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"description": "Suggested donation $2 if you think it's worth it.\n\nAh, little Ela... born a slave, now the princess of an earldom, she's taken the name Elaria to better fit with her station, and she's all grown up. Well, by medieval standards anyway; as the story begins, she's a couple months shy of sixteen. Still, it's time for her to get out and start a life of her own, which she does, and it's certainly an interesting journey.",
"description_bbcode_parsed": "Suggested donation $2 if you think it's worth it.
Ah, little Ela... born a slave, now the princess of an earldom, she's taken the name Elaria to better fit with her station, and she's all grown up. Well, by medieval standards anyway; as the story begins, she's a couple months shy of sixteen. Still, it's time for her to get out and start a life of her own, which she does, and it's certainly an interesting journey.",
"writing": "Fantasie Eviscerotique\n\nEpisode Three\n\nBy Adrian VanWormer (Kathalla at FA and IB)\n\nChapter 1\n\n\tElaria, Princess Gatuque, straightened up from where she’d been stretching against the floor of her room, lifting herself by her palms and bringing her split legs together, heels still inches off the carpet, until the fur of her calves met with that of her forearms, only then bending her knees to stand. She lifted her arms then, hands each grasping the other’s wrist, and stretched for the sheer pleasure and relaxation of it, back arching as it hadn’t throughout the more formal, limbering exercises she’d just finished. She glanced toward the altar in one corner of the chamber, fluffy mementos neatly arranged around the centerpiece of a long, curved dagger on a small stand of ebony, the black wood polished to an almost mirror-like gleam, then sighed. As much as the first half of her morning exercises relaxed and calmed her, the internal struggles that had crowded her waking mind were merely diminished, not forgotten, and she resolved quietly, “I’ll pray about it... later.” She had another workout waiting for her, she knew, and she smoothed down her light robe from where it had been bunched up indecently high by her splits.\n\n\tShe nodded to various people as she passed them in the hall, giving servants and the representatives of great trading families equal regard, but added a wink, which was returned with a wide smile, as she passed the armed and armored unicorn guarding the top of a narrow flight of stairs. There was a lot of speculation, among those in the embassy not in her immediate family or their closest friends, as to just what went on in the high-walled courtyard her father had ordered constructed when he first took his position, with no windows opening onto it and local soldiers protecting its sanctity. Most of the strangers’ guesses focused on sex, starting with massive orgies and descending steadily in depravity, and they were even, quite accidentally, occasionally correct in one or two details, but none came particularly close. The hard-packed dirt she stepped out onto at the bottom of the stairs was her family’s private practice ground, as well as the training area for the New Vale Militia Elite. Three of the latter were waiting for her, the largest of the figures greeting her with a half-bow and a basso rumble of, “Good morning, Princess... are you ready for your spanking?”\n\n\tAround her eleventh and twelfth years, Elaria had undergone a brief masochistic phase... Back when she’d simply been Ela, and a slave besides, the wolf who’d bought her had never actually punished her as her earlier trainers had, and she’d found she actually missed the stimulation of a sharp swat or twenty. She still enjoyed that, on occasion, though she’d grown out of almost needing a bit of pain to climax, and, once her tutoring in combat had passed basic physical conditioning and moved on to actual weapons-work, she’d surprised more than one sparring partner by offering a deliberate gap in her defense, only to fill it the moment they swung their wooden blade with the curve of her rump. Within months, teaching her had come to be known as ‘spanking the princess,’ and one of the points rumors met truth at was that, perhaps once every week or two, a sparring session proved stimulating enough for her and her partner that they both discarded their weapons and grappled in another manner entirely.\n\n\t“As ready as I’ll ever be, Captain,” she replied with a grin as she untied the sash of her robe, “though you should know by now that just who spanks whom is never certain. How’s your leg?”\n\n\tThe burly unicorn winced at her reminder, then shrugged, “I can walk on it again, or I wouldn’t be here... I still don’t know how you got enough leverage to hit that hard. The healer said I was lucky to get off with a torn hamstring; if your sword hadn’t been made of wood, I’d have lost the whole leg.”\n\n\tShrugging out of her robe and folding it loosely to set on the low bench beside the practice gear, the nude vixen smiled and picked up her blade, “I simply took full advantage of this design... Short as it is, this kind of sword is meant to be used equally well with one hand or two, but that can apply to more than just strikes. After I’d darted between your legs, I held it with one hand at full extension to tap the ground and draw your attention the wrong way, then got both arms behind the swing that took you down, from the other side.”\n\n\tThe captain’s memory of the pain of that strike faded in immediacy as he thought her described motions through, then nodded, “I understand, now... and should I ever feel the breeze of you passing my codpiece again, I’ll do my damnedest to get the hell out of your range rather than listen for your landing.”\n\n\tElaria smirked, “What codpiece? I think you were looking forward to one of the ‘bonuses’ I occasionally hand out, and had skipped that; I distinctly remember getting a very pleasant view as I passed.” She shared a chuckle with the other two unicorns at his blush, then stepped away from the bench to take her place in the middle of the yard. The sword she held a wooden replica of was of no design she’d ever seen in use before in any of her travels, but had instead been drawn from a truly ancient tome which a long-dead unicorn scholar had been in the middle of translating at the particular moment when Malia magically gathered his entire race together to form the Vale. It sported roughly two feet of actual blade, just a bit shorter than a more typical longsword, but unlike the local standard it had only one edge, and was slightly curved as well. The guard beneath was simple and round, and its hilt was longer than any one-handed sword’s, wrapped in knotted strips of cotton rather than leather, wire, or textured wood, over a rawhide base that offered enough roughness to keep the cloth from sliding around while still managing a bit of give to conform to a grip.\n\n\tThose assisting her training had searched long and hard before finding that design, but it seemed to be paying off. With a more average sword, as soon as she’d grown strong enough for her father to take a hand in her lessons she’d just as quickly started to develop some... less than optimal habits. No matter how he restrained himself, Earl Gatuque’s sheer strength called for a somewhat more braced defense than usual for swordplay. Though such let her hold her own, at least when Ferrl was holding back, the way she’d get her sword into position just a fraction of a second too early, allowing her to prepare for a coming impact, gave lesser fighters an opportunity to adjust mid-swing and avoid her block entirely. Now, though, the rounded spine of her sword let her brace it with her free hand, and judicious use of the weapon’s curve let her throw some uncertainty into the exact moment of a block’s impact. Those who’d thought to use the time it took for her to prepare for each block against her, thus, just as often found the tables turned, as either the base of her blade intercepted theirs an instant earlier than expected or its back-curved tip being missed entirely as she twisted a ‘block’ into an unexpected strike of her own.\n\n\t“So, how shall we practice today?” Elaria asked as she finally stepped away from the bench and into the yard proper, her sword held easily despite its weight. It had taken some magic to accomplish without cost to the practice weapon’s durability, but the already-heavy hardwood was actually hollow, its center filled with enough lead to add up to nearly a third again the weight of the real, folded steel version that was still being forged. She hardly noticed that anymore, though, and probably didn’t realize herself the cause behind the habitual, frowning glance she directed for the briefest moment at her tense-muscled arm.\n\n\tThe leader of the unicorns following her, however, did spot that grimace, and he hid one of his own, if of sympathy, as he looked her over once more... In the years since the Vale had opened to carefully-screened visitors, he’d seen his share of vulpines, and had watched as Ela, as a slim and undeniably attractive cub, had grown into her current, less than optimal self. To be certain, he liked how she looked, but he could understand why she might not share his point of view, grounded as it was in the martial ardor that had brought him to his current rank among his homeland’s elite. Others, he knew, would take one look at her bulky, hard-muscled body and distinctly small, if pert, breasts and immediately dismiss her as ‘unvixenish.’\n\n\tBefore the captain could voice his own choice for the morning’s rules of engagement, a new and deeper voice interrupted firmly, “Three on one, to debilitating pain. It’s time for a test.” Standing at the bottom of the stairs was the earl himself, and his gaze was serious as he addressed his daughter, “The tome from which your sword’s design came had more to say about it than just its shape... It was also a symbol of an elite warrior caste in the land it came from, the physical representation of a fighter’s personal honor, and such swords had to be earned. Yours is ready... if you prove worthy of it.”\n\n\tEla swallowed visibly, nodding, “I shall try my best, Father,” and stepped toward the center of the courtyard. Two on one, she could win a bit more than half the time unless both of her foes were of captain rank or higher... but even three corporals could prove beyond her on a bad day, the Vale elite’s ranks based rigidly on actual combat ability. She was judged a sergeant, herself, the rank being honorary even if the tests had been identical to a real militiaman’s, and she thought she could pass the lieutenant’s exam if she tried... Thinking about the past, though, was eroding her confidence, and she knew it. ‘There is only the now,’ she thought firmly to herself, emptying her mind of those distracting memories. ‘No odds are impossible; the only thing separating the victor from the fallen is the focus they bring to the fight.’\n\n\t“Don’t hold back,” Ferrl cautioned the soldiers as they spread out, limbering their own weapons as they took up positions around his daughter. “I ask that you do not kill her... but any hesitation or held blows to make the fight more ‘fair’ will only mean that she has to go through it again. Fight with all of your valor and honor, for only that can let hers fully shine through.”\n\n\tThe soldiers nodded as they took their final positions, spread out in an arc about fifteen feet from their opponent and each other, but the vixen herself showed no reaction at all, her eyes focused on nothing in particular to better watch them all, her sword held low with both hands, one wrapped around the other... That wasn’t the ‘right’ grip to fight with, but, like her unfocused gaze, it offered no hint as to which direction she might be thinking of moving in; which hand was above the other in a two-pawed grip did much to define her options where strikes and blocks were concerned, and she clearly had no intention of offering any sort of clue in advance of action itself.\n\n\tThe captain was in the middle, facing her directly, and began a cautious advance, even as his comrades, a lieutenant and a sergeant, stepped up more quickly from either side. Elaria crouched, still facing her central foe, then leapt to the side the lieutenant was coming from, half-spinning through the air. One hand released her practice sword to sweep in the opposite direction, doing much to halt her twist even before her leading foot had touched the ground again, and her blade itself came in just above the unicorn’s sword. He wasn’t quite as ambidextrous as she, fighting sword-and-dagger, and his failed block had been with his longer weapon out of sheer reflex. The princess’ sudden assault, though, obviously had more thought behind it than he had the luxury for, and the edge of her sword struck his left forearm hard enough to knock the dagger from its grasp. The impact stung, of course, but wasn’t quite enough to count as ‘debilitating pain,’ and his own rigorous training led him to instinctively twist his remaining weapon, turning his failed block into a torso-strike since it was already well within her guard.\n\n\tEla had aimed to avoid his sword, but certainly hadn’t forgotten it; her empty hand came back around to bash the flat of the blade down hard enough to wrench the wrist that held it and completely ruin its attack of opportunity, incidentally drawing both of her own arms away from her body’s center to leave a gap for her trailing leg, which caught up with and passed the rest of her in a lashing kick to the soldier’s belly, his leather armor doing nothing to keep him from doubling over and allowing her to follow up with a second kick directly to his chin. Dust billowed as he was knocked over flat on his back, his wooden sword clattering as it bounced away from him, and what little breath he had left to him whooshed out an instant later as she brought her own sword down, hard, against his ribs then spun away to face her remaining foes.\n\n\tFerrl nodded to himself as he watched. Strong as she was, his daughter was still quite small compared to her opponents; he’d taught her to show compassion and mercy when such was warranted, but he was equally satisfied to see that she knew when being ‘nice’ was an unaffordable luxury. In such an imbalanced contest such as this, anything less than her ruthless best would do her enemies’ job for them.\n\n\tHer initial seizure of the aggressor's role had let her plan the take-down she’d just executed, but her other two foes were nearly upon her now, and all Ela could do was react. The sergeant and the captain were taking turns, the officer with his two-handed sword and his subordinate sporting a longsword and small shield, and they moved with the coordination that only long practice together could grant, their strikes alternating even as they maneuvered to sandwich the vixen between them. The first hints of sweat were already dampening her fur, the fight barely a minute old, as she blocked, spun, and blocked again before jumping backwards to keep them both in view, and she thought she saw the larger unicorn’s eyes narrow slightly as she did so... A fleeting surge of amusement rippled the calmness of her battle trance, and she blocked one more blow from each of the burly equines before they flanked her evenly again, half-crouching in the clear suggestion of another backwards leap. It was the captain’s ‘turn’ to strike, and strike he did, but his long blade, slower than most despite the speed his massive muscles could impart, found only air where he’d been expecting to catch the midpoint of her next leap back. Rather than leap at all, she’d lunged forward and away, one long stride seeing well away from him and at his compatriot’s shield-side, and a second, shorter step setting up for a full three-quarter circle spin to bring her sword, gripped tight in both hands, around to slash from his front. The sergeant raised sword and shield to block, the former a bit awkwardly as he’d been focused on his own next strike, but between the spin and both her arms’ strength, they did little to mute her blow, his practice blade shattering in a burst of splinters and his shield cracked in twain along with the bones beneath it.\n\n\tHer spin had also offered the chance for a quick glance at what her chief opponent was up to, and he wasn’t standing idle; one step in her direction closed half the distance between them, and he’d let his sword lag a bit behind to sweep forward and up in a two-handed blow nearly as unstoppable as her own, so she didn’t even try to block. Releasing her lower hand’s grip from her own weapon, she flung herself backwards, spine arched as the fur of her belly fluttered with the wind of the near-miss’ passage. She followed through, kicking into a handspring then back to her feet, and some part of her marveled at how very like her father the last standing unicorn was. Halting and recovering from his own swing would have taken any lesser fighter long enough for her to be the first back into position, but as she was just getting upright again he was already recovered and starting the second of his strides to close the distance... not that he would, at least not completely. Another swipe of his five-foot blade was already on the way, and a second flicker of admiration crossed her consciousness as she noted the spacing involved, too close to leap away from but too far to rush past, even though she was still clearly off-balance and couldn’t do either. All she could do, and did, was grab the spine of her sword with her free hand and bring it up hard with both, intercepting and lifting his weapon out of line with her body... or almost. She managed a quick half-step backwards to lean out of its way, but it still caught the awkwardly-raised elbow of the arm currently holding her sword, pain blossoming intensely enough that she was sure the bone was chipped, if not broken.\n\n\tBlinking away tears even as she bit her lip to keep from yelping, Elaria thrust off with the foot behind her, lunging to the side the strike had come from even as she let go of her weapon’s hilt, unable to trust the strength of her hand after that blow. Dull as its ‘edge’ was, she knew she had to pretend the sword in her hands was sharp, so she kept her other hand’s grip on its spine and flat as she tossed the weapon just a bit ahead of her by that grasp. Still better than half-blind from pain and tears, she grabbed at where she hoped the hilt would be... and smiled despite her agony as her fingers closed around the familiar knots of cotton. The maneuver hadn’t been perfect, her grip sideways and her vision still not clear enough to know which way to shift it to put the edge in ‘front,’ but that didn’t matter. One foot lashed out in front of her, abruptly halting her lunge, and she turned her inertia into a spin led by her sword’s point; it was primarily a slashing weapon, but that didn’t mean its tip was dull, and she rammed it into the captain’s side hard enough to penetrate his leathers and bury two or three inches of the wood itself in his abdomen.\n\n\t“Medic!” the unicorn yelped, and she immediately let go of her weapon, reaching up to wipe her eyes and finally take a look around. The pair of healers who were always in attendance when the yard was to be used were already there, one with each of her previous foes, and the man attending the lieutenant, who’d only suffered a bit of dazing and a broken rib, rushed to aid the captain while his partner worked to set the sergeant’s arm bones.\n\n\tElaria staggered another step or two back from the scene of the battle, only now starting to pant hard. In combat, her breathing tended to remain deep and steady, if faster than usual, and she always seemed to feel the true extent of her exertions only after the fact. A brush of her elbows against her own sides brought renewed awareness of the injury she’d taken, and she stifled a yelp as she grabbed that arm with her other hand, eyes tearing again as she carefully felt around... Sure enough, one spot was extremely sensitive to the touch, and a short scream escaped unchecked as she pushed on it and felt the scrape of a sliver against the bone it had come off of. Shaking her head to clear it, she glanced to the healers and managed in strained tones, “His guts and that arm have priority, but I’ll need a bit of your help too...”\n\n\tThe two white-robed unicorns, both notably smaller than the fighters they were attending, nodded without looking up from their patients, even as Ferrl padded over from where he’d been watching and took up a position between them, one arm stretched toward each as he channeled magical energy to help their own mystical talents. His smile and voice both held a clear pride as he addressed his adopted daughter, “You did well... Three foes, the lowest of which held rank equal to your own, and none weighing less than twice what you do, but you are indisputably the victor. Your sword itself is ready, and is a thing of beauty, but the last coat of lacquer was still drying on its scabbard when I checked with the smith; he should be bringing it by just after lunch, I’d hazard.”\n\n\tEla nodded, her muzzle still taut with pain, and her ragged voice was a far cry from its usual smoothly seductive tones as she replied, “I’m rather proud of how I managed them, myself, and I fully realize that my victory was as much mental, and before the fight ever started, as it was physical. I haven’t always been able to take your more philosophical advice to heart, I’ll admit, but I did this time, and ignored the ‘impossibility’ of my task completely. Had I dwelt upon it, I certainly wouldn’t be standing here in any condition to speak, right this moment.”\n\n\tThe earl nodded his own acknowledgment with a soft chuckle, “Indeed... I was paying as much attention to the look on your face as the rest of your performance, and what I saw there was... quite satisfactory. You say you don’t want to rule, and you don’t believe you’re attractive enough to whore, but as far as careers go, you could immediately start making a living as an extremely well-paid bodyguard if you wished.” He glanced to one side as the medic tending the sergeant rose, and gestured the man toward his daughter, “Here, let’s get that elbow of yours fixed; I can see just how much it must hurt, and you’ve more than earned some relief.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tBreakfast had been a few rolls with berries baked into them, washed down with water, so the princess was more than ready to join the rest of her family for a more substantial lunch. In keeping with her father’s policies of efficiency and frugality, the dining room was the largest chamber in the embassy, with several medium-sized tables that could be moved easily out of the way, letting it double as a reception hall and, occasionally, a ballroom for formal dances when there was need to properly entertain important guests. Two of the tables were slightly grander than the rest, oval-shaped and trimmed with decorative carvings. Her immediate family sat at one, while the other, flanking it at the ‘upper’ end of the room, hosted two envoys from nearby kingdoms and the heads of three merchant houses.\n\n\tElaria herself, her parents, her two siblings, and her grandmother, together, didn’t quite fill ‘their’ table, and she smiled in pleased surprise when, as the only unicorn slave in the world transferred dishes from the cart to personally serve their meals, the chair to her left was pulled out and filled by the captain she’d sparred with that very morning. “Captain Lindren!” she greeted him with a broad smile. “I’m glad to see you... You seem to be moving comfortably enough, which means the healers did their jobs right, and I’d really like to apologize for that wound. It was a bit more than you had any reason to expect, in mere practice, but once we go beyond scoring by simple touches, it’s almost impossible to hold back without effectively throwing the fight.”\n\n\tThe unicorn nodded with a smile that showed he held no resentment, “And I’m certainly pleased to join you for a meal... which I wouldn’t be if the medic hadn’t realized that you’d shoved a bit of my intestine inward enough to dent and crimp it. He reached in with a hook and straightened it out; if he hadn’t, eating anything would have led to an... unpleasant experience.”\n\n\tHis dining companion nodded back, then took a moment to smile at the naked filly setting a pair of dishes before them, the platter of sliced fowl obviously intended for her while the large bowl of beans, rice, and steamed vegetables was far more suited to the captain’s herbivorous physiology. “Thank you, Ria,” she murmured.\n\n\t“A pleasure to serve, Mistress,” the filly replied, her voice husky enough to prove the stated sentiment quite literal, without pause or break to her work.\n\n\tA flicker of wry amusement passed over the stallion’s features as he watched the slave move on to set out smaller meat-heavy dishes before the seven-year-old prince and his twin sister, a more positive, or at least resigned, reaction than most unicorns had upon meeting Ria. Shrugging, then, he spoke quietly to Ela again, “I had a chance, between my healing and this meal, to describe our little bout to Colonel Julara... and she agrees that no lieutenant in our entire corps could have managed what you did. As happy as I am about you earning that special sword we all know you’ve lusted after for so long, it gives me, personally, far more pleasure to inform you that you’re now my equal, Captain Elaria.”\n\n\tThe princess blinked, feeling her face and loins both heat in a pleased blush at the totally unexpected news. “That,” she murmured softly once enough of her surprise had worn off that she could speak, “is quite possibly the most satisfying accomplishment of my entire life... My reputation in bed is really just a combination of careful breeding and the expertise of the trainers at Owned Elegance. The potential authority of my rank of princess and, possibly, eventually countess are the purest luck, though I still offer the occasional prayer of thanks that it was Ferrl who bought me those years ago. This, though... it’s a rank that any good and decent person would respect, and I’ve earned it, through my own hard work. My trainers deserve some credit too, of course, but it’s not like the education I received at the slave house. I’m not an infant any more, and it was up to me to make use of that training to get the most out of it.”\n\n\tLindren nodded solemnly, “I know, and so does Julara. The best training in the world—which, admittedly, just might describe us—isn’t much of an improvement over any other if you just learn it by rote and rely on just one set of responses to any given situation. The ferocity and intelligence with which you apply your lessons are entirely your own, and your promotion is meant to acknowledge that. A less flexible fighter would have looked at the odds in our last match and just surrendered; if anyone like that managed to get into the Elite in the first place, they’d never make it past corporal.”\n\n\tOne corner of the vixen’s muzzle twitched up wryly, “I’ve seen your maneuvers at the platoon and company level, though, and even that sort has a use. Occasionally one does simply need to hold a static battle-line against roughly-equal numbers.” She picked up her fork and reached to skewer a few slices of game hen from the platter; they’d stopped steaming, and she figured she’d better eat while they were still at least warm.\n\n\tHer companion just chuckled with a rueful half-shake of his head, “I guess... If we ever have a war, there will be casualties, so it can’t hurt to have the occasional soldier you wouldn’t mind seeing become one,” then focused on his own meal.\n\n* * *\n\n\tElaria took one more loving look at the gleaming, flawless black finish of her new sword’s scabbard, resting on a stand positioned to catch the full sun at this time of mid-afternoon, the only time of day her room’s window admitted the light unshaded, then glanced back to the corner she’d always, out of religious respect, kept in at least token shadow. The dagger resting on its own stand, there, seemed to suck in and dim the light about it regardless of the time of day, to her, but few others who’d ever been in here, outside of her own family, could see the effect. The fact that she still could, however, was its own form of comfort, and she held onto that as she settled her knees into the slight hollows for them her praying-pad had developed from long use.\n\n\t*You’re troubled,* a voice whispered to her soul the moment she’d cleared her mind, her intended prayer still just a nebulous mass of feelings, rather than words. *I’ve sensed the growing unrest in your mind, these last weeks, and I’ve taken some guesses as to its cause... but you must still find the words to express your needs, if you wish My aid.*\n\n\tThis fetched a faint smile from the princess, “Not Your aid, my Goddess... but I’ve been meaning to ask You something, and I feared that You might not like the question, or that I may be profoundly disappointed by the answer.”\n\n\tHer soul thrummed with the amusement conveyed by the spiritual chuckle that fetched, *Oh, you needn’t worry too much... The worst I’ve ever done to anyone for asking Me a particularly inane question was to remove them from those I consider My favorites, but they still counted as devout Kathallics. They could still pray to Me at need, though they tended to do so a little less often once I’d conveyed My own... disappointment.