she watched as Magus Cune rode up to the Temple on a huge black warhorse with white socks, leading another stallion, which was a beautiful cream color. Both horses had travel packs and gear. Magus Cune also had a backpack that looked a little heavy, a large black sword swung at his side and a black-hilted dagger with a pentagon pommel on the front of his belt. Sula came out of the Temple and walked gracefully down the stairs, taking the reins of her horse from Magus Cune and mounting smoothly. The two of them rode down the street towards the west gate.
Just at the corner Sula stopped and looked back up at Sayscia. Sayscia felt her heart warm with hope as Sula smiled and held her hand high. Sayscia held hers up in return.
She stayed there on the tower, watching the western road until long after even the dust trails of Sula and Magus Cune had vanished. She realized a warm presence had been with her as she watched. She turned around, and behind her stood a tall woman who looked much like Sula except she had blazing red hair that fell in curls past her shoulders; she was wearing a simple green dress of woven wool that covered her from her neck to the floor. On her wrist was a beautiful shining bracelet of woven gold and silver over black leather gloves that went almost to her elbow over the dress’s long sleeves. A golden chain belt wrapped her waist, with a sapphire buckle that allowed the ends of the belt to hang down to her knees in front. Around her neck, over the dress, was a simple golden chain with a medallion made of a large sapphire with the same symbol as that was etched over every door and altar in the Temple. She wore a simple, soft, loving smile that extended to her brilliant emerald green eyes, which were slightly larger than normal.
“It is not over Sayscia, it is only begun. You have done well and we have hope. The first step has been made and the ground is solid.”
Sayscia knelt, holding out Boadua’s mantle. “Lady Dalpha, Boadua has left to go with the Daggers, as their medics were killed. Though she has resigned, please do not forsake her.”
“Sayscia, be at peace in your heart. All the Gods are watching with great concern and care. Boadua remains my servant as much as my Lord’s servant. She burns with commitment, honor, and courage. She is doing as her soul tells her and is deeply respected for this. All must do this now if we are to have hope. Rise, you of all my faithful need not bend knee to me.”
Sayscia stood and looked into the eyes of her Goddess, Dalpha, seeing and understanding that all the Gods would help if needed and possible. Her heavy heart lifted with hope.
“Good, you understand. You must now burn all the packages left to you by Magus Vestul. There is danger in their continued existence with my daughter gone.”
“What of the unopened one?”
“There is the one you know of and three more in the vault that were hidden from all. They must be destroyed as well. Fear not, our Lord knows their contents if needed. Burn them in the great fire, collect the ashes and mix them, then sprinkle them into the river below.”
“Yes My Lady, your will.” Sayscia moved to the stairs and just before she started to go down she saw that Dalpha had moved to the same spot where she had been standing and was looking westerly. Even the Gods are worried. With that, she hurried down to the Temple to destroy all the precious knowledge which they had been given, and which had saved so many lives already.