*\n\n\tEla nodded, “I can live with that consequence should it come to pass, though I don’t think my question’s precisely stupid...” Taking a deep breath, she focused her gaze anew on the dagger that was a physical representation of her very Goddess, and dove in, “My question is this: where do you draw the line between ecumenicism and apostasy?”\n\n\tA distinct sensation of surprise rippled through the bond between the immortal and Her devotee, *That... is neither inane nor stupid, but far wiser a question than even My priests are prone to ask... but, then again, few of them have had your casual experiences with other religions, much less to the point of sleeping with two other Goddesses. It is not, however, completely without precedent. Admittedly, all of the followers I’ve shared with the other Gods have been cases where one of Sliisthar’s assassins liked to play with their victims, or one of Karnaal’s thieves enjoyed spending their stolen wealth on the sort of vices My children prefer, but I sense that it’s your affection for My light-side sisters that led you to ask this of Me.*\n\n\tThe vixen nodded again, “I hold a high rank in an organization that could be termed Maliite fairly accurately, and more than once have I heard visitors whispering about a suspected link between the rumors of my habits and Roxanarra. I wouldn’t mind... formalizing those relationships, but I still love You, and wish to follow You as I have since I was six. Is that even possible, though?”\n\n\t*It wouldn’t have been, a mere decade ago,* came the reply, *but I think you could become a devotee, possibly even a low-rank priestess, of Malia and Roxanarra without losing your relationship to Me. The other Goddesses know you, from Their own experiences. Their mortal followers may be shocked at the notion, but you’ve earned personal exceptions to a great many of the usual guidelines. I strongly doubt that your own enjoyment of a good sacrifice will ever fade, so in that way you’ll always be Mine... but, so long as you learn to be discreet enough not to draw attention to such acts, and keep your thoughts and prayers on the appropriate deity regardless of what you’re doing at a given moment, I believe that My sisters and I would, indeed, be willing to... share you. I had you first, and I’ll be making sure They know that, so it will be My heaven that welcomes your soul after death, but... yes, you have My permission to show faith to more than just Me. Much like your childhood journeys and adventures with your father, this can only improve My relationship to the light, and that is worth more to Me than being the sole recipient of your prayers.*\n\n\tA broad smile spread over Elaria’s muzzle as she got the answer she’d been hoping for, tension she hadn’t realized she’d borne fading from her body, “Thank you, Kathalla. As much as I love what I’ve done in Your service, and as much as I love You, I’m... looking forward to broadening my experiences just a bit more... officially.”\n\nChapter 2\n\n\tDanara opened the door at her daughter’s knock, offering a nod of greeting and a smile as the vixen stepped into the main room of the ambassador’s private quarters.\n\n\tAlmost immediately, Ela’s combat reflexes were required to dodge the tumbling ball of clothes, fur, and tails that happened to be her younger siblings. A glance to Danara and the wolfess’ grimace were all the cue she needed, and the two ladies moved as one to pry apart the tussling twins.\n\n\tOnly after they were safely separated did Ela even bother to check which one she held, “So, Gerial, was there any particular reason you and your sister were fighting this time?”\n\n\tThe young wolf’s head tilted to one side as he thought, then he shrugged, “Nah, not really... We was mostly jus’ playin’, but I had’ta show ‘er boys’re better’n girls at fightin’ again anyways.”\n\n\tA few feet away, his sister shot an entreating glance over her shoulder, and Danara nodded, letting go of her. “I keeps tellin’ ‘im he should stop goin’ all google-eyed at you practicin’ nekkid, big sis, an’ look at what yer doin’! That’d shut ‘is yap right quick ‘bout boys an’ girls...”\n\n\tElaria shook her head with an indulgent smile, “You know how I don’t like to take sides between you and your brother, Pria... but you’re entirely right this time.” Since he wasn’t trying to escape, she let go of her little brother and moved around to meet his gaze, “You should have watched this morning... Three boys, all a lot bigger and older than me, ended up scattered around the practice yard, moaning over three broken bones, a bumped head, and a hole in one’s belly... and that’s when I was using a wooden sword.” She reached up to touch the hilt peeking over her shoulder, Gerial’s eyes widening as he noticed that she was wearing her new sword on a customized baldric, as she mused, “If I’d been using this... two of those boys would be dead now, and the third would be missing an arm, while I’d just be wearing a smallish bandage on my elbow. It wouldn’t even have taken a real healer to fix the one ‘ouch’ I got... and, remember, I’m ‘just a girl.’”\n\n\tThe cub shook his head, “Yer ‘just a girl’ like that bunny gal in th’village, th’kind that could pick up most boys an’ break ‘em in half. I was talkin’ ‘bout more... y’know, generally, ‘bout boys and girls and stuff.”\n\n\tFerrl shook his own head from where he’d been watching his family indulgently, “I’ve been trying to teach you better than that, Ger... You make allowances for generalities, meaning you keep them in mind, but don’t let that stop you from assessing each individual on their own merits. If you’re serious about wanting to head south and rule Gatuque in my name someday, you’ll need to work on that, as it’s the special ways in which people aren’t normal, the things they can do that no one else can, or no one else does the same way, that make certain people better or worse for some jobs. Now, ‘generally speaking,’ wolves tend to be good leaders, instinctively forming a pack and keeping its best interests in mind... At the moment, though, you certainly don’t seem very wolflike in that regard.”\n\n\tThe cub frowned at that criticism, then outright scowled as his twin folded her arms over her chest and stuck her tongue out. He returned the gesture, of course, but looked back to his father quickly enough, “I’ll try that, Daddy... lookin’ fer what’s special in every’un, I mean.”\n\n\t“Good,” his father, mother, and big sister declared in unison, eliciting a merry giggle from Pria.\n\n\t“You two go play in your room,” Danara instructed, smoothing out her somewhat cub-rumpled dress. “I think your sister’s here to talk about something serious, but I’m sure she’ll show you her new sword soon enough.”\n\n\tGerial looked indifferent as he started trudging down the hall, but Pria’s ears perked high at the notion, and she nodded enthusiastically before scampering after her brother.\n\n\tThe earl could only shake his head and chuckle, “It looks like both of my daughters will end up warrior maids... At least they’ll have good teaching, and that’s the best a father can really hope for.”\n\n\tEla smirked as she settled into a chair opposite his own, vaguely throne-like seat, then took a moment to adjust the sword she was still getting used to wearing, slipping its scabbard’s tip through the hole under the chair’s arm as she quipped, “In Pria’s case, maybe, but you know full well I haven’t physically qualified as a ‘maid’ since I was two!”\n\n\tBoth of her adoptive parents chuckled at that, her mother commenting, “As much as I love you, dear, I must admit that I’m glad you’re the only vixen in the family... Those two are trouble enough without adding sex to the mix! They can wait another seven or eight years before getting into that, which may be enough time for me to actually feel recovered from trying to keep twins breastfed and diapered!”\n\n\tHer husband shook his head with a chuckle, “Five years, six if you’re lucky... Remember how sheltered your own upbringing was, my love... Here we have Ria and her usual bare-furred ‘costume,’ Ela and her similar practice attire, and quite a number of very good-looking young stallions hanging around in form-fitting leathers. The twins will probably start getting actively curious about that sort of thing around the same time I did, and my own ‘deflowering’ was three months before I turned thirteen. I was starting to get big enough to seem ‘interesting’ at that point, and one of the local whores who worked my mother’s tavern was bored enough with her clients to want a change of pace...”\n\n\tDanara frowned briefly, then relented with a shrug, “Five years or eight, I guess we’ll just deal with it as it comes.”\n\n\tFurther agreement was clearly at hand from the earl, but Ela interrupted with a shake of her head, “I may not be providing those, ah, educational shows during my practice here for much longer, though...”\n\n\tFerrl nodded, “I suspected as much. Shortly before your knock at the door, I had something of a spiritual ‘twinge’ that I’ve learned is Kathalla’s wordless way of warning the devout to hang onto their proverbial hats.”\n\n\tHis adoptive daughter smiled, “I’m not surprised that She warned you, given that She and I had a relatively lengthy conversation on the subject this afternoon. To put things bluntly, I’ve gotten Her permission to seek a closer spiritual relationship with Roxy and Malia. For the latter, of course, I could just visit the temple in town here, but it’s still the only church in the Vale. The other faiths have no representation beyond the occasional priest who’s retired here, and if they manage to talk a unicorn into joining their religions they tend to send the new converts to Wheathaven or Rajai. At a minimum, I’d have to go as far as Chraf in Wheathaven myself, as that’s the nearest Roxanite enclave to us, and I’d prefer to go at least that far to learn more of Malia, as both the local high priest and the commander of the militant aspects of the faith know me too well. In this case, I’d honestly prefer to deal with a complete stranger, as fewer assumptions would be made on both sides that way.”\n\n\tThis fetched another nod from the burly wolf, “So you’ve well considered just what you need to do... Good. The only questions, then, would be those of ways and means.” His wife’s eyes widened and she opened her muzzle, then just as quickly bit her lip. “Your mother seems surprised that I’m so readily agreeing to what amounts to your moving out and finding a place of your own,” the earl mused with a chuckle and an affectionate gaze toward his bitch, “but I think that was just a mother’s instinct kicking in. Now that she’s thinking about it, I’d wager that she’s coming to understand what I already know, that you have every right to find your own path in this life, taking only as much guidance from us as you’re willing to accept.”\n\n\tDanara shook her head with a rueful half-smile, “Understanding, yes, but I still can’t get my emotions to wholeheartedly agree. My mind knows that she’ll be of an age to legally tell us and our parental guidance to go take a hike in just shy of two more months, and that she was able to live on her own with our consent the day she turned fourteen, but that has little impact on the opinions of my heart.” She turned a gentler smile on the vixen, “That heart thinks of you as my daughter, and my occasional lover as well, ignoring completely your own strength and mettle. I must remind it of the cub, just turned seven, who evaded capture by trained militiamen, tracked me unseen to an inn, then volunteered to be captured in the hopes of rescuing her father and reuniting our family...”\n\n\tEla smiled back, her eyes distant as she recalled the episode, “That was, actually, a very simple choice for me... If I’d been caught with that sliver by someone who recognized what it was... I almost certainly would have been executed, but that was the same price as not trying at all. Without you and Father, and the love of a family which I’d only just started to know and share, what point would there have been to living? Keeping that love was worth the risk of my life, I knew even then, because I needed it to make that life worthwhile.”\n\n\tThe bitch wiped her eyes with the back of one paw, leaving it a bit damp, then sighed, “I’m glad to hear you say that, dear. If I’d had this conversation with my own mother at your age, I could only guess that she’d try to make me think I was actively trying to abandon her... but, for myself, I know that your independence and willingness to find your own path is a sign that I did something right. Between my lumpy husband and myself, we’ve managed to raise a woman of strength and spirit, not some little copy of ourselves, or a slave, or a crutch for our declining years, and even as sheltered as I was at the temple, and as protected as I’ve been here as a lady of rank, I’ve seen more parents trying to make their children one of those three than I care to think about.”\n\n\t“I agree,” Ferrl rumbled, his fingers steepled in thought. “So... as for this desire of yours, I believe you should be allowed to pursue it with a minimum of hindrance on your family’s part, but also with a minimum of help, as any excess in that department would only serve to limit your options and the choices you make for yourself.” His gaze rose to rest on the crystal chandelier as he started ticking off on his fingers, “First, you should have an escort, but I’m thinking one person should be enough, someone who knows the local duchy well and will be more a source of information, and a deterrent to those who’d make the wrong assumptions about a female traveling alone, than an actual guard.”\n\n\tBoth of his ladies nodded, the older replying, “Would Harlen do? He’s from a bit farther south than Ela probably intends to go, but he’s well educated in geography, politics, and economics... Also, he’s learned just about everything your seneschal sent him up to glean from Belonna in regards to picking the best candidates to staff and manage that manor house you never really wanted, so he’d need to go back soon anyway.” Her muzzle quirked into a mischievous grin, “He’s such a soft, city-bred type at heart, too... It would offend him terribly if we sent him with the armed escort we all know full well he needs, but if he’s under the impression that he’s keeping our daughter safe, when in actuality she’d save him if it came to blows...”\n\n\tHis daughter giggling merrily at the irony, the wolf nodded with a broad grin of his own, “That should work out for all involved,” and held up another finger. “Second, we’ll supply you with funds for the trip, but not a fortune; a generous enough stipend by middle-class standards, but I suggest you act with more frugality than your finances strictly require, saving most of it for emergencies should they arise.”\n\n\tDanara nodded toward Elaria, her expression grim, “It never pays to look too prosperous... either to potential thieves looking for a fat victim, or to the temples you seek to approach. The former would waste a lot of time as you explained their dismembered bodies to the local constables, and the latter tend to encourage a minimal attachment to material goods, and you wouldn’t want to get off on the wrong foot by showing up in silks and gold.”\n\n\tEla rolled her eyes, “I’m no clotheshorse... though ‘horse’ is exactly what people might think, getting a good look at me. The only fancy outfit I’ve got is that gown I only drag out for balls, and I will not be taking it with me.”\n\n\tWolf and bitch exchanged a glance at that, brows arched high, then shrugged, the earl ticking off on another finger, “If your inquiries with the Maliites bear any fruit, you’ll probably end up with a knighthood, and thus you’d need a good horse... Take Wind Dancer; he’s old enough to have lost a bit of his coltish impulsiveness, but would make a good medium warhorse when you need one. Fourth and last on my mental list, for now, would be to visit Julara and see if she’ll make your rank official and documented, as it could probably smooth things considerably under the right conditions, such as a priest of Malia too stunned by your soul and your intentions to bother asking Her about it.”\n\n\tThe vixen nodded, grinning slightly, “I understand; even here in the Vale, where folks might rightly be held to a higher standard, I’ve noticed the priests occasionally forgetting that they are merely mortal, and reacting just like anyone else when confronted by the unexpected.”\n\n\t“Agreed,” her mother nodded as well. “A sergeant’s badge and enlistment papers from the Vale militia should carry quite a bit of weight with those ‘mere mortals.’”\n\n\tEla blinked, realizing that the news of her promotion hadn’t reached her own family yet... Shifting a bit uncomfortably in her seat, as she’d never much cared for anything that smacked of boasting, she cleared her throat quietly then corrected, “Captain, mother, not sergeant, and that’d make it a warrant of commission. I... did rather well in the match that won me my sword; I received word of that other, completely unexpected reward at lunch today.”\n\n\tShe had to smile, then, at her father’s surprised blink, given that the earl tended to know enough about local events that it was most often safe to assume his awareness of any secret or tidbit of news. “Well now,” he rumbled around a grin, “this is news to me, and just as impressive as that sword! I’d been looking forward to watching you take the usual test for lieutenant, but this is even better... Ria!” Just the tip of a horn was visible, poking around the corner from the hallway, but he continued, “Fetch one of the better bottles of wine from the cellar, or our best if we’re out of the medium-good stuff... We’ve got an officer in the family, and that’s worth celebrating!”\n\n* * *\n\n\tPrincess Elaria cast one last glance around her room, her eyes coming to rest on the empty spot on her altar where her dagger had lived, and she decided just one memento wouldn’t hurt. There were several to choose from, starting with the deerskin vest from her first ‘real’ sacrifice, new tidbits having been added each time she’d participated in a particularly memorable religious event. Mentally calculating the bulk and weight of what she’d already packed into her bags, she decided to take the glass cube with its rounded edges and the odd-looking mass within. Despite preserving fluids supplied by a taxidermist and a last-second attempt at magical protection when her father realized that the molten glass was doing damage, one had to know exactly what they were looking at to identify the scrotum and testicles of the mink slave who’d kept her satisfied the first time she’d come into season.\n\n\tShe was just packing it when a quiet knock came at her door, and she called over her shoulder as she refastened the saddlebag’s buckle, “Come in!”\n\n\tThe door opened just enough for Pria’s nose to poke in, nostrils flaring briefly, then she opened it the rest of the way with a wry grin, “Thought y’might have some boy in here, still sayin’ ‘goodbye’ in that weird way you grownups seem t’like...”\n\n\tEla shook her head with a fond smile, “No... I did that in the stables yesterday, once my headache from too much wine the night before had faded. Well, mostly faded; that sort of pleasure can do more than willowbark tea for a sore head.” Her smile broadened to a grin at the cub’s conscientious nod, “And then I had a couple of girls, too! Ask me when you’re at least twelve, and I might show you how that works... We ‘grownups,’ though I’d question the term’s fitness to describe me, have far more ways of doing ‘it’ than the horses you’ve seen bred!”\n\n\tFlushing faintly, the little bitch just shrugged, “You keep telling me I’ll understand when I’m older, so I’ll jus’ keep waitin’. I jus’ wanted to see your new sword! With all th’packin’ and such, you never did get around to showin’ me like you promised...”\n\n\tThe vixen took another glance around the room, thinking over the things she wasn’t taking, then nodded to herself as she slipped out of her baldric and passed the sheathed weapon over, “Here... you may draw it to look at, but don’t so much as touch the edge! You’ll see why in a moment...”\n\n\tPria nodded again, struggling to keep her expression serious even as her ears perked and her tail wagged up a tiny storm behind her. Almost reverently, she wrapped a hand each around the hilt and the scabbard, eyes widening when it was released into her grasp, the weapon evidently heavier than she’d anticipated. Slowly, then, she pulled her hands apart, a faint ‘Ooh!’ escaping as the morning’s indirect light caught the damascene patterns in the metal. “It... it glitters!” she exclaimed as she slanted the sword to a better angle in the light.\n\n\tEla nodded from where she worked, sandwiching the long iron staff she’d used for strength training between her bed’s mattress and frame, “That’s from the tempering... Good folded steel uses iron ores from several places, each with a different trace element, an ‘impurity’ that actually tends to make it stronger, not weaker. That’s what gives it its patterning, the layers of steel being different shades, but it’s the heating for tempering that really brings out the beauty of those other elements. They really searched far and wide for the materials, if that rainbow’s the result...” Standing, she took two steps over to her dresser and started fishing around in the top drawer, “Now, draw it the rest of the way and hold it straight out with the edge up.”\n\n\tThe seven-year-old wolf didn’t have arms long enough to draw the blade while maintaining her grip on the scabbard, but did get it most of the way out, shifting both hands to the hilt and letting gravity do the rest. Taking a deep breath, then, she steeled herself and lifted the sword, muscles protesting the moment she had it and her arms both at full extension.\n\n\tEla shook her head and chuckled to her sister, “That’s a good stance for getting stronger, holding it like that a little longer each time, but you don’t have to stretch out like that right now. Hold it closer, so the pommel touches your chest, and your arms will last longer.” The cub’s look was one of pure gratitude as she complied, though it shifted to wonder again as she eyed the translucent silk scarf in her sibling’s grasp. “Now I’ll show you why I didn’t want you to touch the edge,” the vixen explained, spreading the scarf out in the air a few inches above the blade... then simply letting go.\n\n\t“Holy shit that’s sharp!” Pria exclaimed as the silk puddled to the floor in a clean-cut piece on either side. She marveled for a moment, then blinked and looked abashed, “Um, please don’t tell Mom I said that...”\n\n\tHer big sister just grinned, reaching out to relieve her of the sword with one hand while the other ruffled her headfur affectionately, “Don’t worry... if it does come up in conversation, I’ll give her the same demonstration with the silk, and I’d bet you money that she’d say something even worse. This is an amazing edge... but not just for being sharp! Take just a step back and I’ll show you...”\n\n\tThe cub readily complied, harboring no desire for proximity to the sort of cutting edge she’d just seen, but her eyes were wide again as they took in the solid iron shaft poking out from the bed. “You’re gonna cut that? Wouldn’t that dull things, like, a lot?”\n\n\tAlmost casually, Elaria raised the blade over her head one-handed, then brought it down in a firm, controlled arc, restrained just before the blade could cut into the wooden floor, and a quiet ting! marking its meeting with the staff a foot and a half higher, followed shortly by the louder clunk of the rod’s last foot hitting the carpet. “Tempering, sis. This blade’s some of the hardest metal that’s ever been forged. Even it can wear down, but right this moment it’d still be able to do ‘the silk trick’ even after cutting through iron. I’ll give it a good sharpening once every month or two if I’m using it often; the smith gave me an eight-page booklet on how to sharpen this thing right, and at first glance it looks like quite a chore.”\n\n\tPria nodded, “I bet! Lotta grindin’ and even more makin’ sure not t’cut yer fingers off, I’m thinkin’...”\n\n\tRetrieving the scabbard from the floor, Ela sheathed her sword and set it aside for a moment, judging it far more important just then to pull her little sister into a tight hug and murmur, “I’ll miss you... but I won’t be gone forever. I’m just going to learn, and once I have I’ll probably come back, but even if I find somewhere to stay for a long time I’ll make sure it’s close enough for you to come visit, or me to take vacations back here. I want a life of my own, but I still want my family to be part of it...”\n\n\tThe cub stifled a sniff as she nodded, cheek to cheek with her sibling, “I understand... I’ll miss ya too, but I’m still decidin’ what to do with my life, an’ I like the example yer settin’. Jus’ th’fact that Mom an’ Dad are lettin’ ya go, that means they’ll probably help with whatever I decide, too.”\n\n\tLetting go to hold her at arms’ length, the older girl nodded, a smile on her muzzle and a tear at the corner of one eye, “I know... we have wonderful parents. Try not to fight so much with your brother, if you can... Behaving is one way we can show our parents that we appreciate how good they are.” At the wolf’s teary, smiling nod, she let go and stood to pick up her well-stuffed saddlebags and sling her sword over one shoulder, “Speaking of our parents, and your brother, they’re probably down at the stables wondering where we are. C’mon, grab my knapsack there and we’ll go share a few more hugs so I can be on my way.”\n\n\t“If they didn’t know jus’ which horse you’re takin’, I’d say sneak out the back to make ‘em wonder,” Pria giggled mischievously. “Too much plannin’ ruins a perfectly good prank...”\n\n* * *\n\n\tAfter eight years and change of living in Unicorn Vale, it came as an odd sort of shock to be handling money stamped with the crowned raccoons of Drachath again, but that’s what the earl had provided, on the perfectly logical basis that she was going to Drachath, where the Vale’s currency might be suspect just because it was ‘foreign,’ as well as the detail that if she did shop anywhere in the Vale, she’d almost certainly be recognized as his daughter and given whatever she wished for free. These thoughts flicked through her mind, eliciting another faint smile at the irony, as she passed the stableboy three farthings to watch her and her companion’s horses for just long enough to get a late lunch at the inn set up within sight of Malia’s Wall on the Drachathian side.\n\n\tThe common room of the Rainbow Bastion was just over half full, the opening of the Vale having given tourists a new interest in coming to see the spiritual barrier protecting the border. Most of the patrons, clearly enough, were either there to sight-see or merchants stopping for a meal while transporting the coveted unicorn-made goods to ever more distant markets. Those who’d simply come to gawk had something to stare at right there in the inn, as seven feet and thirty-five stone of unicorn warrior was permanently stationed in that taproom, serving as both the inn’s peacekeeper and a watchman for signs of trouble among potential visitors, trouble of the sort the priest at the border itself might not be looking for. Both of the Vale’s militia organizations used the same uniform, but Ela stifled a sigh as she spotted the discreet gemstone pinned to the man’s leathers just under his right arm’s sergeant’s insignia, mere seconds before he spotted her. Sure enough, as one of the Elite he recognized her and beckoned her over enthusiastically. “Princess Ela!” he boomed, and she did her best not to wince as the gazes of merchant and tourist alike instantly locked on her.\n\n\t“Sergeant... Justeren, wasn’t it?” she murred graciously enough, lightly gripping her companion’s arm to pull him along toward the two chairs her ‘friend’ was already pulling out.\n\n\tThe unicorn nodded enthusiastically enough that she had to shy away from the tip of his horn, “You remember me! I didn’t think you would, as it’s been nearly two years since you left my ass bruised in the dirt of the practice yard...”\n\n\t“You were just a private then, but smart enough to wear a steel codpiece under your leathers; of course I remember the way it made my foot ache for three days!” Reaching over to pat the shoulder of the gray-furred cat beside her, she made the necessary introduction, “This is Harlen, son of my father’s seneschal down in Gatuque. Since I also have some business to the south, it was decided that we should accompany one another, for appearances and mutual protection.”\n\n\tJusteren frowned, “I don’t remember seeing him in any of the practice fields... Has he had enough training to serve as your escort?”\n\n\tThe cat arched a brow, “My learning has not, for the most part, been of the militant sort, but my father saw to it that all of his sons were given the basics by Duke Gatuque’s own armsmaster. I hold the hope that we can make this simple, peaceful journey without conflict, but should that wish be in vain, I will do what I must.”\n\n\tEven as he spoke, Ela grimaced and, on her far side where he couldn’t see, extracted her shiny new captain’s badge from her belt pouch, holding it cupped in her hand so only the sergeant could make it out. The unicorn’s eyes widened, a question visible in them, and she replied similarly, tilting her head and lowering one ear to touch the hilt of her own sword, then darting her eyes toward her feline friend before adding a quick wink.\n\n\tJusteren dipped a subtle nod, instantly catching on, and feigned more respect for Harlen than he obviously felt, “Many in your situation would actively court conflict, seeking to impress the lovely princess they rode beside, but the true warrior knows that violence is ever the final resort, to be embraced only when all diplomatic solutions have been exhausted. You show uncommon wisdom for your youth, son.” Ignoring the teen’s stammered demurral, the sergeant turned in his seat to bellow across the gossiping crowd, “Grestin! Lunch for my two friends here, on my tab! They look like toothy sorts, too, so I suppose you’d better make it something with meat.”\n\n\t“It’s a failing,” Ela bantered with a half-teasing smile. “You unicorns can live on grass and berries, but we less-pure types must resort to the barbaric consumption of our fellow creatures.”\n\n\tThe sergeant snorted, grinning, “If you want ‘barbaric,’ walk into the trainee barracks of the standard Vale militia, when a new batch of recruits are building up muscle mass... A good source of the nutrients we grass-eaters need for that, that we can’t get from meat... is beans. Any notion of our ‘purity’ would be dashed in an instant by the sounds coming from one of those bunkhouses, to say nothing of the smell!”\n\n\tElaria giggled, but Harlen rolled his eyes with a groan, “Please, not just before we eat! I can only hope that, whatever we’re served, there are no beans involved, now...”\n\n\tVixen and unicorn shared another glance, a faint upward flick of their eyes substituting for a more blatant roll, as they agreed in the silent speech of warriors, ‘He’ll never understand.’\n\nChapter 3\n\n\tEla lifted a hand to call a halt, then beckoned Harlen closer, his slender palfrey seeming a bit undersized next to her young stallion, the offspring of her father’s famous Cherrah and the none-too-petite mare Red. “The gates are still open,” she murmured just loud enough to be heard over the bustle of other passers-by, “so I was thinking of continuing onward, just to the little village a mile or so down the road. You, though, may wish to take a room at an inn here in town, and meet me there in the morning to continue our journey.”\n\n\tThe cat blinked, clearly confused, “What sort of village are you talking about? I don’t remember seeing any small towns on the maps, this close to the seat of the earldom...”\n\n\tHis companion shrugged, “It’s a Roxanite enclave, and I need to talk with their priests, and get laid while I’m at it. Tell me, do you prefer your fellow males? Because you’ve hardly looked at me twice, and we’ve been riding hard enough sometimes today to make even my nearly-flat chest bounce.” Red was clearly visible through the gray fur of his cheeks and inner ears as he simply stared at her. “Surely you’ve heard... rumors about me, living at the embassy as you did,” she went on, her tone still casually conversational. “Most of the gossip is pretty much true, and I’m not about to spend this trip celibate. If you like boys as much as I do, I’m sure we can find you someone compatible at the temple, but if you have problems with the concept in general, you’d probably be better off staying in town.”\n\n\tHis blush had only worsened in the meantime, and his gaze was downcast as he mumbled his reply, the vixen’s ears straining to catch his words, “You’re... right about me, but please, don’t tell my father! I... I can sleep with a woman, and even enjoy it, but it’s a muscular, manly body that sets fire to my thoughts and makes my breeches suddenly too tight...”\n\n\tElaria chuckled comfortingly, reaching out to pat his arm, “Let’s both continue on to the temple, then... Neither they nor I will ever breathe a word of your preferences to your family, and... well, on future nights I’d certainly like you to at least consider me. I don’t think you’ve ever seen me up close but out of my traveling cloak; I’m probably at least as muscular as most studs our age, so perhaps that might help you enjoy a woman just a little more... and I know I’d love being filled by a well-spined feline.”\n\n\tHarlen blushed again, if not as intensely, at her tacit proposition as they nudged their mounts into a walk, outward from Chraf’s eastern square, “Th... thank you for your... discretion. I suppose I’ll have to at least try to perform with you, now. You’re right that I can’t see much of you in that cloak... but, now that I bother to look, you really are almost manly of chest. This just might work...”\n\n\tThe vixen shot him a toothy grin, “Hey, if you want to enhance that illusion... just stick it up my ass. Other than my tone of moans, so long as you don’t go groping for a shaft that isn’t there I’ll be one of the guys where you’re concerned.”\n\n\tHer ‘escort’ could only shake his head and laugh, “You, Princess, are nothing like the ‘nice girls’ my mother keeps introducing me to. Of them, there was only one who I could trust enough to tell of my... preference, since I knew enough of her own secrets to make mutual silence a workable proposition, but even she said, and I quote, ‘Ew, you like it up your butt?!?’”\n\n\tElaria shook her head with a chuckling sigh of her own, “Poor, repressed lass... I’ve been having, and enjoying, anal sex since I was four.” She turned her most charming smile on his renewed case of uncontrollable blinks, “What, didn’t you know? I was born a pleasure slave, and that’s exactly what I was, happily, for Ferrl back before he was an earl. He’d only owned me for a few months before freeing and adopting me, but we both blithely ignored the legalities of our new relationship and still slept together.”\n\n\tThis fetched a second head-shake, accompanied by a grimace, “You’re speaking remarkably calmly for what most girls would term ‘child abuse...’”\n\n\tThe princess grinned again, “Oh, I was a child alright... but if there was any abuse going on, it was from my end. I was bought when I was six, not fully trained but they were going to throw me away ‘til Sir Ferrl came looking for a house-slave... He never laid a finger on me, that first night, much less in me as I’d have preferred, so I obviously had to take matters into my own hands if I were to have any fun at all. I sucked off his morning wood to wake him up, then kneaded it back to life in the bath to fill my little rear with. He’s... big, about as much as I could take at that age, but I think I remember... seven. Yes, my pleasure peaked seven times that first morning, though his fingers between my legs helped. I’ve gotten better, since, so I can manage four to six with just an average manhood back there, but with a feline’s spines added to the mix... who knows? The sky’s the limit.”\n\n\tLuckily for the gray cat’s sensibilities, they’d passed the gate guards and were alone on the sunset-lit road by the time she got to the explicit details. Still a bit red around the eartips, he murmured back, “That’s... a bit better than we boys can do, I’ll admit. The best I ever had was no feline but a stag, long and reasonably thick but pointy at the end so things went in easily... It was his endurance I loved; he lasted long enough in my ass that I was able to get off once, get hard again, then shoot a second time before he finally blew.”\n\n\t“Ooh,” Ela all but cooed, “I wouldn’t mind being his doe for a night...”\n\n\tThe look he gave her was finally that of a friend as they grinned over this unexpected discovery of what they had in common, rather than the relationship of strangers coincidentally sharing a journey that he’d ‘felt’ like before. Casting his gaze into the distance, Harlen’s ears perked up, “Giant breasts half a mile down the road... that’d be the Roxanite enclave?”\n\n\tThe vixen nodded happily, “Yup! Let’s hurry while we’ve still got just a little light, and see if we can find someone like that stag of yours for you to spend the night with. Myself, I hope to end up sandwiched between the high priest and priestess... They’re dragons, at this temple, and I haven’t seen them in years but they live practically forever and keep looking good ‘til the very end.” With a nudge of heels against Wind Dancer’s ribs, she urged him into a loping trot.\n\n\tHarlen kneed his own steed into a slow gallop to match, and was wincing when he drew near enough to speak once more, “While I’ve never had the courage to try them, I’ve heard that these temples charge based on the ecclesiastic rank of who you bed. Just how much money did your dad send you off with, to be courting their best?”\n\n\tEla shrugged, “About seven gold crowns in total, mostly in silver... which would barely be enough for one lick of a dragoness’ clit, normally, but I’m exempt from their... donations. You see... well, this may be difficult to believe, but I’ve slept with Roxanarra. They never charge Her lovers a clipped farthing. My father already had, before he met his eventual wife... and about four years ago, She showed up in mortal form just to sleep with mom, having waited ‘til the twins were out of diapers so we’d have all night, uninterrupted. Now, the countess isn’t all that experienced with women... so we ganged up on that poor Goddess, taking turns until She was exhausted, but, oh, you should have seen the smile on Her sleeping muzzle!”\n\n\tThe cat scratched thoughtfully behind one ear for a moment, then glanced back over at his companion, “Your father slept with a Goddess, then was willing to share his wife with one, and his daughter’s a former high-end pleasure slave... is your family Roxanite?”\n\n\tThe princess shook her head, her expression serious, “I might become one... in fact I hope to, but both of my parents are devout followers of their own chosen deity. Mine, too, for the moment, but I’ve gotten permission to... share, without being branded a heretic. If you ask specifically, I’ll tell you our current religion, but you might not like the answer, so I’d rather you didn’t.”\n\n\tHarlen thought for another moment, then shrugged, “You’re a potential Roxanite, with a firm and direct indication from the Goddess Herself that you’ll probably be accepted... and you wouldn’t be, if you weren’t basically a good person. I’ll do as you suggest, and not ask, but from those details alone I can draw plenty of conclusions, all of them to the good.”\n\n\tThey reined their horses in to a walk as they reached the outskirts of the small village surrounding the temple, Ela leading the way toward the guest stables, but she couldn’t resist a parting shot over her shoulder, “Oh, you won’t know how good I can be until the first night we’re alone together... My only recent lovers may have been unicorn stallions and one very well-hung wolf, but there were certain... exercises I was drilled in as a cub, that didn’t really apply ‘til I hit puberty, but I remembered them, and I guarantee you’ll be surprised at how tight I still am.”\n\n\tWhether from renewed embarrassment, an excess of food for thought, or even because she’d managed to offend him, Elaria didn’t know, but for whatever reason he remained silent as he followed her up the path to the temple’s vulva-shaped doorway. It opened before they’d quite reached the knocker, and the vixen heard a surprised mew behind her as she returned the greeting smiles of the two dragons in see-through robes. In a similar garment just a shade more opaque, a smallish equine stood behind them, his gold-chain necklace sporting a silver pendant in the shape of a rampant erection. This jarred with his short, slim stature, because no adolescent could have reached the rank of senior priest at that age, ‘til she noticed the well-developed feathering around the ankles peeking out from beneath his robe. He was mature, she realized, just a pony rather than a horse.\n\n\t“Threstoral! Ramarath!” the princess called as she sprinted the last few steps, leaping to catch the two dragons with a hug around each of their necks.\n\n\t“Oh, dear Ela,” the male of the couple replied, he and his mate both holding her close, their hands roaming her back and rump. “I couldn’t believe the aura I found attached when, for the second time in my life, I investigated the approach of a dark-souled Blessed One... but I was right! It’s you! So that wolf did get another visit from our mortal lady...”\n\n\tThe vixen shook her head as she finally let go of her old friends, “Nah... he was out of town on business that night. Roxy showed up to meet his wife, as she’d obviously found him impressive enough to guess that whoever he finally joined with might be equally worth knowing. Mom and I took turns...”\n\n\t“I know,” the dragoness chuckled. “There’s a faint pink tinge to the scrap of your aura Roxy signs; you managed to out-fuck the Goddess of Fucking!”\n\n\tElaria actually blushed, “I had help... Like I said, we took turns, each catching a quick nap while the other steadily licked, fingered, or, at least in my case, fisted, then traded places when we got tired.”\n\n\tThrestoral tilted his head to one side for a moment, then shook it, “Not that much help... I’ve just been informed that you, personally, accounted for just over two thirds of the time she shared with you and your mother, and that her Blessed One mark isn’t blushing like yours.”\n\n\tThis fetched a self-deprecatory shrug, “I’ve had far more practice than my mother, and hadn’t been only a few weeks past the ‘potty breakthrough,’ still recovering from twins in diapers screaming at all times of night.” Leaning to one side, she smiled at the patiently-waiting pony, “You’ve also read my companion at a distance, and accurately... I take it the priest here is meant to be Harlen’s ‘friend’ tonight?”\n\n\tThe equine answered for himself, chuckling softly, “If he’ll have me... though, by the drool on his chin and the bulge in his breeches, I don’t think there’s much question of that...”\n\n\tElaria giggled, nodding, “Have fun, but don’t wear him out too much, as I want my share of his charms for the rest of our journey.”\n\n\tHarlen was blushing again, staring shyly down at his shoes, so Threstoral gently turned the vixen toward one of the halls, his wife leading the way as he rumbled, “Let’s just let the two of them work things out privately between them, hmm?”\n\n\tComfortably ensconced in the dragons’ office deep in the temple, their guest stated her case simply and bluntly. “You know, by my soul, that I follow Kathalla... but I had an interesting conversation with Her a couple days back, involving a question that probably would have gotten the asker crisped by a divine lightning bolt had one of Tarragh’s Warkin asked it of Him... I asked Her where She draws the line between ecumenicism and apostasy because, if it was at all possible, I earnestly desire to serve Her, Roxanarra, and Malia, just about equally all around.”\n\n\tRamarath raised one blue-scaled brow ridge, “You still have Kathalla’s taint on your soul, so your question didn’t offend Her enough to reject you... and, just as obviously, you’re here as a result of asking it, so I can only assume that you got a positive response.”\n\n\tEla smiled as she nodded, “I won’t disgust you by going into detail of just what I do well for Kathalla... but I’m equally adept at the physical aspects of Roxanarra’s religion, and I’ve earned a captain’s rank in the elite branch of a Maliite militant organization. I’m good at what all three Goddesses represent... so I’d very much like to know Them better, spiritually, rather than limit myself to just the acts and behaviors that They enjoy.”\n\n\tThe dragoness returned her nod, still looking thoughtful, “Your training as a pleasure slave would be enough in this temple to bypass your novitiate entirely, granting you the rank of acolyte contingent only on the minor formality of reading the Roxanite Bible and passing a simple verbal quiz on its content...”\n\n\tBeside her, Threstoral shook his head, “She’s also a Blessed One of the Pink! That alone would qualify her as priestess if she passed the sterner version of the same test, ferreting out our holy book’s subtler suggestions on technique as well as the philosophical hints dropped by the conversational portions of the text...”\n\n\t“This holy book sounds... interesting,” Ela mused. “The philosophy is all to the good, as it would teach me a goodly portion of exactly what I set out on this journey to learn, but you seem to be hinting that it also contains some good suggestions for loveplay, of a sort that might even teach me a new trick or two. I find myself very much looking forward to reading it...”\n\n\tThe green-scaled dragon half-smirked to her from across the desk, “Many cities have banned our bible as the vilest of pornography, as it’s essentially a collection of explicit stories of our Goddess’ earlier sexual exploits among the mortals... but there are deeper meanings within the words for those with the wit and faith to look for them. I think...” He turned to address his wife, “How does this sound, dear? We’ll see if our Lady accepts her, then give her the book, a robe, and a priestess’ necklace, and let Her administer the test whenever Ela’s ready, so she’ll have the appropriate accessories once she’s worthy to wear them.”\n\n\tRamarath nodded, “That should probably work, and would certainly do the least to slow her present journey.” Turning back to the vixen, the dragoness instructed, “If all goes well, you’ll have a few bedtime stories to read over the next week or two, with morals to meditate upon throughout the days, but for now... pray to Roxanarra. Don’t worry about your phrasing; She’s never been much for formality... but we must see if She deigns to hear you, which would tacitly confirm the rest of our little plan.”\n\n\tThe princess nodded, swallowing a hint of nervousness surrounding her first prayer to any Goddess other than the one she’d known since childhood, then closed her eyes and bowed her head. Recalling the times when she’d felt the closest to Kathalla while praying, by focusing her mind on the acts of worship she’d enjoyed, she deliberately called up a memory of Roxy, mentally savoring the scent, taste, and slick puffiness of the labia her tongue had slipped between those years ago. Holding the lingering hint of that moment’s lusty haze in her thoughts, she murmured, “Roxanarra... would You have me? May I share myself with You and Your sister?”\n\n\tThe memories she’d been clinging to suddenly intensified, a warmth suffusing her groin and a salty-sweet flavor teasing her tongue, even as her nostrils flared at the sudden, tangible scent of a vixen’s lust. *Gladly will I have you, My dear,* she heard in her soul, the ‘tone’ of the voice profoundly different from Kathalla’s. *You are all I could wish for in a follower, and My sister told Me true when She said She’d found one all three of Us could share. Do as My fine dragons suggest; study My book, be entertained by its stories, and meditate upon the deeper meanings within. When you are ready, pray to Me again, and should I judge your understanding sufficient, you will have earned the right to wear the robes and pendants of My priesthood.*\n\n\tElaria was panting softly as the intensified memories and sensations gradually faded, and opened her eyes to slits to see the dragons giving her very knowing looks.\n\n\t“No need to tell us,” Ramarath half-chuckled. “She said yes... Even if your soul hadn’t been glowing white for the duration of your little chat, She tends to have an... effect on people, particularly the first time they speak with Her, and we can smell just how positive your contact with Her was.”\n\n\tHer husband simply rumbled beside her, “Mmm... vixen. No other scent quite like it.”\n\n\tThe princess giggled, then started untying her travel cloak’s fastenings and, beneath it, those holding on her clothes, her voice a bit husky as she noted, “I’d hoped to talk you two into the Blessed One bedchamber tonight no matter the results of my... inquiry, but our Lady’s little chat has left me too worked up to wait. So, do I get to satisfy my curiosity as to just how intense it’d be to be trapped between two lustful dragons, or should I just sit here and find out whether my sword’s scabbard makes a good phallus substitute?”\n\n\tThe couple across the desk from her shared only an instant’s glance before each reached for the other’s neck, a simple flick of a finger apiece unfastening their robes’ lone clasps, and those robes were left behind as they stood and padded around the furniture to help their newest sister in faith out of her garb.\n\n* * *\n\n\t“How was your night?” Elaria asked her companion as she reorganized her saddlebags a little to accommodate the carefully-wrapped package she’d been given, making sure the translucent silk within wouldn’t be crumpled too badly, nor its accompanying necklace crushed. The cloth-bound book she’d also been given, she’d stashed in an outer pocket of her knapsack for easy access, as she fully intended to study it at every free moment.\n\n\tHarlen’s eartips reddened, the cat obviously still unused to discussing his ‘secrets,’ but he replied amiably enough, “It was... satisfying. I’m a little sore, but it’s the good sort of sore, the kind that brings back fond memories.”\n\n\tEla nodded, smiling, “I know exactly what you’re talking about... I was, before last night, completely clueless as to what would emerge from a male dragon’s genital slit, but I’ve... learned, now. It was impressive enough in size, but also did ‘tricks’ no other penis I’ve ever met could match! I’ve only felt its like once before, when a fruit bat I met had a tongue long enough to carefully lick my cervix...”\n\n\tThe feline blinked, “Oh, my... I may have to look up a good diet for staying clean inside and see if I can find a man of that species; we guys have something that deep, too, that feels good when something’s long enough to hit it!”\n\n\tThis fetched a soft chuckle, “They’re not too common around here, so don’t limit yourself to just the guys... You’re probably twice as likely to find a bat girl who’s perverse enough to like doing that to a boy, than you are a male with the same proclivities. For some acts, gender really doesn’t matter, and as a very wise man once said, in the dark it’s hard to tell who’s sucking on you.”\n\n\tHarlen’s only response was to chuckle as he led his gelding out of the stable and mounted, but then he asked, “And the... matters of faith you came here to discuss? How did those go?”\n\n\tThe princess followed his example before replying, giving her saddlebag a pat once she was up, “They went... well. I have some studying to do, and a quiz to pass, before everything’s official, but the high priest and priestess, and our Goddess, are confident I’ll manage that in short order. While I can’t wear them until those little formalities are out of the way, I will be a Roxanite priestess, and I’ve got the robes and necklace right here, with pendants indicating equal love between the genders.”\n\n\t“The same rank as my friend last night held,” the cat mused thoughtfully. “He was... remarkably good, really; I’d have happily paid full price, though this time it was halved for my being in your company, and halved again because there hadn’t been enough visitors of my preference lately for him to keep up with his religious obligations adequately. If they judge you just as good... well, with that example to work from, I’m very much looking forward to your proposed, ah, ‘sleeping arrangements’ on the rest of this journey.” He kept his expression serious for just another moment, then winked, “Particularly if you’re not really a priestess yet, so you wouldn’t be charging me donations every night.”\n\n\tThis fetched a smirk and a snorted laugh, a moment before Ela reined in to a halt where the enclave’s track met the main road and noted, “Actually, in all honesty your lover last night was a senior priest, a step up from my potential rank. His necklace-chain was gold, while mine’s silver... Which way should your journey go, though? I was planning to stop next at Rajai, but the quickest way to get there is to head west, back through or around Chraf, then south. You can also get to Gatuque that way, but it’d add three or four days compared to going straight south from here.”\n\n\tHarlen frowned slightly, “My father was informed of our departure by a mage-message, and he’s really expecting me back as soon as possible... I shouldn’t add any time to that if I can avoid it, but I wouldn’t want to fail your father’s trust by abandoning you this soon, when you’ve still got far to go.”\n\n\tThe princess thought for a long moment, trying to see a way to make things work without outright telling the poor boy that she was his guard, not the other way around... “I know just as many temples and priests in Gatuque, now that I think about it,” she finally mused, “if not Malia’s, there. Perhaps that’d be for the best, as Malia above all other Goddesses wants Her followers to meet and overcome challenges, and approaching as a complete stranger might be the best way to honor Her in that. Since I’m not on any real timetable, why don’t I just follow you all the way to the duchy seat?”\n\n\tThis fetched a more agreeable nod, “That really would be for the best, as this is the route I took north, under the guidance of a retired guard who was visiting his family. I took notes, during that trip, so I should know just how many towns, cities, or villages to try for each day so we’ll still have an inn’s bed to sleep in at night, and even one or two out of the way hostels in the woods. There are just a couple of places where we’ll only be traveling ‘til noon, because the next stop’s too far to make in a day, but that sort of delay is in keeping with my father’s expectations of my arrival, and is more than worth it if it avoids spending the night on lumpy, insect-ridden ground in the wilderness.”\n\n\t‘Soft and city-bred...’ Danara’s off-hand comment echoed in Ela’s thoughts as she tried to keep her expression neutral. She was, herself, more literally ‘bred’ for a pampered life in some rich gentleman’s harem, but even as a child she’d ridden the whole breadth of the kingdom, easily twice as far as this man’s trip from Gatuque to the Vale, and had camped two nights out of three without even the thought of ‘hardships.’ Bugs? They sang, and only really bothered someone too stupid to make sure their sleeproll wasn’t laid out on a nest. Hard ground? Well, she decided, he did have something of a point there, but once again a little effort and foresight could do much to ease things, and what discomfort remained paled next to the majesty of the night sky, the scented rustle of the breeze through green and growing things, and the distant chirps of birds and crickets. ‘Spines or no... somehow, I don’t think he’s going to be an amazing enough lover to make traveling with him anything but a chore,’ she regretfully concluded. Shaking off her reverie, she gestured to the south, “Alright, then; let’s get going. Keep those notes of yours in mind; if any of the inns were... less than pleasant experiences on your last trip, we can try finding something else in the same town.”\n\n\tHarlen nodded, smiling, “I shall endeavor to do just that, when we stop tonight. You said you had some reading to do, so I’ll do the same. Come to think of it, I should have studied my old notes before we even left for this trip; I don’t know why I didn’t think of it...”\n\n\tElaria was pretty sure she could guess that ‘why’ fairly accurately, but kept her muzzle shut as Wind Dancer carried her smoothly southwards.\n\nInterlude 1\n\n\tThe shadows of trees and bushes gradually lengthened as the sun set, the creeping shapes of darkness falling across a faintly raised mound in the middle of an unremarkable pile of dead leaves. The day’s heat faded quickly from those leaves as they lost the warming sunlight, and a few moments later the bulge shifted slightly at one end. ‘Two more days,’ Ronnel thought to himself as he forced his body to remain still after that one accidental twinge upon waking. ‘Two more days of hiding, in the heat sleeping, and through pitch blackness sneaking with naught but scents and stars to guide me.’\n\n\tHe grimaced at his incidental, mental reminder of scents, as his own was a prime concern during his stealthy travels. He’d need to hunt for another stream or pond to bathe in tonight, but he’d be able to drink damnably little of it. He could not, after all, risk sweating enough to stink during his too-hot daytime naps, which only made it even harder to get any rest due to the severe headache that accompanied moderate dehydration. Closing his eyes with a grumbled sigh, he relaxed back into the leaves and let his mind work, visualizing the pain of his strained muscles and aching head as pressure from without, then mustering his own strength to drive it away. The pain itself made this sort of meditation difficult, so progress was slow, but he knew and accepted that, knowing as well that he couldn’t get moving for the two or three hours it’d be ‘til full dark.\n\n\tNothing could be done, when he did finally move, to further soften the quiet rustle of leaves falling from his body, but those faint sounds were the only indication of his presence he allowed. Orienting himself with the shapes of branches against the sky’s stars, Ronnel gathered his strength and leapt, crossing four feet of potential crunches to land in the small circle he’d cleared of leaves in the glow of the day’s false dawn. Still moving swiftly and as silently as possible, he brushed twigs, dirt, and the occasional bug or worm out of his filthy traveling cloak, then jumped to the next clean spot near the edge of the road. All the while, his nose and ears probed the night for evidence that anyone else was near, but no sound or scent was to be found. Every sense alert, then, he settled into a steady lope with a silent thought of gratitude for his heritage. Being one quarter wolf had somewhat muted the normally-bright red of his vulpine fur, a potentially decisive edge when he needed to sneak past well-lit towns or guard posts, but he was even more grateful for the hint of lupine endurance his grandmother’s blood gave him, wolves always having been far better distance-runners than foxes.\n\n\tIn his near-trance state, alertness and movement took very little of his mind’s attention, and it wandered back to the maps he’d glimpsed in his citizen’s study... The small, heavily fortified town of Eastlook was still far enough that he wouldn’t be reaching it tonight, but there should be some less heavily-guarded farms before it. The holding proper guarded the supposedly neutral, but often disputed, border between Dengar and Drachath, and as a matter of military prudence its source of food was kept well out of easy striking distance, but that not-so-incidentally meant that he might be able to steal a meal, his first in days, without running into a platoon of bored soldiers looking for an exciting chase. He’d heard his share of stories about Drachath... even more than the citizens and nobles would like, and he’d actually thought about them, too. Yes, Drachathians kept slaves; that single fact was harped on to ridiculous degrees in the ‘official’ tales of that wicked, evil kingdom. Yes, too, their ruling family and quite a few of their nobles served the Fanged Goddess, a tacit endorsement of rape, torture, and murder. If Ronnel were captured and given any chance to explain himself, rather than being summarily executed, with any luck the fact that he was running to Drachath might be parleyed into a defense of sorts, suggesting that he was outright insane, which might lessen the punishments for his other crimes.\n\n\tIt was the unofficial tales, though, the ones merely whispered, that he’d paid more attention to... There were no serfs in Drachath! Any free man born there was automatically a citizen! Sure, there were ‘peasants’ and ‘merchants’ beneath the nobility, but that distinction seemed more social than legal in nature. The Dengarian citizens’ repeated tales on the evils of slavery, he’d concluded, were meant to enhance and draw attention to the differences, very small really, between a serf and a slave. True, no one ‘owned’ him, but that didn’t make being legally bound to a piece of land, obligated to follow the orders of whichever citizen owned it, any less a form of control. Also worth noting, he knew that those ‘wicked slavemongers’ of Drachath had never crossed the borders of other kingdoms in search of new slaves; the exact specifics were a matter of some debate, in the whispered conferences of discontented serfs, but there were evidently rules, strictly enforced, regarding who could be enslaved, and how. And as for the kingdom’s Kathallicism, once the tales’ exaggerations had been pared away it seemed no worse than Dengar, where the more prominent landowners would ‘sell’ a few square feet of land, along with a selection of serfs who couldn’t all stand on it at once, to the dark temples, only to buy it back a month or two later for far less than they’d been paid for it, the serfs never heard from again.\n\n\tA light gleamed, far ahead of him, for a moment before his progress cut off the line of gaps through the trees it had shown through, and he crossed the road in that direction, his lope slowing to a fast walk as he strained to make out shapes amidst the grass and brush by starlight. The dark shape of the road ahead appeared to bend in the direction the light had come from, so just what it might be was an uncomfortable mystery; a guard post, a town, a farm, even the person of a traveler or soldier carrying a lamp. The sure path and steady pace of the road, then, had to be abandoned in favor of slowly, carefully picking his way through the barely-tamed wilderness between him and the light he’d glimpsed, taking no chance of revealing his presence until more clues surfaced to identify whatever it was that he’d seen.\n\n\tScent and sound, more than vision, described his find as he crept gradually nearer... It was a clearing, around which a camp had been pitched. He smelled bodies, ones that had been exerting themselves but not to any great degree, and within the last few days at least one of them had had a bath with floral-perfumed soap. Two of those bodies, according to his ears, were snoring, and he leaned against a tree and slowed his own breathing to listen for another long moment... three! Three more people were there and asleep, their individual rhythms of breathing difficult to make out beneath the louder snores. The night’s faint breeze shifted, then, and Ronnel tensed involuntarily; the scents it brought to him spoke of beans, salt pork, and oiled steel... and despite the clear implication that he was mere yards from a squad of armed soldiers, he knew he had to get closer, as one very important question needed answering.\n\n\tHis eyes strained for a hint of green among the shades of black in the night, firelight reflected from leaves, and he made his cautious way forward until he caught the first hint of color. He took one more moment to test the breeze, then dropped to all fours, fingers probing the ground ahead of him for dry leaves, twigs, or anything else that might give him away, crawling carefully around and closer to the edge of the camp, perpendicular to the wind, as any sentry would probably be in line with it to better use their nose. Finally, a gap in the brush let him get a clear look at the cleared circle and the fire in its middle, and he relaxed. There were the five forms he’d heard, bundled in their cloaks, but the army-issue one-man officer’s tent he’d feared was absent. Dengarian platoons consisted of two five-man squads and a junior lieutenant to command them, each squad led in turn by a sergeant. If their officer had accompanied this detachment, they’d almost certainly have posted a sentry, and probably have put out the fire immediately after preparing supper, but such was not, thankfully, the case tonight.\n\n\tEasing forward until he could make out each slumbering figure in the bright firelight, Ronnel studied them one by one, then smiled wickedly to himself as he melted back into the shadows to pick his way a bit further around. From downwind of the camp, he snuck up on them anew, listening carefully for any sound of someone turning over... but these men had clearly been traveling all day and needed their sleep. It was pure serendipity, he knew, unable to be blamed even on the laxness that came with a lack of officer supervision, but the men curled on their sides were all facing away from the line he was approaching along. Pausing only to tie his traveling cloak to his legs with a couple scraps of thong, he gathered his strength and concentration then made his rush, jogging nigh-silently straight through the camp and out the other side. There wasn’t even any noticeable sound when he lifted the iron pot from its resting place to one side of the fire, its beans and pork kept warm for breakfast there.\n\n\tIt was time, he decided, to abandon the road entirely... and he was already heading in the right direction to do so. He’d heard that it was somewhat easier to cross the border to the south of the inter-kingdom highway, and the other half of this platoon, including their officer, was probably camped similarly on the other, north side of the road. The platoon as a whole, he knew, was probably after him specifically; constables were the norm for tracking down serfs in cases of petty theft or mere flight, but he’d killed a citizen. Not ‘his,’ perhaps, but still... Unless there was an actual war to distract them, the army was more than happy to help chase such heinous criminals as himself, though this time they’d only managed to practically guarantee his escape. One good meal for five lazy soldiers would last him for days, freeing him to avoid the towns and farms he’d have had to steal from out of sheer necessity, and he could probably trade a good iron pot for a more respectable set of clothes once he was safely in Drachath. If his longer-term goal, that of attaining citizenship and a stable life in that benighted country, was ever met, he’d have to send the local garrison a letter of thanks for making his arduous journey just a little bit easier.\n\nChapter 4\n\n\tEla coughed quietly to get Harlen’s attention as they crested a shallow rise and the walls of a new town came into view, then asked, “That’d be... Winter Wreath coming up, now, and on seeing it I can understand the name a bit better. They must have had very good builders to get the palisade so perfectly circular, and I can well imagine how it might look, draped in evergreen bushes for the winter solstice festivals as you’d described. Is there anything else your notes have to say about it, though?”\n\n\tThe cat considered for a moment, then shrugged, “Not much... It’s a fairly small town, and I don’t remember anything noteworthy about my night at the better of its two inns. It’s got a few more temples than its size would normally suggest, probably because of the fervor with which the locals celebrate holidays here, but they’re each only the size of a small or medium shop.” He frowned for a moment, scratching his chin as he thought, then brightened, “Oh! While I know She prefers enclaves where Her followers can pursue a simpler life, a shrine to Roxanarra is among the religious structures here. That, I suppose, is uncommon enough to be worth mentioning... My guess, though, is that each church has no more than half a dozen actual clerics, with seating for perhaps ten or twelve regular worshipers for services.”\n\n\tElaria gave him a wistful smile, her hand straying to touch her knapsack where it held the book she’d been reading for the last week, “It is noteworthy, yes, but not actually uncommon... These small in-town churches exist wherever the local authorities allow them, actually, and are maintained by priests and acolytes who just can’t tolerate the ‘simple life’ of a true Roxanite, though in every other sense of faith and doctrine they’re still quite able.” Her smile broadened a bit, “That’s one of the little details I’ve been gleaning from my reading, that Our Bounteous Lady is very forgiving of minor flaws. She knows that nobody can be perfect, and as long as they make an earnest effort to do their best in other ways, She allows for those things they simply cannot do. It’s a simple extension, when you think about it, of Her tolerance for an individual’s preference in sexual partners. The pony you slept with likes boys, and simply cannot function with a woman, but he’s a senior priest nonetheless. Only the very highest rank is barred to him, and that’s not really hypocrisy on Roxanarra’s part... Rather, it’s a matter of propriety; a high priest must be able to give advice from their own experience, and someone who’s never slept with a woman, or has an inherent bias against them, cannot give truly balanced counsel on all subjects.”\n\n\tHer companion shook his head, “That’s... far beyond me, really. I’ve got the feeling you summarized a more complex philosophical point, but I’m no philosopher. I prefer my life... focused. I have my skills, and I’ve been trained and educated in support of them; I just can’t understand much that’s beyond those simple interests, and I must confess that I have little desire to.”\n\n\tThe vixen nodded as she reined in Wind Dancer and dismounted, proceeding on foot then commenting to the lone guard at the open gate in the palisade, “We’re travelers, sir. One night at the inn, then we’ll be passing through.” The soldier grunted with an affable enough nod, so she continued to her escort as they led the horses inside, “By the tenets I’m studying, that’s perfectly alright... even good. You know yourself, your strengths and abilities. Rather than seek to do more than you’re truly able, you’ve found what you’re best at and, most likely, you’ll do very well at it.”\n\n\tHarlen could only chuckle softly with another shake of his head, “You, dear princess, will make an excellent priestess. Here you are, supporting and encouraging me in my stated life’s goals, where just about every other authority figure I’ve discussed them with has done their best to make me feel like shit for limiting myself. Focus is not necessarily a bad thing, but some seem to hold the opinion that you must reach for and grab as much as you can, even if you know full well you won’t be able to hold onto it!”\n\n\t“Nothin’ wrong with realism or a sense of proportion,” Ela grinned back. “And you’re right... this sort of support is a priestly duty, even for a Roxanite. A moment’s physical pleasure can rarely hurt, but I’m supposed to go beyond that, to have an impact on the lives of those around me beyond that one moment. If there were anything really negative about your goals and dreams, I’d point it out to you and try to come up with some alternatives... but since your desires work for you, regardless of what other, greedier souls may suggest, it’s my simple obligation to offer encouragement and affirmation, doing my best to see to it that you remember and accept your goals as positive ones, to strengthen you the next time the nay-sayers start harping on you to change.” She clucked to her horse to warn him, then paused in the street to point, “Is that the good inn?”\n\n\tThe feline took a moment to dig a scrap of paper out of his palfrey’s saddlebag, glanced between it and the sign, then nodded, “It is. The stable’s around the corner on its far side, so let’s go. And... thank you. You may see it as your duty, but I really do appreciate your moral support... as well as the, ah, immoral things we’ve been doing each night along the way.”\n\n\tHis companion snickered wickedly as she glanced around the corner before leading him and the horses that way, “As much as others may think that term applies, I don’t. Even before I started studying my new faith, I always thought of that sort of thing as just good, innocent fun, two or more people making each other feel good just because they can. On that subject, though... any soreness? I was trying a few tricks I picked up from the bible, and I need to know how well I did...”\n\n\tHarlen blushed faintly, glancing quickly around, but the stableboy rising to greet them didn’t look like he’d heard anything curiosity-rousing. He fumbled for just a moment before fishing a copper penny from his purse, and handed it over, “Here... My companion and I will be staying for the night; please add a measure of the grain in my left saddlebag to the hay for my gelding, and two for the stallion.”\n\n\t“Aye, sir, an’ I’ll have ‘em saddled again fer ya come mornin’,” the young equine nodded, accepting both sets of reins and whistling a jaunty tune to himself as he got to work.\n\n\t“To answer your question,” the cat continued in a murmur as they entered the dimly-lit side door of the inn, “no, I woke without the slightest twinge... which, I’ll admit, surprised me. All four fingers, and in deep; you hit that spot right on!”\n\n\tEla chuckled, replying just as softly, “Thanks... I won’t go into the technical details of just how I did what I did, but there was more than the obvious going on, and I’m very glad it worked.” She glanced around the common room for a moment, then nodded and handed him her knapsack, pointing out in turn, “That table looks free, so you grab it... and there’s the registration desk. I’ll secure our room then join you; feel free to order supper if you get a server’s attention before I’m back.”\n\n\tHarlen was frowning slightly as he glanced around, “Alright... just be careful. This place seems a bit... rougher than it did the last time I was here.”\n\n\tElaria raised one brow, but he was already turning away, so she just shrugged to herself and cast her gaze discreetly about as she made her way to the desk by the stairs. The patrons she observed did, actually, tend toward the burlier sort, and while their clothes weren’t fancy they weren’t exactly rags either. She’d seen far worse those years ago when she’d been stalking her new mother to the Broken Bucket in Foxwood; the folks here seemed to be common laborers of the sort that’d work as field hands and carters at and between the local farms.\n\n\t“One room with a bed big enough for two, for the night,” she told the bear at the desk, a girl about her own age with dress and grooming only marginally finer than her customers’. “We’re passing through, and I’ve already made arrangements with the stableboy to journey onwards in the morning.”\n\n\tThe ursine gave her a hard look up and down, her eyes lighting somewhat, “That’ll be a silver half-crown, and you’ll have to leave your sword in the room before you dine. We don’t mind the occasional friendly brawl, but blood’s hard to get out of the floor planks.”\n\n\tThat price was about three times what a night at a far better inn than this one should cost; the girl was, Ela suspected, inflating things somewhat because her customers looked to be middle-class or perhaps a hair above. “I’ll give you eight coppers,” she counter-offered, her tone firm, “and stick the sword in my knapsack hilt-first so it’s not convenient to draw. I went through too much to earn this blade to let it out of my sight; it’s probably worth more than this entire inn is, so I take no chances, but please be assured that I mean no insult when I trust no security but my own.”\n\n\tShe could almost see the gears turning in the staff member’s mind, her muzzle pursed as she gave her prospective patron another look... Quite deliberately, in response to that gaze, the vixen folded her arms across her chest, incidentally brushing the sleeves of her cloak back to show her well-muscled forearms. What could almost have been a sigh escaped as the choice between more than twice the room’s fair value and a confrontation with a strong fighter was made, and the bear nodded, “That’ll do, but if you do cut anyone, you’ll be out on the street regardless of the hour. You’ve got room four if you still need it when the evening’s done.”\n\n\tThe princess simply nodded and counted out the promised coins, then shrugged out of her baldric as she threaded her way back through the sparsely-populated tables and benches. “You were right about the changes here,” she murmured as she packed up her weapon. “The staff here seems to be keeping an eye on main chance, and they don’t seem too picky about what we get up to so long as it doesn’t bring the watch down on them. We should both keep an eye out for trouble from our fellow diners.”\n\n\tHarlen didn’t look happy about that, but nodded anyway, replying just as quietly, “I’ll be happy to see the last of this place, come morning... The food’s taken a downturn from my last trip, too; we’ll be getting brown bread, brown ale, and a meat stew I didn’t inquire too closely about the origins of. That’s all they serve unless you want distilled spirits; they don’t even carry wine anymore.”\n\n\tTucking her knapsack securely against the wall and planting one foot on it, the vixen nodded, then blinked at an unexpected scent. Glancing around and sniffing a few more times, she realized that it wasn’t a physical scent at all; a hint of a vixen’s musk seemed to pervade the air she breathed no matter which way she faced, and a sudden spot of whiteness in the room’s dim light made her look up. A man had entered, a white mink in a translucent robe, though there were a few differences between him and most Roxanites she’d met... Through his robe she could clearly see a simple loincloth, and the silver shapes of his pendants were stylized; she probably wouldn’t have recognized them as depictions of genitals if she hadn’t specifically been expecting to see just that, the anomalies adding up to the realization that those following the Goddess of Love had to be just a bit more... subtle, in the middle of a town.\n\n\tShe didn’t realize just how broadly she was smiling at the stranger until she caught Harlen’s confused glance, and she turned her grin briefly on him to murr, “We have an... honored guest.”\n\n\tThe priest stopped at their table with a gentler smile on his own face, and immediately dipped down to kiss Ela full on the muzzle. She welcomed his touch, tilting her head to one side at a half-sensed suggestion from his own angle, her lips parting to grant his tongue entry even as hers slid warmly and wetly along his teeth in return.\n\n\tHarlen blinked at the casual intimacy before him, glancing briefly around at the others in the room. Most were just ignoring the newcomer, though a couple were giving him hard stares. Muffled by the sounds of eating and drinking, some of the patrons were grumbling, and he was just able to make out a couple of phrases. ‘Fey bastard’ and ‘man-whore’ weren’t exactly encouraging, given his own justified paranoia about sex...\n\n\t“I come with a message,” the newcomer mused conversationally. “It is for you, young vixen, and it consists of only three words... You’ve earned them.”\n\n\tElaria blinked, still wiping her chin, then her ears shot up and she blinked again as confusion faded to understanding. He wasn’t telling her that she’d earned words, a concept which had made no sense at all; that was the message! “I suppose I’m luckier than most,” she mused, “in that I’m rather used to having a Goddess occasionally peeking in on my thoughts... Anyone else would be rather surprised, but I am, instead, pleased that my efforts to actively practice what I’ve learned were enough to draw positive attention. Thank you, priest, for relaying this piece of very welcome news.”\n\n\tThe clergyman nodded, giving a comic little half-bow in place, “Our Lady was, at least, merciful enough to explain your situation to me... I’d have been hopelessly confused by the message alone, or just upon seeing your curiously-mixed soul. On my own, then, I have a suggestion, and that’s to stop by my temple if you have time, or any other along your journey, and let someone explain just what is and isn’t expected of a traveling Roxanite priestess. In one sense, you see, you’re always ‘on duty,’ so to speak, but there are degrees of duty that are entirely up to you. Your newness to your role will, I assure you, grant you a certain amount of leeway, and none will take you to task for failing in your duties while you remain ignorant of their specifics... but, please, find some time to learn those specifics fairly soon.”\n\n\tThis fetched a solemn nod from the vixen, “Once I’ve eaten, I’ll stop by your temple. I’d been planning to spend an hour or two reading, tonight, just going over one or two portions of our bible where I wasn’t quite certain I’d grasped the specific message the passage was meant to convey. I’ll still be re-reading and meditating upon those parts, but the... urgency of doing so is somewhat lessened, now.”\n\n\t“Perfectly understandable,” the priest agreed, “and I look forward to talking to you later this evening. For now... this really isn’t a comfortable place for one such as myself to linger, so I’ll be on my way.” He’d glanced to either side to subtly indicate the scowling patrons as he spoke, and exchanged shallow nods with both travelers as they understood and agreed. Lingering just long enough to give each of them a one-armed hug and a kiss on the cheek, then, he made his way out.\n\n\tHarlen had been caught off-guard by the sudden affection, left blinking and faintly flushed, his half-smile replaced by a look of dread as the glares from the crowd shifted from the mink to him. “Aw, shit...” he muttered.\n\n\t“That’s it,” Ela murmured back. “From now on, I’m carrying my practice sword too. In this sort of situation, it’d really help to have some sort of weapon that probably won’t kill anyone; my hand-to-hand is adequate for sparring, but no good against an angry mob...”\n\n\tHarlen’s eyes and ears were flickering as he bounced between visible near-panic and an equally-visible attempt not to show such, “I don’t think we have a mob, really... but three or four of those guys look seriously pissed, and they’re all a lot bigger than me. I don’t think I can protect you from them...”\n\n\tThe vixen barked a bitter laugh, “This probably isn’t the best way or time to break it to you, but I don’t have the luxury to be subtle... I’m here to guard you. That manly physique of mine you like so much in bed was gained on the practice field, learning to fight, and... shit, here they come. I’ll try to make an opening for you; when you see me duck down, run over my back and get your ass to the nearest guard!”\n\n\tThe roughly-dressed wolf nearest the table, followed by several other patrons, cast a glance at the bear leaning against the wall near the front door, probably the bouncer of the establishment. “Eh, go to it,” the ursine rumbled, “just don’t break anything belongin’ to us. That kid liked the kiss that pervert of a so-called priest gave ‘im, and we don’t need that sort ‘round here.”\n\n\tElaria had used the time taken by that little exchange to get out of her seat and position herself between her companion and the wolf. The latter was as burly as she’d expect from someone who earned their living through hard, physical labor, but that didn’t particularly concern her, given that he still only weighed about half of what her father did and showed very little of the earl’s sheer muscle tone. “We’re willing to leave peacefully,” she grated, glaring seemingly straight at him though, in truth, she was paying more attention to his friends, moving up from behind, “but, somehow, I don’t expect you to go along with that idea. My friend here is the son of an earl’s seneschal, and it’s my job to see him get home in one piece. If you object so strongly to the fact that some boys like other boys, you and your boyfriends will have to go through me to do anything about it.”\n\n\tTwo lines from Malia’s teachings on combat psychology were flitting through the vixen’s mind as she issued her ultimatum, ‘Anger is a weapon only to one’s opponent,’ and ‘No organized force is ever outnumbered by a disorganized force.’ It took a great deal of self-control not to smirk at the rage she saw blossoming on her foes’ faces, as self-indulgent amusement would work against her internal organization, her focus instead on a combination of observing those she faced and summoning up the inner calm that had served her so well on the practice grounds. Nothing could be allowed to breach that quasi-trance, not fear, not humor, and most certainly not the knowledge that this time it wasn’t just practice and that, other than the time she’d taken down a mercenary ambusher with a darkly-blessed dagger, which hardly counted anyway with the advantage that knife had offered, this was the first time in her life she’d faced true combat.\n\n\t“You bitch!” the wolf rumbled, cocking back his arm, his expression one of hate and fury as he launched his fist at the face that had so casually maligned his manhood. Very little of what was going through his mind at that moment could be termed actual thought, his seething outrage pushing all else from his mind, but in the space of one heartbeat anger flashed through surprise and blossomed into agony as the vixen took action. One hand flashed up to catch his wrist in an iron grip, pushing it up out of line with her head, her other arm launching an uppercut almost simultaneously, aimed for his elbow. She’d barely have bruised him had his arm been unrestrained; captured as it was, though, there was nowhere for it to go, and her blow landed with the sickening crunch of a shattered joint. Fingers out and stiff, then, her punching hand returned an instant later in a hard jab at his chest, just below the juncture of his ribs, a quick yank at his broken arm only adding to that arm’s damage and the force of her second strike.\n\n\tThe princess’ arms were back at her sides, both fists clenched, as she calmly watched her attacker crumple into a whimpering heap, and she turned her serene gaze on the four shocked men behind him. “Who’s next?” she asked conversationally.\n\n\tA second wolf shook his head to clear it, still wondering just how his friend had been taken down so easily, and he glanced over to make sure the otter and two panthers were still with him before growling, “Get ‘er!”\n\n\tEla half-crouched as the group rushed as one, her size relative to their bulk working in her favor for once; as she leaned quickly to one side then the other, feinting that she was about to dash somewhere, those reaching arms tangled with each other, and from there it was simply a matter of picking the best targets. The pair of attackers on her left were tallest, and had crouched slightly to reach her, so she feinted once more toward them then lunged for real. Her strong grip served her well once again as she gave a pair of arms a hard yank each, bringing their owners’ heads within reach, and she wasted no time in grabbing both and slamming them together. “Harlen! Side door!” she barked and ducked, incidentally dodging another grab but mainly in preface to charging forward, splitting her dazed foes apart with her own body. A hint of relief impinged on her trance as she felt feet striking her spine; she’d been worried that her friend might be too frightened or confused to follow her instructions, but that fear, at least, had been groundless. Hopping backwards onto the short bench her companion had just abandoned, she returned her remaining foes’ glares from their own eye level, watching from the corner of her eye until Harlen’s gray tail vanished through the side exit.\n\n\tThe wolf and panther she’d stunned were clearly still a bit unsteady on their feet, so she focused on the panther and otter on the far side from the door she’d sent her friend through. Those two foes seemed to have calmed down, watching her with a wary shrewdness, and that very caution brought the memory of a practice bout to mind, translated in turn into action a moment later. Almost as one motion, Ela’s hands dipped down to tear open her travel cloak’s ties, one leg sweeping up in a kick the instant it was free. The pair she was focusing on flinched back, even though she couldn’t have reached them anyway, but that slight hesitation had been her goal from the outset; she let her kick’s inertia turn her completely around, then launched her entire body the next second in a backward arc. She kept her gaze down and forward relative to herself, arms poised like rearing snakes, and the instant her foes’ heads came into view, her body in mid-air over their shoulders, she struck, fingers digging painfully into their scalps as her claws arrested her flight, followed by her legs, both free of her cloak now, lashing into the splits. A familiar sensation on one side greeted her, that of her kneecap slamming into someone’s windpipe with crushing force, a feeling she knew only because of her father’s insistence upon healers attending every practice session. The unicorn she’d been sparring with wouldn’t have survived without immediate aid, after all, the healers’ presence freeing her to indulge a sheer ferocity that no other sort of ‘practice’ would have allowed. On the other side, though, the panther’s cat-like reflexes had already been sending his hands instinctively toward his suddenly-gouged head, incidentally saving him from the otter’s fate, her shin impacting his wrist hard enough to bruise but leaving him otherwise unharmed.\n\n\tPulling herself half-upright by her claws’ grips, the vixen immediately lunged back and down once more; each of these men weighed far more than she did, but her angle of attack conspired with their own reactions to the painful laceration of their scalps, letting her yank them into a backwards tumble. She was ready for it, easily rolling backwards to come up in a crouch, prepared once more for action; they weren’t, and they landed hard, the feline of the pair yowling and the mustelid’s breath forced past his crushed throat to emerge with a sound most often associated with the other end of a digestive tract and too many beans. The pair of skulls she’d knocked together a few moments earlier seemed to be focusing again, but now she had some space to work with, so she simply watched, considering her options and waiting for them to give her something to react to...\n\n\t“I’ve had enough of this shit,” a voice muttered behind her. She’d been tuning out the gasps and comments of the watching non-combatants in the room, but this new contribution intruded on her trance for the simple fact that it was drawing nearer as it spoke. Its tone spoke of... irritated resolve, she realized, and the next instant she flung up both arms, her first reflex against an unexpected attack from behind, but it was too late. Sparks flared in her vision as the ursine bouncer’s cudgel descended on her skull, her body hitting the floorboards a moment later as her strength seemed to flow away like water from a broken cup. Groaning, she forced herself to turn over, barely getting an arm up in time to meet the second blow that was already descending, and she yelped as both bones in her forearm audibly snapped. “There,” the bear rumbled with a nod, then looked up to the wolf and panther stepping toward him. “I think I’ve taken most of the fight outta this’un, so you two have your fun, and your pals too if they get up.”\n\n* * *\n\n\t“Elaria? Princess Elaria?”\n\n\tEla started awake at the sound of her name, trying to open her eyes and look around for the source of the voice, but something was wrong. Her eyes didn’t want to open, and sound itself seemed to be muffled behind an all-pervading shroud of pure pain, more than she’d ever experienced in her life; in fact, she couldn’t seem to find a single place on her body that didn’t hurt. The call was repeated, and she tried to reply, but all she heard of her own voice was a low, agonized groan.\n\n\t“Princess?” a new voice intruded. “You’re telling me that a princess got into a bar fight? Two of the guys who jumped her are dead, and I’ve never heard’a no princess as could do that!”\n\n\tA whimper escaped as a hand pawed around her waist, and the first voice returned, her pain-fogged mind finally identifying it as Harlen’s, “Here... I’ve been traveling with her for over a week, and I’ve seen her open every pouch and bag we’ve got except this one. If she’s carrying identification, it’s in here.”\n\n\t“We’ll just see about... holy shit, that’s a signet! And this badge... I’ve never seen one like this; do you know what it means?”\n\n\t“Let me see that... oh. Just before the fight she said she’d been assigned to protect me, but I didn’t believe it. I do now... I just spent about half a year in Unicorn Vale, and this is a captain’s badge in their elite forces. I know she looks too young to be an officer, but... well, the elite isn’t like other military units I’ve heard about. They promote strictly based on fighting prowess, so age doesn’t mean shit. Skill does.”\n\n\t“I can believe that... Five big men against a little girl, and it looks like she was holding her own well enough. Might’a taken ‘em all if that bear hadn’t brought a club to a fistfight.”\n\n\t“She’s still breathing, and we’ve got most of the bleeding stopped... but I don’t know what to do about broken bones, and she’s probably torn up inside, too. As fast as we got her out, it may have been too late.” Harlen’s voice broke off with a choked sob, and came back, quieter, “I’m not a fighter... and she took them all on, alone, for me. I don’t want the one real friend I’ve had lately to... to die.”\n\n\t“The town healer’s on his way, son, so don’t you worry... It may take a while, but he’ll get her put back together. The only wizard in town died two months ago, or she’d be fixed in a day or two. Workin’ with just his own magic, the doctor’ll fix a little each day, probably for a few weeks.”\n\n\tElaria whimpered again as she tried once more to open her eyes, then gave that up as a bad cause and focused on her voice, appalled inside at how much sheer effort it was taking just to move her jaw an inch and force her tongue to work, “Har... Harlen...”\n\n\tThere was an immediate rush of air as a body deposited itself beside her, and she struggled not to yelp as a hand touched her unbroken, but bruised and battered arm, “Elaria? I’m... I’m here. We got you out, and help is on the way.”\n\n\tThe vixen took two more slow breaths, gathering her strength, then tried again, “Left... saddle... bag.” That exhausted her for the moment, and she heard someone rummaging with something large and made of leather. By the time her ears reported the hiss of a strap passing through a steel buckle, she felt up to one last try, and struggled to form two more words, “Bot... bottom... crystal.”\n\n\tThe stranger’s voice came to her, “Here it is... it looks like a big hunk of quartz, but it’s glowing a little, and there’s a vine painted on it. Healers often mark their shops just like that...”\n\n\t“Magic!” Harlen exclaimed. “Her father, the earl... he’s a wizard, too! He must have given this to her...”\n\n\t“Is that so? Huh... Well, son, I can tell you that one of two things is happening here, based on the glow. I’ve seen my share of magic, y’know... and if this thing is what you think it is, it shouldn’t be glowing. Either her daddy’s pure crap as wizards go and charged the crystal so badly that it’s leaking, losing a bit of power every day, or he’s very, very good and loaded it up with so much that nothing could hold it all. I hope for her sake that it’s the latter.”\n\n\tDarkness was beckoning, and Ela knew she’d be unconscious again within seconds, but managed one final word, surprising herself with how emphatic her weakened voice managed to sound, “Good.”\n\n\tThere was a quiet thud as the stranger put the crystal down, and he chuckled gently, “Let’s hope so... Princess.”\n\nChapter 5\n\n\tThe second return to consciousness was far easier for Elaria. She still hurt in several places but, to her surprise, wasn’t in actual agony anywhere, and her mind was much clearer this time. It even managed, given a few seconds to look around, to put the details of the comfortable bed beneath her and the panting badger in white robes, a green vine embroidered on one breast, together to guess that she’d been kept unconscious, deliberately, while the evident healer worked. Given the pain associated with magical healing of her minor practice injuries, she decided to be nothing but grateful for having been kept asleep while the ravages of the beating she’d taken were repaired. The doctor was obviously still recovering from his exertions on her behalf, so she took another glance around the room, blinking in honest surprise at the mink seated at the foot of her bed.\n\n\tThe priest’s penchant for ironic humor showed again in his smile as he mused airily, “Call it serendipity, or coincidence, and given the benefit to you you’d be right... but it was actually pragmatism, originally. One of the things we offered to sweeten the deal to let us build this temple was to provide free quarters for the town healer, and beds for any of his patients.”\n\n\tEla surprised herself with a faint chuckle, given that she hadn’t expected to be able to laugh any time soon, the last time she’d been awake, “I’ll take what I can get... I passed out after the first few kicks, back at the inn, but what I felt like the first time I woke up tells me they weren’t nearly the last. Whether he’d treated me in your comfortable bed or a muddy ditch, I’m very grateful for this healer’s fine services, as I was probably doing a good job of dying from internal bleeding when he got to me.”\n\n\tThe badger opened his eyes, a hint of humor dancing within them as he spoke solemnly enough, “Along with a minor skull fracture, six broken ribs that had already started cutting into your lungs, and enough fractured limbs that any attempt to crawl away would have resulted in probably-fatal tears in skin and muscle. You, young lady, are lucky to be alive, and I should add that you wouldn’t be if it weren’t for your superb physical condition. Well-toned muscle can do much to reduce the injuries garnered from a particular blow, and you possess such in plenty.”\n\n\tHis patient nodded, her own gaze serious, “I gather, though, from the splints I can feel and the aches that remain, that I’m still far from recovered... I’ve always made a point of adhering to the professional advice of any healer, so, please, tell me just how bad I still am and what I need to do to help you, or at least to keep from hindering your treatment any further.”\n\n\tOne gray-furred brow rose in surprise, “Now that’s the sort of attitude I can only wish all of my patients displayed! Well, to answer your question, then, I haven’t used up all of the energy in the remarkable crystal your father sent you with, but I am currently at the end of my own strength. It’s about an hour before dawn, right now, and I’ll need to eat and get the full night’s sleep I missed out on while I treated you. I’ve healed everything that was actually life-threatening, but your bones are only half-set at best, and I did very little to address the muscular damage you suffered. Please move as little as possible, and get help if you need to sit up. Neither your arms nor your legs can reliably support your weight right now, so you’ll need to be gently carried to and from the privy. I dealt with your concussion well enough to avoid nausea, so you should eat while I’m resting... Meat and milk, my dear; those will provide your body with the nutrients I’ll be making use of, once I’ve recovered enough for another session. Oh, and speaking of the privy, there will be blood in your stool and urine, but don’t be alarmed; I’ve fixed the hemorrhaging that had you bleeding in the first place, but what leaked out will still need to be excreted.”\n\n\tThe princess nodded, then smiled, “No worries there, good healer... I earned my ‘superb physical condition’ in intensive combat training, so I’m quite familiar with the sight of blood, even my own. The mink over there already said he wanted a chance to talk to me, so we’ll do just that while you rest.”\n\n\tThe healer snorted as he hauled himself to his feet, “Just talk, mind you... That man is a true Roxanite, and will ‘share love’ with just about anything with a pulse. If you wish to keep a pulse, young lady, remember that you’re in no condition for that particular sort of conviviality!”\n\n\t“I’ll have to plead guilty to that charge,” the priest admitted with a cheerful smile, “but don’t count out my sense of propriety! The love I wish to share with you right now, good doctor, is available in the room just across the hall, where a hot, healthy meal awaits, followed by the bed, sans any partner unless you want my young lady acolyte, the cougar lass you keep trying not to be caught ogling, to help you relax enough to sleep. She noticed your look, and I can assure you the attraction is mutual; she seems to have this thing for mustelids of all sorts.”\n\n\tThe badger blinked, shaking his head, then paused... “I was going to decline your final offer,” he admitted, “but... for some reason, an obscure text I read during my own years of study is springing to mind, about how sex, where one partner does most of the work, can be used as an effective treatment for overexertion in the other, something about the release of substances that serve as an aid to the body’s recovery. I have no idea why I remembered that tidbit at this particular time... but it was a well-reputed source, as I recall.” Straightening, he nodded as he padded toward the door, “Let me get that meal into me, first, but... yes, please send her in to, ah, ease me into slumber.”\n\n\tElaria grinned as the latch clicked closed, miming a glance heavenwards, “In this particular temple, I think I know why ‘that tidbit’ surfaced here and now.” She let her gaze fall and her eyes sink half-closed as she continued, “Thank you, Roxanarra, for this favor gifted to the man who saved my life that I might serve You with it.”\n\n\tNo quasi-verbal reply was forthcoming, but a flash of warmth awoke in her groin, briefly drowning out the surrounding aches, and she knew her prayer had been heard.\n\n\t“Roxanarra moves in mysterious ways,” the priest agreed, “though She wasn’t as blatant, in this case, as one might first assume. You and I, as members of Her clergy, have an advantage in that we’re prone to look for this sort of subtle nudge... which brings me, ever so conveniently, to the topic I wished to discuss with you.”\n\n\tEla nodded and perked her ears, doing her best to convey attentive expectation while unable to sit up.\n\n\tMoving to the chair the healer had vacated, the mink leaned back in it, lacing his fingers behind his head as he began his instruction, though it took the vixen another moment to start paying true attention, as the move had called to her attention to the fact that, inside the temple, he did not wear that loincloth under his translucent robe... “When you’re traveling, however casually or urgently, you must remain open to such hints as the good doctor received, though they tend not to manifest in that specific form. Most often, you will be the one so nudged, usually by an unexpected feeling of arousal when you first see someone, one that cannot be explained wholly by their appearance and its possible relationship to your tastes. If they’re someone you’re already prone to court, that flash of lust will be stronger than what you’d ordinarily feel, or perhaps some other clue will call itself to your attention, but rest assured there will always be some sign that you’ll come to recognize after it’s happened a few times. The meaning of these signs, invariably, is that the person you’re being guided to needs love of some kind. Sex, of course, is the most common sort of love they need, but remember that sex itself is but a means to an end in some cases. Comfort, support, encouragement; they may need one of those, and making love to them is the best way to fulfill that need, be it directly with the act itself or accomplished as a sideline, the act simply rendering them more comfortable with your presence and attentive to your words.”\n\n\tThe vixen nodded again, “In the one instance of such comfort I’ve administered so far, I don’t think it was absolutely vital that I was also Harlen’s lover... but it certainly didn’t hurt. The fact that I’m a girl, and I know his secret desire for his own sex, and was willing and able to make physical accommodations to that bias regardless, undoubtedly had some effect on how he considered my words of support the next day.” She paused while the mink nodded, then tilted her head against the pillow, “Where is Harlen, anyway? I remember hearing his voice when I regained consciousness shortly after the fight, so he’s probably okay... but he’s my friend, and I’d rather be sure.”\n\n\tThe priest chuckled, “Oh, he’s more than okay... He’s probably getting some sleep at this moment, cuddled up with the commander of the watch’s night shift, who put his senior sergeant in charge so he could knock off early. The exact reasons for the fight came out after I showed up, when you’d already lapsed back into unconsciousness, resulting in said commander sharing his own little secret, the one that had occasionally brought him to me for a... discreet liaison.” He paused, then continued with a frown, “It seems I need to apologize... I’d seen your companion’s nature, but didn’t give enough thought to the locale and audience. Your being beaten nearly to death is, I’m starting to realize, my fault for not restraining my own impulses. I really shouldn’t have kissed him like that...”\n\n\tEla shook her head, “The problem was already here... You and I simply drew attention to it. With a senior member of the watch predisposed toward people such as yourself and Harlen, coupled with a rather public battle that will surely grow in the telling, I can see several opportunities for increased tolerance arising from my little misadventure. Two of those willing to use violence to enforce their bigotry are now dead, or so I overheard, and there certainly won’t be any legal repercussions from their demise. Even if the chief of the watch shares my attackers’ view, I’m not the simple traveler I try to appear as; I’m Princess Gatuque! Eldest child of the first ambassador of Drachath to Unicorn Vale! And Harlen’s my father’s seneschal’s son. Any attempt to arrest or try us for those deaths would encounter severe political resistance and possibly kingdom-wide diplomatic repercussions. The bottom line is that I acted in self-defense, and even if there’s some resistance to the notion at first, that’s what the official record will eventually confirm. One successful act of defense against bigotry, where only the bigots suffer lasting damage, will do much for the morale of others whom they might try to oppress. Simply knowing that you can defend against that sort of intolerant hatred is enough to put a little courage into nervous hearts, or uncertainty into hating ones.”\n\n\tThe mink looked thoughtful throughout her little speech, and finally nodded, “I had no idea of your actual rank, but there is much truth to what you’ve just said, once it’s factored in... Had it been anyone else those bullies had attacked, even with identical results from the fight itself, the reaction of our guard force might have led to a different outcome, but... You may not look it, or flaunt it, but you are an important personage in your own right, and they can’t just sweep you under the proverbial rug.” He smiled, then, the corners of his eyes damp with unshed tears, “This is starting to feel like another divine ‘nudge,’ but it doesn’t feel like the sort our Lady issues... Still, thank you, Princess. Who and what you are are the reason lasting, positive change may come of tonight’s sad events, but you as a person were the one who took a stand for justice. From what I’m told you didn’t plead, didn’t even hesitate, when faced with a fight that clearly could have, and very nearly did, result in your death, so any good that comes from this can be traced back to one source alone: your personal courage.”\n\n\tThe bedridden princess chuckled softly, “Oh, I think you’re right about the nudge tonight... and that it wasn’t Roxanarra. This feels very much like something Malia would arrange, given Her love of justice, and, in case Roxanarra neglected to mention it while explaining why a Kathallic was being granted the rank of Roxanite priestess, I also seek a similar position among the Maliites, as the vast majority of those who trained me are of that faith. Fighting the good fight for what I know is right, on my way to the temple I plan to apply to, certainly couldn’t hurt my chances! Besides,” and she sobered visibly, “another detail that you probably weren’t told is that I was born a slave. I certainly haven’t always had diplomatic or political clout, and I know what it’s like to have your life completely constrained by the will of others. In some ways, a man who’s afraid to confess his love due to threats of physical harm is as powerless as any slave ever born...”\n\n\tThis fetched a few more blinks from her host, who nodded again as he mused, “I hadn’t realized that you had such... humble beginnings, or broad aspirations; both only serve to enhance the courage you showed and your reasons for showing it, last night. Still... I guess I should finish teaching you what I must about the one goal you have achieved, Priestess...” Giving his eyes a wipe on his robe’s sleeve, he leaned back again and continued, “As you probably won’t join a temple on any permanent basis, you’ll be part of our itinerant priesthood... You should obtain a few sets of undergarments, varying in how revealing they are to suit the local prejudices of any given locale, over which you’ll wear your robe and pendants whenever you feel like trading a bit of love for coin... This is unrelated to those you feel a divine call to aid; those, you usually won’t charge, unless you feel, specifically, that your advice and support must seem incidental; where, in your considered judgment, your efforts will have a greater effect if they’re not directly associated, in the mind of the one you seek to benefit, with the problem you seek to address. Once money changes hands, you see, the mind tends to dismiss the entire encounter as a simple exchange of coin for sex, pushing anything else that you may have discussed into the subconscious, which is sometimes the perfect place for it to do its work. For less therapeutic romps in bed, though, I’ll be providing you with a list of basic acts and the standard donations for such based on our various ranks. You are, of course, free to go without your necklace and pretend to be of a lower rank than your true one, if you have some reason to, perhaps in the case of ‘forgotten therapy’ as I’d just covered but for a beneficiary who cannot afford a full priestess. In any case, an itinerant always has some leeway in how much they charge; they don’t have the benefit of a large temple where it’s easy to match ranks and tastes to a petitioner’s budget. One quarter, no more, of what you make... you keep, allowing you to fund your travels by donations alone if you must. The rest, you should give to the very next Roxanite temple you encounter, be it an enclave or an in-town church, save of course for emergencies. If the only way to save your life or livelihood is to pay for something out of your saved donations, by all means do so, as you can’t exactly maintain our reputation as worthwhile bedmates if you’re starving! Also, no matter what any official might tell you, only the portion you keep is taxable, and then strictly as income; you aren’t subject to any sort of licensing fees or tariffs that might be directed at freelance or organized whores in a particular region.”\n\n\tElaria nodded firmly, “That, taken as a whole, is quite an interesting definition of ‘duty.’ There are subtleties therein, services within services, that I’d never considered possible, but it all ties logically together, once I fully grasp just how much more than a simple prostitute I’m expected to be in our Lady’s service. I probably won’t be doing much in the way of... freelance solicitation, unless I’m tied to a spot for a while and just need to keep myself entertained, but I will keep an eye out for those who truly need my help, and do my best to give it to them.”\n\n\t“Good,” her senior nodded back, “and quite acceptable. Though never exceptionally rich, the church as a whole has been getting along more than adequately in recent decades, so don’t go thinking you need to sell yourself to support us. One more or less lover-for-hire bringing in her tithe doesn’t matter; being a priestess in the spiritual sense, however, does. I know you have a good heart... Follow it, and that will be enough.”\n\n\tEla nodded one last time, but her verbal reply was interrupted by a loud rumble from her belly, her ears splaying as she grimaced, “That fight last night... was right before dinner, and it’s almost breakfast time, judging by the light seeping through those curtains. Could you get me a meal of the sort the healer suggested, and someone to help me eat it without re-breaking my arm? And then, come to think of it, you should get some sleep... You’ve been up all night, helping me in more ways than I care to count, and you deserve some relief too...”\n\n\tLeaning back in his seat, the mink stretched his sinuous body for a long moment, then yawned. “Sound propositions, both of those,” he mused, some hint of his usual, whimsical manner returning. “I’ll go have a word with the cooks, then seek my chambers... my lonely chambers. I do hope you can do something to warm them before moving on, once you’ve recovered.”\n\n\tThe priestess’ most vixenish grin spread across her muzzle, “Why wait? Once you’ve gotten some rest, if you get here before the healer’s ready, I’ve still got a perfectly functional muzzle and tongue, and what I see through that robe looks... tasty. Still, food for me and sleep for you, first!”\n\n\t“Yes, ma’am!” the Roxanite mock-saluted, then padded out.\n\n* * *\n\n\tThe sound of her name being called and the warm clasp of a hand around hers woke Ela from her second healer-induced nap, and she blinked a few times before smiling up into the gray-furred feline face hovering over her bed, “Harlen... It’s good to see you again. Thank you for following my orders, the other night; if you’d balked, you wouldn’t have gotten to the watch in time to rescue me, assuming you’d escaped at all in such a case.”\n\n\tThe cat gave her hand a gentle squeeze as he returned her smile, his own expression seeming unsure whether he was about to laugh or cry, “I’m... just glad you’re alive. I’m going to have nightmares, I know, about the memory of those three bastards, kicking and stomping and smiling as they beat on an already-unconscious, teenaged girl... What happened to you... was a price no one should have to pay just because their companion got a kiss that others didn’t approve of. I’m... I’m in your debt, Princess, in a way I could never hope to repay.”\n\n\tHis companion simply smiled a little wider and gave his paw a stronger squeeze back, “Don’t try... What happened here happened for a reason that reached beyond our brief visit or any one kiss. I discussed things in depth with the senior priest here... and we agree that I was acting as an unknowing agent of divine guidance, helping to correct an unjust situation while it was still minor enough to fix, and thus preventing worse in the future. I’m alive, and I feel very nearly as good as new, so no lasting harm came of my... unfortunate encounter with all those boots, and I’ll not have you beating yourself up inside over a bit of temporary discomfort on my part!” She snorted, then, “Hell, I don’t even mind the eight coppers I’m out for that room I rented but didn’t get to use, and given the other signs of ‘quality’ at that place, the bed I’m in is probably better, anyway.”\n\n\tFrom his chair nearby, the healer leaned closer and tapped her shoulder for attention, then corrected one of her earlier comments, “You’re almost as good as new, physically... but several aspects of your body’s reserves are severely depleted, not the least of which is the blood you lost and my gifts cannot magically replace. I want you to take it relatively easy for at least two weeks. Rest any time you feel even a little fatigued, try to avoid any other fights, and see to it that your diet includes more milk, cheese, and vegetables, the darker green the better, than you usually eat. You need the minerals, young lady, that meat and grains just can’t provide in sufficient quantity.”\n\n\tGiving Harlen another glance, a smile, and a final squeeze of his hand, she turned her attention back to the badger and nodded, “Am I recovered, though, otherwise? Can I get these itchy splints off and, judiciously of course, continue on my journey? This fellow’s father’s expecting him within a specific time-frame, and he’s got pull with a major city’s militia if he cares to exert it; I’d rather not run into an army looking for me, halfway there.”\n\n\tThe badger gave a wry half-grimace, “Normally, with a new patient, I’d say no just to be on the safe side... but I’ve been told a bit more about your background since initially treating you. I’m confident that the concepts of self-discipline and adherence to orders are well-rooted in your psyche, so I’ll say yes, you can go, but order you to keep what I said in mind. You don’t have your usual endurance and should expect to tire easily, and if you sustain another injury before your mineral deficiencies are corrected, you’ll be much longer in recovering.”\n\n\tElaria nodded once, “Understood,” then flipped aside the sheet covering her, neither surprised nor concerned to find herself naked beneath it. “Come on, kitty,” she told Harlen, “help me get these splints off, then show me where the temple’s bathing facility is... Tight on space or not, I’m sure they have one, given how messy ‘worship’ can be in a place like this. After a bath, we’ll find something to eat; I’m sure your new friend on the watch can recommend a place where the meals don’t come with a complimentary beat-down...”\n\n\tThe cat blinked away the last hints of his poignant self-pity, unable to maintain the mood with his companion so much like her old, energetic self. Smiling, finally, he nodded and reached for the nearest strip of cloth tying wooden slats to muscular limbs, “Good ideas, all of those. Let’s.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tHalfway between Winter Wreath’s other inn’s common room, where they’d enjoyed a good meal, and its corresponding stable where their horses waited, the pair was intercepted by the captain of the night watch, looking a bit tired to be up so late (it was nearly noon) but pleased to see them nonetheless. “Good, I caught up with you before you left,” the coyote rumbled.\n\n\tCat and vixen shared a glance between them, then Harlen spoke for them, “If this were a bad play, the obvious line would be, ‘Is there a problem, officer?’ You wouldn’t be looking so upbeat, despite the hour, if there were, though.”\n\n\tThe guard grinned at his lover of recent days, and winked, “It’s odd to be so energetic... but I seem to have been having the most amazing sleep, lately. Far more satisfying and rejuvenating than usual...” His grin only widened as the feline blushed, then schooled itself back to a more serious expression, “Anyway... I just wanted to let you know how the legal wrangling worked out.” Both travelers nodded, looking curious. “There was a bit of plea bargaining done, since the workers who attacked you don’t have much money and were happy to trade conviction on a lesser charge for trial on one they couldn’t afford the fines for. The three ruffians that survived were convicted of disturbing the peace, and their fine was a quarter silver crown each, which has gone to cover part of the healer’s fees, roughly halving the temple’s expense for the discounted rate that’s offered whenever wizard-supplied energy is available.”\n\n\tElaria frowned, reaching for her coinpouch, “No one mentioned fees, and I failed to think of them to inquire on my own... I really should help with the rest, since I’m the one who benefited from his labors.”\n\n\tThe captain shook his head, “Don’t worry about that... I hear he dropped the temple’s half right back into their donation box, muttering something about the deepest purr he’d ever heard.”\n\n\tThis fetched a blink, then a barked laugh, “Good for that girl! I’d have thanked her more personally, since she indirectly helped my healing the same way Harlen’s been assisting your energy levels, but the vulva on her necklace was practically nonexistent. A pity, that... She’s cute, and reminds me a lot of a lioness I knew, physically.”\n\n\t“You’re a Roxanite, alright,” the ‘yote mused with a snicker, then continued, “The two you killed were posthumously charged with assault, necessary to bring self-defense into the issue to defuse potential repercussions from their families. This charge was also, along with battery and professional negligence, applied to the bouncer at the inn, and his entire family of staff there were given the hint that they’d better help pay his fine if they didn’t want to be branded accessories to the crime. They paid a gold half-crown, half of which in turn is due to you as the victim,” and he fished a small handful of silver out of his pocket and held it out.\n\n\tThe vixen nodded solemnly as she accepted the coins and dropped them into her own purse, “I defended Harlen because he’s my friend, and because it was right, not for the money, but I’m not enough a fool to turn my nose up at it. If anything similar happens in a town whose officials share the attackers’ bias, I might need it to pay fines myself, after all, though I plan not to let anyone catch me unarmed like that in the future.”\n\n\tThis earned another serious nod from the guard, “A sensible precaution... That sort of bigotry isn’t fair, or right, or just, but no one ever guaranteed that life is any of those. All we can do is apply a bit of caution and common sense and make our way as best we can...” Looking over to the cat, he smiled, “If you ever come this way again, my young friend, look me up... but, for now, I bid you both a safe journey.”\n\n\tHarlen offered his hand, which the coyote grasped warmly and shook with another smile, before leaving them to continue onward to the stables.\n\nInterlude 2\n\n\t“I’m not, generally speaking, in the habit of hiring complete strangers for something as sensitive as guard duty... Rollen, you said your name was?”\n\n\t“Ronnel, sir,” the fox corrected, banishing the trace of irritation that was threatening to make him tense up. He was no scholar, of course; no serf ever was, but he could spell his own name, and the letters used in this kingdom were closer to those he’d been used to than the spoken language, full of different inflections, frequently twisted in syntax, and using terms he’d thought were mere slang, back home. He focused on his speech, doing his best to mimic the local accent to keep from sounding like a total foreigner, as much to distract himself from the more nervous aspects of this interview as to be understood, “I said that I can guard, at need. I offer myself for general labor, doing whatever needs to be done. Clearing land to camp, cooking food; those I know I can do. Finding herbs to make travel rations less onerous, that I think I can do, if plants here are little strange compared to my home kingdom. Guarding, I can do if I must; my rank in Dengar was low, so the teaching of weapons was prohibited, but it is with my body and my mind that I fight. Observation, too; I can watch for those in hiding, or those who are not what they seem. Though minor, this skill already I have shown; I watched many men with your house crest converging here, the preparation of wagons and beasts, so I know you are preparing to travel, and it is at the east gate you gather.” He spread his hands entreatingly, “I have... reason to wish to be far from the border. Across it, they will tell you I am a criminal, but my crime is that of defending myself. He who attacked me was... of higher rank. More, I’d rather not say, but if it will help me travel with you, I will tell all.”\n\n\tThe merchant nodded, to himself as much as his guest, and observed the man for another moment across his desk... “You strike me as a desperate man, Ronnel,” he finally admitted. “That alone makes me nervous... but it also presents an opportunity that appeals to my business sense. You realize, of course, that my first impulse is to take unfair advantage of your situation?”\n\n\tThe vulpine nodded with a grim smile, “Of course. Every advantage is yours. You have guards, with swords; your hand holds the prospect of my next meal; your word could see me dragged back to the border to be thrown upon the scant justice to be found there. You say ‘business,’ and what you mean I think I know. If you take me, you will give me jobs, ones no one else wants. Digging privy trench, emptying officer’s chamberpot, making best food for higher-rank before my own meal of boiled barley. Some things, you might have to pay someone else more to accept; but I, I will do them for no coin, but for the ‘pay’ of safety and distance from those who hunt me. At any town, any stop, your word could see me jailed, but if that word comes on the far side of the next duchy border, I will welcome it and bear you no malice for its giving. I will have already been saved, then, and any fate that takes not my life will be victory.”\n\n\tThis earned a chuckle from the overweight bear, “Oh, I doubt I’d consign you to gaol when your usefulness was at an end... I’m more inclined to simply send you on your way once we reach Gatuque. You may not ask for pay, but if you last that far with us you’d get some regardless, if not in coin. Simply being seen in the company of House Cranlith as we enter the city would likely garner you the offer of a job or two, jobs that would pay.” Leaning forward, he planted his elbows on the desk and rested his chin in one hand as he thought for another moment... then nodded. “I think I can use you, but I’ll need to verify your claim of being able to fight. I try to avoid taking on even a simple servant who can’t defend themselves, and the bandits know it, which is one reason my caravans are almost never attacked in the first place. So, step outside and look for an unusually tall marten wearing a helm with three red feathers. That would be the master of my guard, Sir Yavine. Be respectful; he’s a knight, and therefor a noble. He doesn’t care what station in life you come from, though, so long as you can live up to any claim of prowess you make.”\n\n\tPressing his palms together in front of him, Ronnel bowed respectfully, “My thanks, honored merchant, and my pledge of good work upon the road,” before stepping past the on-duty bodyguard and out of the office.\n\n\tMost of the space between the merchant house proper and its low outer wall was occupied by wagons being loaded and the beasts that would pull them, but the ring of steel against steel and wood led him easily to the corner where the guards were going through their last drills before the journey. One aspect in which Ronnel’s lupine ancestry did not show was his height, his five and a half feet being strictly average for a fox, but the armored marten he saw supervising the other guards, normally an even shorter species, had him beat by at least two inches. He padded up to wait nearby, unfastening the traveling cloak he’d gotten in trade for that pot several days ago, then repeated his bow when the knight turned toward him with an inquiringly raised brow. “Sir Yavine, your employer, whom I hope shall soon be our employer, asks that you test me.”\n\n\tThe mustelid nodded, “Respectful, to the point, and not too flowery... I like your demeanor already, young man. Tell me your name and what arms you’ve trained in, and to what degree, and we’ll see just what sort of test I can come up with.”\n\n\tSpreading his hands again, the fox shrugged, still doing his best to mentally reverse his sentences to comply with the local dialect, “I am called Ronnel, a former serf from Dengar, and such as I are not permitted the use of weapons. Citizens may use staves, short swords, and hunting bows, but true weapons of war are for the nobility and the military. I have... trained myself, though. My self is my weapon...” Grimacing, he shook his head, “My apologies, noble knight, but I’m still accustoming myself to the speech of this realm. I use no blade or cudgel, but I assure you, I can fight. A man of perverse intent sought pleasure at my expense; he had knives and the knowledge of their use. Now he is dead, and his death is what brings me to your kingdom seeking sanctuary.”\n\n\tBoth red-gold brows rose in the shadow of the knight’s helm, and he nodded, “I can understand how you might... object to that sort of treatment. Shrug out of that cloak and I’ll find you a partner to prove your claims upon, but please don’t kill this foe. Hmm...” Glancing over his troop, he called, “Corporal Hojin, front and center!”\n\n\tA tall lion looked up at the call, sharing a nod with the wolf he’d been practicing against before padding over and snapping to attention, “Sir! Reporting as ordered, sir!”\n\n\tYavine rolled his eyes, “I keep telling you, son, that you’re not in the army any more... Anyway, swap out your sword for a practice blade then see what this fox is made of. He tells me he fights unarmed, but the bandits won’t, and you’re a bit better than the average raider, so if he can hold out against you we’ll all know he’s worth having around in a fight. Even if it turns out he’s overestimated his skills, though, try to leave him breathing.”\n\n\tDropping his cloak to one side, Ronnel waited until the ex-soldier had exchanged his usual sword for one of dull pot-metal, then gave him a shallow bow, his hands held loosely near his sides, “I am ready, good corporal. It is in my defense that I have taught myself, so attack at your whim; of the starting of a fight, I know nothing, wishing only to end them.”\n\n\tLooking somewhat bemused, the lion cast one glance at his commander, who was watching without expression, then shrugged to himself and paced slowly forward. He suspected some kind of trickery, of course, but that was best dealt with by a trick of his own. About three paces from his foe, his slow walk turned into a fast rush, a hard overhand blow already on its way, but he kept his eyes on the fox’s hands, keeping enough strength in reserve to dodge them with his sword or simply thrust his way past a sudden grab.\n\n\tRonnel’s hands didn’t move, but his body did, half-turning out of the arc of the sword’s sweep. The lack of resistance made his foe stumble, seemingly about to plow straight into the unarmed man, but the fox was already half-crouching, catching the center of the lion’s chest on one shoulder then combining a thrust and a turn.\n\n\tChainmail jingled as the larger fighter tumbled into the dust, his sword skittering away, and he blinked in confusion, “How did you do that? You barely touched me...” Dusting himself off, he straightened up and reached for his sword again.\n\n\tHis foe shrugged, answering calmly enough, “The strength which felled you was yours; no great touch is needed to simply change its direction to one unhelpful to you. You rushed without balance; strive to keep that, and you’ll stand longer.”\n\n\tHojin nodded as he straightened the tabard over his mail tunic, “Balance... Right, I can do that,” then approached again, a bit more cautiously this time. Once more keeping a close watch on his seemingly-passive opponent, he was nonetheless surprised to be allowed all the way within arm’s reach, and from there he struck, a straight thrust at the man’s midsection.\n\n\tRonnel dropped to the splits as the dull blade neared, leaning back as he fell to catch himself on one hand and further angle himself away from the attack. That blade twisted above him, clearly in preparation for a downward slash, only to be knocked aside by his free hand. The lion’s expression hardened, and he brought the sword back into line for another slash, but even that brief an interruption in his attack was time enough for his nimble foe to bring more limbs into play, a foot striking his arm and knocking it aside again, and a third blow landing from Ronnel’s other foot as he practically pivoted through the air, supported by one hand in the dirt.\n\n\tMore irritated than anything else by the stinging blows, the corporal firmed his grip and tried yet again to slash at the crouching figure before him, only to see it duck again, a hand darting up to grab his wrist even as a foot planted itself against his knee. “Shit,” he managed to mutter, having a good idea what was coming, and, sure enough, the next moment he was tumbling in the dust again.\n\n\tThat fox he couldn’t seem to hit was standing again when he looked up, his expression still respectful as he instructed in that damnably-calm voice of his, “Balance is not simply to be had, it must be kept, for it can be taken from you by your foe.”\n\n\t“I’ve seen enough,” Yavine interrupted, his objective neutrality cracking enough to give both men a wry grin. “It seems that our ex-serf here spoke truly... and I suspect we haven’t seen a tenth of the tricks he’s picked up, to defend himself without weapons. I’ll tell Cranlith you’re competent, Ronnel. Welcome to our caravan.”\n\n\tRetrieving his cloak to drape over one arm, the fox pressed his hands together and bowed one last time, deeply, “My thanks, noble knight. I worked out this means of defense myself, and have never tried to teach it to another... but, if you wish, I will attempt to do so. Many of the things I do can help even an armed man avoid his foe’s blade, and that is always a worthy goal.”\n\n\tThe marten nodded, “We’ll certainly have time for you to try... Depending on weather, this trip takes two to three weeks, assuming no outright disasters delay us even more.”\n\nChapter 6\n\n\tEla had been eight the last time she’d visited Gatuque, the first chance her father had had to get away after finalizing the plans of the embassy and seeing its construction well-started. Thus he and his family had taken that opportunity to visit his holding, mainly because he wanted to adjust ‘his’ city’s tax code a bit, along the lines of Fariach, to stimulate local commerce and ease the burden of those living there. Still, it had been a long time since she’d been to Gatuque House, while her friend had grown up there, so she let him lead the way through the streets’ afternoon traffic to the ring of upper-class residences just east of the ducal palace.\n\n\tThe cat that greeted them at the door of the opulent, if minimally-staffed, manor house much resembled Harlen in build, but his fur was a mottled black and white, matching his son’s only where the onset of middle age was turning the first few furs gray. Before either traveler could offer a word of greeting, though, the seneschal gave them one stern glance and commented, “You’re late. Come in, and tell me of your journey; I’d like to hear just why it took nearly a week longer than expected.”\n\n\tEla and Harlen exchanged a glance, the princess rolling her eyes slightly and her companion simply grimacing, but they followed the older cat in readily enough. Taking one of the chairs in the sitting room they were led to, the gray feline began, “I did my utmost to make the date I knew you’d expect me home, Helarron, the notes from my journey north helping to plan for identical speed, but about halfway here we... ran into some difficulty. Recovering from injuries delayed us for a couple days, after which we were further slowed in complying with the orders of a healer, meant to ensure that no lasting damage would result.”\n\n\t“You and your companion look well enough,” the elder noted, “so I’ll assume that said recovery was accomplished. Who is this young man with you, though, and which of you were injured, and how?”\n\n\tEla chuckled, that sound alone feminine enough to widen the seneschal’s eyes, but she cut him off before he could voice the hasty apology that was obviously forthcoming, “I am Elaria, Princess Gatuque, first child of your earl, a captain in the New Vale Militia Elite, and Priestess of Roxanarra. To answer your question, a group of toughs took exception to your son through no fault of his own, and I had to... deal with them.”\n\n\tHarlen was looking down as he spoke, quietly, “She saved my life, Father... and very nearly died, herself. She made a gap for me to escape through, but there were five of them, then a sixth joined in with a club, and she was unarmed...”\n\n\tGrimacing, the vixen reached over her left shoulder to touch the wooden hilt sticking up behind it, “The inn we were at had changed management since your son’s last visit, to a less friendly proprietor and his family. It was their official bouncer who stepped in with a cudgel when it seemed I might win the fight, and they’d already made me pack up my steel... That’s why I’m wearing this, too, now. I will bend to the lawful will of any property owner in regard to lethal weapons, but never again do I want to face ten times my weight in fighters without even a stick to my name.”\n\n\tHelarron could only shake his head in wonder, “Milady, you have my and my family’s eternal gratitude... Simply for being your father’s daughter, you have a fair claim on me and this house, and you are welcome here. More, though, you show an aspect of your family that I’ve always suspected, that of nobles who view the obligations of their vassals to them as something to be reciprocated equally, but had not before seen proven. Any service I or mine can provide, whether it falls within the conventional bounds of duty or not, is yours for the asking.”\n\n\tEla smiled gently, “I thank you for that offer, but it was not for any reward that I defended your son... It was right to do so, and, even before I became a priestess, I always tried to do what was right.”\n\n\tThe seneschal’s head tilted curiously, “In general I can understand that... but doesn’t the clergy of Roxanarra have, ah, other interests? Never before have I known one to take a warrior’s path, but you claim military rank, my son’s very life attesting to your prowess...”\n\n\t“The explanation of my seeming oddity,” the princess mused, “is also, unfortunately, the reason I cannot take you up on your offer of a place here, in this house. I have... permission, very nearly a divine mandate, to serve more than one Goddess, and in this town I seek to join the temple of Malia. It would ill behoove a new supplicant to dwell in a luxurious mansion rather than the presumably spartan quarters normally assigned to novices, and despite my titles I have nowhere near enough hubris to demand an exception to those standards.” She smiled, then, and addressed the subject of ‘other interests,’ “Related to the priesthood I already have, I should note that, on our journey, I was your son’s frequent lover as well, but that was just a matter of convenience and mutual pleasure, though it also happened to let me practice several things that contributed to my earning that priesthood. We both knew that the relationship could only be transitory, however, and we part friends.”\n\n\tThe older cat’s brows rose at that, and he chided mildly, “I sent you north to learn from our earl’s mother, son, not to screw his daughter... but, given her religious vocation, I can’t take any real umbrage to things turning out that way.” Turning back to his guest, he offered, “Even if you can’t live here, it’s late enough in the afternoon to make joining the temple today... inconvenient. I don’t know the exact standards by which they judge one’s fitness for admittance, but it’s probably a fair guess that they can take a few hours, and adding the physical preparation of those novice’s quarters you’re looking forward to to the mix... no, going in the morning would be far better. Thus, I offer you this manor’s hospitality for tonight, a good supper and breakfast of my wife’s cooking, and, when you journey onwards tomorrow, I’d like you to carry a donation in my name for the temple, as it was clearly Malia’s path you were following when you fought off those intent on doing my kin harm.”\n\n\tElaria smiled, “This will be the first time the Gatuque House has hosted a member of its current family since my father’s brief visit those years ago... It would be my honor to stay, even for the night.”\n\n\t“Good!” Helarron nodded, then looked to his son, “Harlen, you know which room we keep at the highest readiness for guests; show our lady to it, and open the windows to air it out a bit while she’s settling in.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tHer saddlebags and knapsack just a heap of deflated leather and cloth in one corner, Ela finished stowing her clothes and supplies, then turned to the most important item, saved for last. The three pieces of the knife-stand were easy to assemble, and she set it on a table to one side of the window, her glass-encased souvenir scrotum placed before it, then slowly, reverently set the dagger itself into the stand’s brackets.\n\n\t“Kathalla,” she murmured, bowing her head toward the knife, “I hope it doesn’t seem as if I’ve been ignoring You, but I’ve had... other things to think about. I still love You, my Goddess.”\n\n\t*All is forgiven, My child,* the bone-rattling ‘voice’ she hadn’t heard in so long immediately replied. *My sisters and I are all pleased with your progress, though Malia was a little miffed, briefly, that you spotted Her part in bringing the situation in Winter Wreath to a head so quickly. She’ll live, and I didn’t even give Her the well-earned ‘I told You so’ Her underestimation of your fine mind and soul warranted.*\n\n\tElaria chuckled, “It wasn’t Her fault that I’d just been lectured on the importance of watching for the subtle signs of a Goddess’ machinations in the world... Anyway, I wanted to ask You a question or two. First, would it be possible to get... Akani, I think her name was? Yes, could Akani open the playclub tonight? I was thinking of visiting after dinner, just to get ‘back to my roots,’ so to speak, before immersing myself in Malia’s world tomorrow.”\n\n\t*The delay in getting here caused by your injuries,* the Goddess replied, *coincidentally brought you into town on one of the nights the club is open anyway. Allow Me to refresh your memory of the route, as you were young and distracted the last time you visited,* and the vixen could feel fresh knowledge seeping into her mind, the sights of that long-ago trip on Ferrl’s shoulders coming through much more distinctly than they had any mundane reason to, *and you may join those there at your whim. Akani is co-priestess, these days, as her ursine acolyte, Krebic, has since been promoted, and the local congregation is too small to really need a high priestess. That title was hers by default, simply because there was no one else close enough to make distinctions meaningful.*\n\n\t“Thank you, Goddess, and I shall indeed visit them once I’ve joined my hosts for supper. I’d rather eat at the club, of course, but I don’t wish to be rude to Helarron and his family. Your mention of promotions, though, brings me to my second question... just how does one go about qualifying for formal priesthood in Your church? Of the three Goddesses I wish to serve, Malia places the highest emphasis on honesty, and I’d feel dishonest if my nature were visible only to those of sufficient rank to judge my soul. In the name of that honesty, and because of my love for You, of course, I’d very much like to wear Your pendant alongside those of Your sisters, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing so unless I were at least an acolyte, myself, in Your service.”\n\n\t*My dear,* Kathalla mused as a sudden rush of warmth and affection filled Her worshiper’s consciousness, *I’ve but waited for you to ask. Related to My flock’s small size and your all being de facto clergy, My official ranks are a matter strictly between Myself and those who wish to serve. Novices and acolytes in My service, I judge simply upon the degree to which they’re adept at causing pleasure and pain; you, of course, have qualified as at least a novice since you were seven, and, had you shown an interest in My church at that time, could have claimed acolyte status at age nine, when your three-day orgy gave you a few insights you’d lacked where pleasure is concerned, as well as teaching how too much sex can be a torment of its own. As for true priests and priestesses... that’s more a matter of being able to offer spiritual counsel and guidance, as in any religion. That which you’ve been learning for fair Roxanarra is nearly identical to what you’d be called upon to do for My flock, as a priestess, with only a slight shift in emphasis, the nature of which I’m sure you can deduce with a moment’s thought.*\n\n\tEla grinned, “That’s obvious enough... For a follower of Yours, rather than Roxy’s, I simply wouldn’t push as hard for them to be nice. Kathallics do have a bit more, hmm... flexibility in how we go about seeking what we desire. The breadth and variety of those desires, too, those working their way up through Your church might need to study, but I think my grasp there’s reasonably... firm, as I am.”\n\n\t*Very much so... My flock’s interests are myriad, and the routes to attain them can delve deeply into depravity... save, of course, for your case, where what you seek is to become something other than a Kathallic, but I needn’t lecture you on the several standards of propriety you’ll need to learn to juggle. You’re doing perfectly well at that on your own. Now... look to your left, My priestess, and enjoy your evening.*\n\n\tThere, neatly folded on the bed which had been unoccupied a moment before, was a hooded black robe and, curled up atop it, a small obsidian carving of a bat’s face on a silver chain. “Thank you, my Goddess,” the vixen murmured, her voice husky with emotion.\n\n* * *\n\n\tMore than one set of raised brows greeted Ela’s arrival in the dining room, wearing a simple dress and both of her priestess’ pendants, Harlen commenting first, “I... guess that’s why you encouraged me not to ask about your pre-Roxanite vocation, Princess...”\n\n\tHelarron shook his head with a faint smile from where he sat at the head of the table, “Our earl is a former Agent, son. You really should have made the connection yourself, between that status and the crown’s religion, particularly if, as it seems, you were given a hint that his daughter’s spirituality might be... disconcerting.”\n\n\tClarin, his wife, murmured as she supervised the servant bringing in the meal, “I can’t say I’m thrilled to living under the same roof as a Kathallic, myself, but you’re our sworn princess and my son’s savior. I’m... a bit ashamed to admit that, as I always thought of myself as a tolerant person, but those details do help.”\n\n\tThe vixen shrugged as she smoothed her skirt and edged her chair back toward the table, “I can understand your discomfort, and I respect your honesty... As I was telling your menfolk, though, I won’t be living here much, but I would like to keep most of my clothes and travel-gear in the guest room I’ve been given. I don’t expect the Maliites at the temple to be any more comfortable with me than you are, so it would help to have a residence to call my own on any breaks or holidays novices are allowed.”\n\n\tThe patriarch of the family nodded, “Sensible, and yours for the asking, as I promised.”\n\n\tShe merely nodded back as his wife moved around the table, serving slices of the roast and steaming scoops of herb-scented potatoes, then sent a mildly-pointed glance toward the servant who’d tucked himself into an alcove to await any need for him, “Just tell the staff to be careful about the dagger in the corner of my room. Dusting it should be safe enough, but it’s been blessed by Kathalla. Like any other blessed weapon, those without a religious bond to its deity should avoid touching it.” This fetched a couple of faint frowns and a nervous cough, so the princess grinned and licked her muzzle to lighten the mood, “You all have my thanks, though, for making me welcome for this meal. It smells delicious... I’ve got an invitation to something of a party later tonight, but it can most definitely wait ‘til I’ve enjoyed myself here!”\n\n\tHarlen looked interested, “A party?”\n\n\tStifling a giggle, Ela shook her head, “It’s... religious. I’m virtually certain you wouldn’t like what goes on there, and it involves things that it would be unforgivably rude of me to discuss at the dinner table.” She scooped up a spoonful of potatoes and blew on them to help them cool, then glanced up, “Um, my first religion, I suppose I’d better specify. Official services may have been yesterday, but most of the dark Gods encourage things the general public would rather not see, and their followers could be stigmatized just for being seen there, depending on their rank or profession in daily life, so they all have at least one alternate venue for ‘real’ worship,” and she took the bite she’d been holding, eyes widening at the subtle interplay of seasonings that met her tongue, and she shot the uncomfortable-looking lady cat a smile as she grabbed another scoop.\n\n\tHelarron nodded as he swallowed his own bite of roast, “That’s just another one of the many things few people ever think about, but that makes perfect sense once one does. I certainly wouldn’t put one of Sliisthar’s bunch in a position where they were privy to any secrets, nor let any follower of Karnaal within sniffing distance of my valuables, if I knew they were such to begin with, and seeing them enter the corresponding temple would be a major clue in that regard.”\n\n\tThe princess sniffed at the bite of meat on her fork, licking her lips as its scent suggested that it’d be as delicious as the potatoes were, but paused first to note to her host, “Related to my service to Kathalla, if in a way that would take some explaining, for the last several years I’ve had the ability to identify someone as a follower of the light or dark, or whether they have no strong religious ties at all. In most cases I can do this on sight, though I have to touch one to spot a follower of the God of Lies. As a simple matter of courtesy, in return for your hospitality, I’d be happy to check the staff here for... untoward leanings, if you wish.”\n\n\tClarin immediately stopped looking disapproving, ears perking with interest, “I wouldn’t mind that! We haven’t had any thefts or other trouble... but, in a very real sense, we represent the earl, here. I’d be much more comfortable after all this talk of dark Gods if I could be sure we didn’t have any of Their worshipers around. The risk to our image and reputation, and consequently your father’s, is worth a bit of effort in the cause of certainty.”\n\n\tBefore he could react, Ela leaned back in her chair and reached over to plant one finger on the arm of the servant waiting nearby. He jerked in place, blinking, but she shot him a quick smile, “One down, and clean,” before looking back to the lady cat. “My check is really that simple, so if, tomorrow morning, you make sure I can ‘introduce myself’ to the rest of the staff, I’m happy to provide this little service.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tThe summer sun had just completely set as Ela made her way through the streets. She kept her cowl down, which minimized the odd looks cast at her black robe by guards and citizens, but there’d been little to consider in her decision to wear it. She had, after all, some distinct plans for this night, plans that didn’t include fumbling about with a change of clothes at the bottom of a dimly-lit stairwell, and, other than a comfortable pair of city shoes, her robe and Kathallic pendant were the only things she was wearing.\n\n\tConfusion of a different sort greeted her when she stepped into the tavern and made her way to the stairs... The guard there was supposed to stop anyone whose soul showed white, or those who didn’t show at all; one as curiously mottled as hers was entirely outside of his experience, though much of his discomfort eased when she fished her necklace out of her robe and let it show. “My... apologies, Priestess,” the armored rabbit murmured, beckoning her onwards.\n\n\t“Not your fault, my friend,” she murred, patting him on the cheek in passing. “I’m... unusual.”\n\n\tThe scents of sex and blood greeted her nose as she opened the door at the bottom of the stairs, and she couldn’t help but smile at how much this felt like coming home. Akani was there, seated alongside a bear that was probably the Krebic she’d been told of, given that neither one was wearing anything but their pendants. A fox and, surprisingly enough given how this sort of play attracted carnivores the most, a mouse occupied the other table, both male. No slaves were in evidence, but all four patrons were clearly finishing up a meat-heavy meal, which itself explained the lack.\n\n\t“Looks like I missed the festivities,” Elaria mused, more amused than rueful really, and padded toward the two priests’ table, untying the two knots securing the neckline of her robe as she walked. Just short of one of the unoccupied chairs, she shrugged out of the robe, letting it slide to the floor in a puddle of black satin, and toed off her shoes before taking a seat.\n\n\tKrebic was busy ogling her, of course, but Akani’s look was more speculative. “I... think I know you,” the calico rumbled, “but I’m not sure how. All I can say is that I’ve never seen a soul quite like yours...”\n\n\tThe vixen smiled, “Think back a little less than nine years... and consider my species and my present muscles,” then grimaced wryly as she added, “and also nearly as small of teats as I’ve got now.”\n\n\t“Vixen... muscles...” the older priestess muttered to herself, then brightened, “Ferrl! The most muscles I’ve ever seen on one body... which means you would be little Ela!”\n\n\tElaria’s grimace remained as she glanced at one of her arms, even as she nodded, “Not so little any more... I’d happily trade half my muscles for a bustline like yours.” She took a moment to do a little ogling of her own, licking her lips as she eyed the cat’s chest, “Early middle age seems to be agreeing with you. You look as good as I remember.”\n\n\tThe scrape of a chair against the marble floor drew the three priests’ attention to the other table, where the fox and mouse were both rising. “Dinner was, as always, excellent,” the vulpine mused, “but you know I need to be up early. Such is a baker’s life...”\n\n\t“No worries,” Krebic rumbled, “and we’ll have the rest of that cow delivered to you by noon, discreetly of course. Your ‘beef meatrolls’ are honest enough, really; laws about labeling don’t require you to say just how many legs it had.”\n\n\tAkani looked to the rodent, “And I’ll try to get you another cat or two to torture for next week... I love watching you in action, oh ironic sadist.”\n\n\tThe mouse snickered, “And I’ll have to content myself with just screwing you silly, dear Priestess, no matter how much I’d rather be cutting that cute neck of yours,” before both patrons took their leave.\n\n\tThe feline shook her head, “That guy... he’s really good at sacrifices, and I certainly enjoy his ‘screwing me silly,’ but every once in a while he just gets... creepy. He prefers cats of all sorts, but also likes to disassemble wolves, the occasional fox... anything that eats mice in the wild, really. Half the time I have to poke him to remind him that the sacrifice needs to have some fun, too...” Shrugging away her discomfiture, she asked, “And what’s wrong with small breasts? Early middle age isn’t always agreeing with my spine; this rack is prone to causing the occasional ache...”\n\n\tKrebic offered a protest too, “Yeah... I like small breasts.” He stuck out his broad tongue, then pulled it back in with a grin, “Ones like yours, I can lick practically all of at once. Try that with a more typical vixen and all that fluff dries out my tongue before I hit flesh.”\n\n\tAkani rolled her eyes, “Not that you care whether they have tits so long as there’s somewhere to stick that big dick of yours, as many of our male slaves have learned to their discomfort...” Shaking off her friendly exasperation, she smiled to Ela again, “So... you’re back! And a priestess now, too... of more than one religion, I’m guessing. As unthinkable as it’d normally be, that’s the only explanation I can come up with for the state of your soul.”\n\n\tHer co-priest raised a brow, “I hadn’t thought of that... You just might be right.”\n\n\tEla shrugged, still smiling, “You hit the nail right on the head... I’m currently a full priestess of two of our pantheon’s Goddesses, and in the morning I’ll be joining the temple of the third. I’ve met mortal incarnations of all three, you see. Hell, I’ve slept with all three! Kathalla gave Her permission, and so far the other Goddesses seem to be accepting my quest to know Them all spiritually, rather than just personally. It’s been... interesting. Roxy’s really much more complicated than most assume, and I did nearly die in the pursuit of justice on Malia’s behalf... but I was a Kathallic first, so when I found myself with a free evening in a town where I knew there was a playclub, I naturally came here.”\n\n\tThe bear shook his head with a smile of his own, “We’ve used up all of the slaves for the evening, though... You’re welcome to indulge in the carnal, survivable delights our Goddess favors, of course, and as a Roxanite priestess, in a strictly unofficial capacity, I’m sure you’d be... quite good. You could have those anywhere, though, so I have to assume you came here with... bloodier hopes in mind, and I’m sorry to say that it’s just too late in the evening for that.”\n\n\tTo his surprise, the young vixen merely chuckled, “Oh, somehow I don’t think I’ll be as disappointed as you think. You see, I’ve come to understand how Goddesses operate in our world. Not perfectly, of course, but far better than I ever did before... and I can tell you honestly that I do not believe Kathalla would have encouraged my visit if the only possible results were a small priestly orgy or outright boredom. Just what, I cannot say and refuse to guess... but something will happen here, tonight.”\n\n\t“Most perceptive of you, my dear... I’m impressed,” a new voice intruded.\n\n\tCat and fox called in unison, “Kathy!” as all three heads turned, then blinked. The bear’s confusion was natural enough, as he’d never seen the lithely-nude bat currently sitting at the other table, but none of the three priests recognized the black-furred bunny, a look of confusion on her muzzle, who occupied the next seat.\n\nChapter 7\n\n\t“Introductions are in order, I suppose,” the bat mused. She pointed first to Krebic, “You’ve never met me before, though both priestesses here have. As they said, I’m called Kathy, and I’m the most frequent mortal incarnation of your Goddess.” Her tone was light, but at the same time brooked no nonsense, and the bear could only nod in acceptance. “As for our other... companion, I’d like you all to meet Pola. You, Elaria, have seen her before, though you probably barely remember; she was the ‘winner’ at the show you watched when you first visited one of my clubs, back when you were six.”\n\n\tThe rabbit in question, looking and sounding lost, asked, “Where am I, sir, ma’ams? The last thing I remember, I was in the temple in Fariach... I’d just asked my dear Mistress of many years to finally go all the way with me, to surpass even the intensity of our play where she had me healed just short of death, and she’d agreed...”\n\n\tKathy smiled warmly, “Yes, she did... and, with judicious use of a hot iron to cauterize wounds, coupled with the occasional minor prayer for healing, it took you more than ten hours to die. That, though, was nearly two years ago. I... ‘memorized’ your physical body the evening of your death, and your memories were part of that. Souls work differently from physical brains, though, which is why your situation is such a surprise, and I do apologize for that, dear. That soul of yours has been in my heaven since then, killing and being killed in turn in an endless orgy of bloodlust, but the spirit world has its own drawbacks. You knew you were a soul, and couldn’t be harmed or permanently hurt those you played with, and that very knowledge blunted the sort of intensity which you sought. Thus, you asked me for a favor, one that constituted a greater miracle than I’ve ever before performed... but not for lack of desire or ability, mind you. In the past, I’ve simply sought to avoid drawing so very much attention to myself, but my current rather cordial relations with the deities of light finally make this sort of thing possible.”\n\n\tAkani quipped, brows high, “Raising the dead is a little out of character for any deity, I’ll agree...”\n\n\tThe bat cackled with amusement, “Oh, but that’s only the beginning!” before addressing the rabbit anew, “You see... you are, now, something of an immortal, dear Pola. If you die, and I expect that will happen fairly often, you’ll exist as a spirit only long enough to observe and appreciate what a lovely corpse you make, after which your body will reconstitute itself and you’ll live again. I can manage the integration of a spirit’s memory into your rebuilt brain easily enough over so short a period... That’s only half of my gift to you, though. Your deaths will, of course, be more intense than those your soul enjoyed, but I’m giving you to this playclub specifically as a permanent fixture, and I haven’t forgotten what you like to do to your fellow slaves! I’m sure my priests will keep you well supplied with playmates, who you’ll know actually suffer, and who really will die at your hands.”\n\n\tThe rabbit’s eyes had been widening steadily throughout the description of her new status, followed apace by an increasing scent of aroused lapine that had all three priests grinning. “Oh,” she finally burst out, lunging from her chair to hug the bat tight, “thank you!”\n\n\tKathy hugged her back warmly, stroking her cheek against the girl’s, and murmured, “You’re currently exactly as you were the evening you asked for your final playtime... but you have a much longer future ahead of you, now. Is there anything about yourself that you’d like me to change before I go?”\n\n\tStill smiling through tears, Pola eased back into her seat to give the question the thought it deserved. A hint of seriousness crept into her expression as she finally nodded, “Yes... three minor changes would be very much to my liking, ma’am. First, some of the mortal healings I had left me with scars under my fur, and I’d prefer to be pristine for each new playmate. Second,” and her ears dipped in a mild blush, “I’m... not as tight as I used to be, having grown too fond of my Mistress’ hand. I think it would be more fun for everyone involved if I were fifteen again. Third and finally... well, this is a matter of sheerest vanity, but could you make my fur white? I’ve always envied white people, for how beautifully crimson their blood is as it flows. Against black, you can hardly see it...”\n\n\tStanding up, the bat nodded as she leaned closer, “Yes to all three, my dear... Enjoy your new life; may it end frequently.” With that, she closed the last few inches and kissed the slave on the lips and, from her muzzle outward, change spread. Black fur changed to white, and the body beneath seemed to shrink ever so slightly, her breasts rising and firming on her chest until they were the perfect image of a nubile teen’s. Pola sat there, her eyes closed as she felt the old stiffness of her scars fading, and when she opened her eyes at the kiss’ end, Kathy was gone.\n\n\t“Okay,” Krebic rumbled, “what just happened? I’m still a little confused... but all I really understand is that we’ve got a new senior slave, one that apparently wants to be killed. Repeatedly. I’m not adverse to the concept, mind you, but few of the slaves to die here actually wanted to, save for those whose previous owners had made their lives a burden they were happy to put down.”\n\n\tGlancing from him to the other priestess, Ela mused, “Let me explain just what you’ve been given... Now, keep in mind that this was from my early childhood, but I think I remember things well enough, and I heard a few other details in passing over the years... Pola here is one of a very special sort of slave the healers and mages made, originally sold for fifty gold nobles each, though she herself was given as a gift to the temple in Fariach. Her... ‘designers,’ I guess, they rearranged her brain, and the fibers that report sensation to it, so now every time her body experiences what anyone else would call pain, it instead feeds into the part of her that feels pleasure. Killing her, as slowly and painfully as we can, would, to her, be like one incredibly long and intense orgasm. She also distinguished herself, in that show I saw, with the sheer enthusiasm with which she applied, let’s see... a dagger, a meat cleaver, and a heavy mace to her fellow slaves, I think it was. It was that very vigor that Kathy chose her for; the other three bunnies she was with thought it was a random selection, but our Goddess is not above tampering with the odds when someone as sadistic as her comes along in a batch of supposedly masochistic submissives.”\n\n\tPola was nodding emphatically as she crossed the room to take the last seat at the occupied table, her dark blue eyes still flicking over her new fur and breasts, “I love killing people. Broken bones, lost limbs, the externalization of any internal organ you’d care to name... I just can’t get enough, and I love it just as much when those bones, limbs, or other bits are mine!” She pouted faintly, “Not that I got dismembered all that often, and I never got to savor the event... Mistress always had to pray the arm or leg back on quickly, to make sure it still worked and to keep me from bleeding to death.” Brightening again, she turned to face the vixen, laying a gentle paw on her shoulder, “Please, Mistress... You seem to know my nature best. Could you show these other fine priests?”\n\n\tNodding, Elaria smiled as she rubbed her cheek against that hand, then stood, “Lay down on the table and spread your legs, and I’ll do just that.” Taking the two steps over to the rack of bonds, blades, and other toys, she looked over the selection carefully... then picked a smallish knife, an oval wooden hilt with a short brass guard and about four inches of very sharp-looking, leaf-shaped blade.\n\n\tThe white bunny had complied with her instructions with all of the enthusiasm Ela remembered from that long-ago show, and had passed the rest of the time she had in exploring her rejuvenated crotch. “Ooh,” she murred as one finger slipped carefully between her lips, “I’m as snug as I remember... and Kathy even grew back my hymen! I haven’t had that since I was four! That’ll be one more way to get torn a little and bleed, even when those I serve just want to fuck!”\n\n\t“Ah, good, you’re even facing the way I hoped,” the vixen mused as she stepped back, “and from the way Krebic there is drooling, I’m guessing he hopes that you haven’t lost interest in ‘just fucking.’”\n\n\tThe bear, far from embarrassed, simply grinned and reached down to knead his swelling sheath, even as Pola shook her head, “Nope! I still love that, too. I may be the most sadomasochistic one you’ve ever met, but I’m still a bunny, and we love to fuck!”\n\n\tNodding with a grin of her own, the newest priestess directed, “Keep a good eye on her sex, my ursine friend... not that you seem to need much encouragement for that, but it’s about to surprise you. Her race and mine may share a few things, in terms of reputation, but she’s still very special, and her... bunnyhood can do things that my anatomy certainly can’t!” Leaning over the table, then, she brushed the rabbit’s paw out of the way, reversed her grip on the knife, and pressed it into the shadowed fur of her navel, slowly, firmly... That belly’s hint of softness dimpled at first, but the blade was as sharp as she’d hoped, the depression it had formed filling quickly with a little pool of blood as it finally broke the skin and sank steadily into the muscle beneath.\n\n\t“Ooh... yes...” Pola groaned, her head lolling back as she savored the penetration. Between her legs, her lips had already puffed visibly, their faint sheen graduating quickly to a visible coat of moisture, already dribbling down into the cleft between her rumpcheeks. “Yes!” she cried again, clearly trying not to squirm as the blade passed her abdominal muscles and its point nudged her intestines, a strong spurt of clear bunnyjuice leaping from her sex as it visibly spasmed, followed by an even larger gout and an outright scream of pleasure as Ela abandoned her slow thrust and simply rammed the knife the rest of the way into her guts, its brass lost in the puddle of blood that was running in bright red rivulets down her sides.\n\n\t“Goddess...” Akani breathed, her own gaze rapt on the sight, “I’ve never seen a display of such arousal, such pleasure... and that’s just one thrust! Oh, my dear rabbit, there are dozens of things I’ll want to try on you, so many whimsical ideas I’ve had that just weren’t possible, as they needed someone’s cooperation even as I reaped brutal torments on their body...”\n\n\tThe young bunny was panting hard as she nodded, her soft little breasts heaving on her chest, “Ooh, Mistress... whatever you want, I’ll help with. Please, now... Mistress vixen... could I have some more?”\n\n\tSaid vixen nodded, “Of course you may, dear... Please, call me Elaria; I’ll be back here whenever I can, though that might not be for a while, and I’m sure we’ll get to know each other quite well.” Before the slave could verbalize a reply, she gave that ‘more,’ savagely twisting the knife in its wound then yanking hard down toward her mound, drawing it upwards as well to minimize additional organ damage while lengthening the stab into a gash. The suddenly-gaping wound spurted, though not nearly as much as the splayed flesh between her thighs, that clear essence of lapine lust gaining a pink tinge to match the dripping petals it came from, turning steadily more red as the cut in her uterus leaked into her passage. Setting aside the knife, then, Ela thrust her empty hand into the slit she’d carved, eyes sinking to slits as she felt around, then pulled free a length of thick, pinkish-purple colon to the sound of orgasmic squeals.\n\n\tThe loop of intestine felt just a little... odd to Ela as she rolled and squeezed it between her fingers, and she set it aside to investigate further. One hand splaying the gash she’d carved, the other reached a single probing finger inwards, relatively low on the cut as it felt through the puddle of blood for the shapes her long experience would let her identify... That finger was lifted to her muzzle the next moment, suckled briefly as she considered, before she mused, “Curious... Pola? How good are you at conversing and remembering things in your current state?”\n\n\tThe rabbit’s reply was interrupted by frequent gasps for breath as her body shuddered in ecstasy, “Good... remember... not-good... talk!”\n\n\t“That’ll do,” the princess chuckled. “Anyway... I’m guessing that your body, other than this little cut, is in the exact condition it’ll be each time you come back from the dead, and it’s missing one or two things. Your bladder’s completely empty, which means my slice wasn’t as intense as it would have been if there’d been salt there to release into your wounds, something to keep in mind when deciding just when to ask to be gutted... Also, your digestive tract seems to only have enough in it to keep it running. This is actually a tactical consideration... If you haven’t been to the privy lately and someone wants to fuck you up the ass, just have them brain you with the iron-banded cudgel there on the shelf first so you’ll be clean with minimal delay.”\n\n\tAkani and Krebic both cackled at that, the latter commenting, “I like that thought... She’ll be able to serve in here full-time, rather than our usual practice of keeping slaves in their quarters then ordering them to take a dump before coming out.”\n\n\t“Don’t forget the rest of the week,” his co-priestess purred. “We might have to expand to opening on more nights, with her help as a pet we can abuse for no more cost than keeping her fed, but in between she can live with us in the temple.”\n\n\tElaria nodded sagely, “And you can buy her someone to abuse on a regular basis, too, with the extra income from any nights where she’s the solo entertainment,” before turning her attention back to the bunny in question. The loop of bowel she’d pulled free was intact, being a section her knife had missed, so she kept pulling, drawing more of its glistening length into the air ‘til, on one side, a cut about halfway through came into view. Firming her grip to either side of that gash, one strong yank tore the flesh in two with a happy squeal from Pola, and she grinned to the ecstatically-twitching rabbit as she loosened just another couple feet of her large intestine on its intact end.\n\n\t“Good,” the vixen murmured, “there’s enough... The last time I tried to do what I’m planning, it was with the thinner bowels, and they broke. The big ones are so much shorter, though, that it’s hard to get a workable length in a deep-gash situation like this one.”\n\n\tAkani quirked a brow, commenting to her co-priest, “You weren’t here that night... but I last saw little Ela—excuse me, Elaria now—when she was seven, and she set a record for me, personally, for the most painful single act I’d ever seen inflicted on a slave. It sounds, though, like she’s had a lot more practice since then...”\n\n\tThe princess shot her a grin as she stepped around the table to the side Pola’s head was on, “That remains one of my better nights, actually... but it’d be more deliberate than innovative, these days. My continence issues mostly faded when I hit puberty, and a bit of effort on my part has virtually eliminated them, at least as ‘accidents.’” Glancing down to the rabbit, then, she murred, “Spread your ears for me, dear, and prepare... to die.”\n\n\tThe white bunny nodded happily, eyes all but closed as her perpetual climax sparked up and down her nerves, and flipped her ears to either side even as her hands returned to the midsection they’d been held politely away from. Two fingers slipped into her drenched sex as her other hand explored the deep wound that was held open by the strand of her own entrails her would-be killer had taken with her, broad streams of crimson flowing down her sides as the little lake of blood the gash had formed overflowed each time she exhaled or even shuddered too hard.\n\n\tEla waited one more moment before following through with her plans, deeming it more important to touch herself with her less-bloodied hand, a single fingertip stroking over her puffed-up hood where it peeked from her equally-aroused treasures, thoroughly moistened by her enjoyment so far even if they couldn’t compare to the copious gushes of her ‘playmate.’ One more moment was spent bending down to give Pola an upside-down kiss on the lips, then she half-straightened and looped the intestine she was holding once around the rabbit’s neck. She tied a quick half-knot in the fleshy length and pulled it snug, though not yet tight, leaving about a foot of the torn end free. Finally, she gathered up the bunny’s long, drooping ears in each hand, still hanging onto the lengths of bowel, a bit sticky as they started drying out in the air... then started to pull.\n\n\tThe princess’ muscles were stark under her fur as she exerted carefully-metered pressure, moving slowly but with a strength and deliberation that little could resist; even as the knot pulled tight enough to start making it hard to breathe, the slack in Pola’s ears ran out, her blue eyes widening as she realized the dual nature of this attack. The cartilage in those ears could stretch a little, but not much; as the slave gasped in a final half-breath before the ‘rope’ cut off her wind, the bases of her ears started to tear, just a drop each of blood flowing into her headfur at first, but quickly growing to a steady trickle as more flesh tore. Pola had been whimpering her constant pleasure until breathing had been denied to her, but her sex was still twitching entertainingly, evidenced by a lusty grunt as Krebic’s shaft, stroked as he watched, twitched and started to spurt, Akani leaning over to helpfully lick up the mess.\n\n\tSlim shreds of flesh linked those long ears to the bloody holes amidst white fur when the tension in the knotted gut reached the point Ela had been aiming for, and she simply held on, maintaining the pressure at a constant level against the rabbit’s ecstatic shudders. Within half a minute of her air being cut off completely, Pola’s instincts kicked in and made the job even more challenging, her body starting to buck and thrash despite her best efforts to repress the deep-seated need to breathe. Those convulsions, she and her killer both knew, actually served to hasten the dimming of her vision, spangled as it was with bright, dancing spots, her involuntary jerks using up what little good air was left in her lungs even faster than the pleasure thrumming through her entire being was already doing. Even though she could barely see out of them, and knew from previous strangulations to mere unconsciousness that she’d be completely blind in a few more moments, the bunny did her best to keep her eyes focused on the vulpine features above her and a grateful smile on her muzzle, mouthing, ‘Thank you, Mistress,’ with no wind to give the words sound.\n\n\tElaria was watching her victim’s face just as closely, and nodded back with a smile of her own and a murmured, “You’re welcome, dear,” to eardrums too drowned by blood to hear as her arms gave one last jerk to pull the knot especially tight and the ears completely from her lover’s skull. Letting the floppy lengths of white fur slip from her grasp as Pola’s convulsions eased, fading rapidly toward stillness, she tied a second half-knot in the length of bowel and tugged that tight too before staggering two steps over to sink into an empty chair, certain that brain-death for the bunny was only a matter of moments, now.\n\n\tKrebic mimed a sniff at the air, obviously for show given how inundated every breath was with the scents of blood and arousal, then grinned to the vixen, “Well, you were right about her, and certainly worthy of your own priesthood given how much you enjoyed that. Our little temple is doubly blessed, between this miraculous bunny and your taking up residence in the same town to occasionally join us. Praise Her.”\n\n\tEla dipped her head, murmuring, “Praise Her,” in reply, echoed by Akani. Glancing back up, the princess gave a half-rueful grin, “I’ll be trying to visit as often as I can, but I’m not sure just how frequent that’ll be. It’s almost certain that I can talk whoever ends up being my superior at Malia’s temple into letting me spend restday mornings at each of my goddess’ shrines in turn, but I can’t know yet how free my novitiate may or may not leave my evenings. I understand the timing of the playclub’s current day of operation, being one day after the services so you can take requests and find the right slaves, as well as having the latest donations fresh and available... Out of propriety, then, I’ll probably be honoring my other two Ladies before returning, so it may be nearly three weeks before you see me again.”\n\n\tAkani nodded, her expression serious despite the two fingers still slipping in and out between her slickened labia as they’d been throughout the show she’d enjoyed, and she pulled them free to casually offer to her co-priest, who obediently licked them clean while she made use of the freedom to speak without pleasured gasps, “I’ll almost certainly be following through on my idea to run the club more than once a week, probably the fourth day after each restday to even things out, and you’ll be more than welcome here... Hell, if you get a good idea for the subject of a sermon, you’re free to borrow my temple and preach it, sister; seniority aside, I’m sure you’re just as good a priestess as I am. I guess I’m just trying to echo Krebic’s thought that we’re happy, and consider ourselves fortunate, to have you around, and any excuse you can find to join us for worship or play will find its way into our prayers of thanks.”\n\n\tThe vixen nodded, blushing faintly, then looked up with a surprised blink, “What the...” She held up a hand to stare at, “The aftertaste of blood in my muzzle just disappeared, and my hands are clean, too, but I—” She broke off at a flare of spiritual darkness, and smiled at the blinking bunny who’d just materialized in the last empty seat of the table, her body and various spilled fluids having disappeared just an instant earlier, “Ah, that’d be why! Welcome back, Pola.”\n\n\tPola beamed a loving grin of her own as she felt around the bases of her intact ears, “Thank you, Mistress Elaria. Kathy was right; I died, then I was sort of hanging in the air. I couldn’t hear anything, but I could see myself, my belly torn open and my face almost blue, my own guts tied around my neck... Pretty!”\n\n\tLeaning over, the princess snugged an arm around the lapine’s shoulder to pull her close enough for a gentle kiss on the muzzle, “Quite pretty, yes... and your second return from the dead has taught us an interesting detail. It seems our Goddess uses every particle of your previous body to make your new ones, so every drip and scrap of mess we left you in is instantly cleaned on your return. While this certainly keeps things pristine and hygienic, it will rather disappoint anyone who wants to eat you. They’ll either have to take their bites raw, or leave you missing a limb but alive for long enough to cook it, and in neither case will they actually gain any benefit from their meal, nutritionally.”\n\n\tThe other two priests snickering to themselves, Pola giggled merrily, “Oh, that won’t be too much a problem... I learned all sorts of recipes for bunny back in Fariach! I may not be able to stomach much meat at a time, given my digestion’s bias toward veggies, but my Mistress there taught me how to bake, broil, roast, and fry the leftovers from the times I got to do the killing, and I always enjoyed a few bites. Soups and stews, too! Just get me a rabbit who’ll stay dead, or anyone else with good meat, and I’ll show you!”\n\n\tKrebic snickered again, “Our new playmate, it seems, is even more talented than we suspected... It may be an almost unheard-of combination, but this is an unheard-of bunny, and we’ll have to get her a nice, red collar indicating disposability, with the gold clasp of a senior slave. Hmm... might even want to consider platinum, to reflect her rather unique nature and standing...”\n\n\tSaid bunny glanced at the bear’s crotch, where talk of making meals of her victims had caused enough swelling for his thick red member’s tip to be peeking out of its sheath again, and licked her lips, “I’d be honored to wear any collar you give me, Master Priest... but right now I want to give this muscular vixen my best ‘thank you’ for killing me so wonderfully, which means saying ‘thanks’ with my tongue! Could you give me a good stuffing from behind while I do that, though? Both ways, please; I’m really curious how tight I am, and what my holes’ll feel like in this new body, ‘specially with a maidenhead in one.”\n\n\tEven as Elaria scooted her chair around, sitting on its very front edge and spreading her legs as she leaned back, the bear stood up and nodded, rumbling lustily, “I envy you, little Pola, for getting to taste that dripping flower of vixenhood before us... but I’m just as curious as you are, as to how deep and snug your more lapine charms will prove to be. Get down on your knees, my dear, and consider yourself a sandwich.”\n\n\t“And after that,” Akani mused in a mischievous tone as she settled back to watch and masturbate, “we’ll wake up our current senior slave and take him with us when we all go back to the temple. His position... is now redundant, and I think it would be very fitting for his replacement to see to his... ‘retirement.’”\n\n\tPola’s giggle was a bit muffled by the labia her muzzle was pressed against, and she stuck her tongue out just a little as she gave a shallow nod, eliciting a squeak and a sigh from the vixen, before she pulled back just long enough to comment, “Mistress High Priestess preferred girls pretty much exclusively, so I haven’t gotten to kill many boys. I’m lookin’ forward to it... right after this delicious snack!” then lunged back in, tongue-first.\n\nChapter 8\n\n\tElaria adjusted her pendants as she paused near the back gate of the small enclave, a couple streets away from Temple Row proper. She decided, as she got the chains sorted out so her cast-silver genitals were paired together separate from her onyx bat-head, that the arrangement was only odd on the surface, but made perfect sense once she thought about it. Malia’s militant order and relatively large number of artisans, living on Her temple grounds even if they weren’t actual, practicing clergy, meant that Her temple was second from the end among the ornate fronts of the Row, flanked by Molinden’s temple of commerce at the very end and Tarragh’s warlike structure on the other side, allowing for the walled compound behind without butting up against Shattrathin’s larger single building at the other end. The War God’s militant order tended to prefer defensive keeps, which kept them out of large cities’ interiors given the premium land went for; the Goddess of the Arts, on the other hand, was happy enough with a relatively small space with three-story wooden buildings surrounding the practice yard, providing housing and workshops in little more than the same area outright fortifications would hog to themselves.\n\n\tHer necklaces settled, the vixen made one more check of her appearance before proceeding onward. Her blouse was a light gray, and her pantaloons a dull blue, both of a fairly coarse linen, and loose in cut, but with finely-stitched seams. The impression she was striving for was of durability, and just a hint that she could afford better but preferred functionality over fashion; the colors were only a marginal step up from poverty, after all, and the tailoring was of good quality even if the fabric itself could be far better. Her luggage, if similarly-styled, had been custom-made during one additional day she’d spent at Gatuque House, a leather-handled canvas bag all of the same tan, mostly like an oversized purse such as might carry a few changes of clothes but with long, narrow extensions at the upper edge of each end that housed her swords, wood and steel alike, the latter’s hilt easily accessed through a barely-visible flap in the seam along the extension’s underside.\n\n\tThe gate of the enclave itself was a large, wooden double door sufficient for a good-sized cart of supplies to enter, with a smaller door set into the right side and, into that, an iron-barred window. A leather thong emerged from a hole to one side of the door, ending in a misshapen piece of iron that had probably been a depiction of Malia’s face before years of use had worn away the details, and Ela gave it one brisk tug, a small bell on the other side ringing clearly.\n\n\t“... don’t have any deliveries this morning,” a voice was grumbling as it approached a few moments later, just before a mustelid face appeared on the other side of the bars. The gray mink blinked as he looked the unexpected arrival up and down, then frowned, touching his own bronze casting of Malia’s face on its silver chain, “These are not mere decorations, young lady, and your taste in wearing the image of the worst of the Dark Ones next to the symbols of a power of the Light, if however marginally, is questionable and ignorant at best, and dangerously stupid at worst. I suggest that you remove them immediately, but insist that you tell me why you’re here, right now.”\n\n\tElaria managed, somehow, to control the smirk that was trying to twist her muzzle throughout his little tirade, keeping her expression attentively neutral, then took his ultimatum as a chance to instead ask, one hand lifted toward the window, “I’m pleased to be greeted by an acolyte, rather than a novice, as there’s a chance you can ascertain the nature of my soul, and thus my right to wear these ‘mere decorations,’ by touch... Are you so able?” His own soul, she quite deliberately didn’t mention, was only mostly white, and none too bright at that, patches of gray swirling here and there, suggesting that he’d reached the highest rank he ever would unless he could improve it.\n\n\tThe acolyte sighed with a hint of exasperation, “Yes, yes, I’m close enough to priesthood to manage that much; place your hand between the bars and let me concentrate...” Even Grandpa Gerian, as rock-headed a priest as he was, had only needed the slightest of touches to read a soul. This mink, however, took her paw in a firm grasp and scrunched his eyes tightly shut, his lips moving silently in some sort of mantra or perhaps even an outright prayer for divine aid in this simple clerical task. Those eyes flew open a moment later, followed by several blinks as he yanked his hand back from hers, “That can’t be right! You seem to be black and white at the same time, but not gray...”\n\n\t“I am,” the vixen stated simply, “seeking to join your order and learn more of Malia. I have permission from both Kathalla and Roxanarra to do so. This situation is... unique, so you may wish to call it to the attention of a senior priest before making any decision. Other than my divided faith, though, I seek only to apply as any other supplicant would, asking neither special favor nor consideration.”\n\n\tThe acolyte blinked twice more, then shook his head, “You ask the impossible... Of course, you already seem to have accomplished the impossible, in being of two faiths at once, but I’m certain that our Lady of the Arts, as I thought all Gods and Goddesses did, wishes to be served only by those devoted to Her alone. Any priest here, I’m sure, would say the same thing, senior or not; I may not have their rank but I’m confident in my knowledge of established doctrine! I must bid you a good day, as befits your position in the service of the Goddess of Love, but ask that you never return, as I would any servant of the Fanged One.”\n\n\tAny dismay Ela may have felt at this firm, summary rejection died aborning as she sensed a buildup of power, light and dark alike, behind her, and she once again had to fight to keep a grin off her muzzle. The street behind her had been completely empty, as she’d approached the gate, but any moment now...\n\n\t“You win, you sneaky vixen,” Kathy’s voice addressed someone behind her. “He didn’t even give her a chance, so I’ll release two thousand sacrificed souls from my heaven to yours, all reasonably adept at pleasure and at least one hundred being trained pleasure slaves.”\n\n\tA purring laugh followed as Malia mused, “I tend not to approve of most forms of gambling, but I’ll honor our side-bet, sister. You can have the fifty souls in my heaven who most enjoyed the slaughter of the battlefield, moreso than I really approved of.”\n\n\tRoxy’s vulpine murr chimed in, “But is not life itself a gamble, sister? Even in your own church, a fighter cannot be certain of success no matter what the odds may appear to be, nor can an artist hold any surety that his vision will be translated to canvas, stone, or clay as he first saw it in his mind.”\n\n\tStepping past the mortal vixen, Malia reached out, a brief white glow enshrouding her hand as she easily opened the smaller door in the gate that had almost certainly been latched from the other side a moment before. The acolyte was still there, his expression warring between dumfounded and terrified as she turned a mildly-disapproving frown on him, “This young lady... deserved better than you gave her. She outranks you, by a very wide margin in some cases, religiously, socially, and militarily, yet never did a hint of these facts appear in her words or garb, save of course for her pendants which you showed a lamentable lack of faith in questioning. Are you so unsure of our ability to judge the honesty of those who wear our symbols, as we do those who speak our names? She, the daughter of an earl and a princess in her own right, was content to apply as the most humble of supplicants, to be judged fairly on her true merits, while I still remember your poor attempt at subtlety when you ‘reminded’ your own first interviewer that you’re second cousin to a count. Already she came within two minutes of dying, had that healer been even a little slower in arriving, in truly selfless pursuit of justice and the cause of right, so I also consider it a fair judgment to say that she’s done more real good than you ever have, despite being just over half your age. You may return to watching for shipments and the like; should any more applicants arrive to join my temple, you will inform your superiors immediately rather than say yea or nay yourself.”\n\n\tThe mink visibly swallowed the protest that had been on the tip of his tongue, and trembled as he bowed in place, “Y-yes, my Goddess,” before dashing for the nearest building entrance as quickly as he could without outright running.\n\n\tThe mostly-black feline turned and beckoned, and Elaria paused only to glance over her shoulder, finding the other Goddesses had demanifested, before following her with a smile and a murmured, “Thank you, Malia... My alternative plan was to attend the next official service and find a priest to apply through, but your... timely intervention is still something for which I can only be grateful.”\n\n\t“Between the philosophical lessons of your companionship on our journey those years ago, your time in that park to introduce the children who are now the young adults of the current generation to the concept of other races, your own training’s furthering of that of others in my Vale’s militia, and your stand for justice in Winter Wreath, my dear, you’ve more than earned this tiny little consideration,” the incarnation mused with several pauses for breath, then chuckled at her prospective devotee’s wry smile at her short life’s impressive list of accomplishments. She led the vixen to the middle of the practice grounds, then gestured to where a flustered badger in gray robes and a senior priest’s necklace was hastily emerging from the rear of the temple proper, “Now... this good man will properly induct you into my order, but first... I wish to remind you of my phrasing of a passing comment some time ago. I suspended my whimsical requirement of combat to become my lover, and I’m ending that suspension now. All prospective novices are tested for fighting prowess, and I’ll administer that examination personally. Please prepare yourself however you see fit.”\n\n\tEla blinked, then nodded with another half-smile, “However I see fit, hmm? Well... I don’t know if I’ll be permitted to keep doing so once my membership is formalized, but for this moment I have incontestable permission to use my normal sparing garb.” She’d already dropped her bag and toed off her simple shoes, then started undoing the ties of her blouse and pants.\n\n\tThe approaching priest, clearly about to comment, stopped dead as she pulled off her top to drop beside her luggage, then exclaimed, “What are you doing?!?” as her pantaloons joined it, leaving her naked and barefoot, before she more carefully removed her necklaces.\n\n\tResisting the urge to turn directly away from him and lift her tail, the vixen was as casual as she could manage as she knelt and unbuckled the straps securing her bag, putting away her pendants and retrieving both of her swords before replying, “Back in Unicorn Vale, my family had an enclosed, private practice ground. My father’s diplomatic immunity would have allayed any concerns over violation of public decency laws anyway, but even without that consideration, I was always free to practice and spar in this state. No armor, no clothes, nothing to blunt the strike of even a practice blade... provided a great deal of encouragement to learn how not to get struck.”\n\n\tMalia shook her head with an amused chuckle, “See about getting something similar to the pants and blouse you just took off, in a lighter fabric so it won’t slow you down, for your future practices... You may have been personally responsible for a great deal of my religion’s loosening of our once rather prissy standards in that regard, but we’re not as carefree as the Roxanites yet. For this test, yes, I encourage you to fight in the manner most natural and comfortable for you, but this will be the only exception.” Drawing her short swords, she padded over to take up a stance a few yards from the dropped luggage, asking as she walked, “Will you be using both of those swords? You’re strong, but the wooden one’s deliberately overweight; I have to question your ability to match my own blades’ speed with it, one-handed.”\n\n\tEla glanced back down at her weapons and mused, “I’d been considering it... but you raise a good point. I’d like, as part of my training here, to develop some skill at using both at once, but even more than the weight would be the concern that I’ve had no practice in wielding two of anything heavier than knives. I guess I’ll stick with the steel for this bout, as it’s what I know... sort of. I haven’t actually used it for anything but a few demonstrations to my kid sister, yet.”\n\n\tThe priest who’d come out had a reasonable rank on the military side of the temple’s population, himself, so was immediately distracted from her nudity as she set down her practice sword and her real one’s scabbard. “Oh, my... that is one marvelous sword you have there! Simple, but elegantly functional, and some of the finest craftsmanship I’ve ever seen...”\n\n\tThe princess held it up for his inspection as she smiled, “I’m... very honored to own this blade, yes. Full-length, full-tang folded steel, made by the unicorns’ very best smith... An arms merchant I met in passing, who noted the unusual scabbard and asked for a closer look, told me that he’d charge a minimum of a hundred nobles for its like, and quite possibly more. I hold many ranks and titles... but my ownership of this weapon, specifically, gives me more pride than any of them, both for its own virtues and the way in which I earned it.”\n\n\tNodding, the badger glanced over to his Goddess’ incarnation, “And the mortal Malia, herself, will test your use of it... She’d not do so were you not worthy, so I very much look forward to knowing you better, once we’ve gotten these various formalities out of the way. I am Brettan, senior priest in charge of novices and acolytes... but for now, young lady, you’ve got a fight to win, if you can. Do your best, and we will speak again anon.”\n\n\tElaria shot him a friendly grin before turning away, already liking him far better than the only other Maliite she’d met at this temple, and saw that the Goddess herself was already in a fighting stance, one blade held low and horizontal and the other high at a downward angle. Her grin only widened at that, and she gave a wordless shout of glee before discarding all semblance of decorum and simply charging. Malia pivoted as she neared, blades lashing out, and she matched the move, turning to face her in passing as she parried the upper blade mid-leap, sparks flying as edge met edge, and passed just an inch above the other that had been aimed for her mid-thigh level. The dust and occasional gravel of the cobblestoned yard ground under her tough-soled bare feet as she skidded to a halt, already turned and half-crouched to launch herself back into the fray.\n\n\tMalia, it seemed, had been expecting something closer to Ferrl’s style in this match, knowing he’d trained his daughter, and this bouncing bundle of energy and enthusiasm was taking her by surprise. She retreated in half-steps as she parried strikes from all sides; she was fast, and her weapons were light, but the muscular teen’s two-handed grip and single blade were clearly enough to keep both of hers engaged. She timed a backwards leap of her own to coincide with one of Ela’s momentary retreats, to steal a glance at her own weapons, and fresh surprise flickered across her features... The blades she habitually manifested were of a much higher-grade steel than normally found in mortal arms, but it seemed the flying sparks were from them, numerous and deep nicks visible along their edges, and she’d gotten a good look at the blade she was fighting during a recent dodge, its edge still smooth and sharp.\n\n\tThe Goddess discarded her earlier notion of probing and testing to determine the extent of this child’s skill, and instead launched herself back toward the vixen in a spinning leap that ended in four slashes, blurred with speed. She felt the corners of her own muzzle twitching as the feral glee on Elaria’s face proved infectious, for the brief moment the view lasted, the princess’ blade flashing between them as she parried two strokes, ducked under a third, and twisted out of the way of the fourth. Another slash was forthcoming from those paired short swords, aimed for her back, but she was already lunging forward to counterbalance the kick lashing directly out behind her. Malia managed to rob the blow of most of its force with a last-instant twist of her own, but the kick itself had come as a complete surprise, and her improvised defense left her off-balance and disoriented. Even as she straightened herself out and brought her swords up to a guard position, her vulpine foe was straightening too, and the cat’s eyes widened as she saw the sword, held in two steely hands overhead, begin its downward stroke. Her swords clattered against each other as she barely got them up in time, but they were inadequately braced in her haste, and the longer blade continued all but unchecked, right through her skull.\n\n\tEla blinked, panting, as the rhythm of the bout she’d been enjoying was interrupted by her opponent dropping limply to the ground, blood and brains spilling over the cobblestones. “Oh,” she murmured, then shook off the last of her frenzy before padding back to her bag, knowing there had to be something in there she could use to clean her blade.\n\n\tBrettan was looking a little shocked, too, but he relaxed, relieved, when Malia’s corpse vanished and a new incarnation appeared, immediately commenting, “Damn... I was just starting to enjoy that fight, Princess. I realized I didn’t have to hold back, as I usually do for a ‘test,’ and was just starting to give it my all when you surprised me, threw me off my focus, and rather suddenly ended the entire match.”\n\n\tThe vixen nodded as she carefully wiped her blade down with the polishing cloth from her sharpening kit, “I was enjoying it, too... My last year or so of training and practice hasn’t really involved many one-on-one bouts, so it was a rare treat for me, only one person to keep track of and no reason to hold back, myself. My father always kept at least two healers on-hand for practice, but I wouldn’t have used that overhead strike back home. Even with my wooden blade, it would have crushed your skull too badly for any mortal to repair before death.”\n\n\tThis earned a hearty chuckle from the feline, “Well, I guess it’s a good thing I’m not mortal, now isn’t it? Anyway... the very fact that I was able to decide not to hold back any more is a pretty clear judgment of your abilities.” She glanced over to the priest, “This one’s prowess is not subject to question. Any training she desires, such as dual-weilding long blades, is entirely at her own discretion. I’d also like her to have at least a little input into the other artistic requirements of membership, here, rather than the usual battery of tests, as I feel she knows herself well enough to judge there, too.”\n\n\t“Other artistry...” Elaria murmured, then perked her ears up, “Ah! I’m guessing that you mean I’ll have to learn something other than just fighting?” At two nods, she interrupted the forthcoming verbal replies, “Good! I’ve tried various things in that department... One simply cannot grow up in an entire country of Maliites without getting curious about all sorts of arts! Of those I tried, I was getting fairly decent with a lute before my strength-training started costing me some of the fine dexterity in my fingers... so I’d very much like to pursue something musical, if we can find an instrument I’m physically capable of playing.”\n\n\tBrows arched, the badger gave her another appraising look, “Lute, you say? Well... this may be our orchestra conductor’s lucky day, as there’s a stringed instrument we have no musician for, that requires a bit more in the way of basic strength than most, while using similar principles on a larger scale so your fingers will probably still do the job... Tell me, have you ever considered playing the cello?”\n\n\tEla paused in pulling her pants back on and shook her head, blinking, but she was smiling as she answered, “I hadn’t considered it, no, but I’d certainly be willing to learn! I very much enjoy music, and there’s an extra creative thrill when I’m the one making it... Oh,” and she fished briefly around in her bag, “before I forget, I’ve got a donation here for you. I saved a friend’s life on my way here from the Vale, and the lad’s father sent a couple gold crowns along in thanks.”\n\n\tMalia gave her newest novice one more smile, content that the situation was progressing far better now than when she’d arrived to take the wind out of that so-confident acolyte’s sails, and let her manifestation fade silently away.\n\n* * *\n\n\tDear Your Royal Daddyness, Ela began her letter home, something of a running joke about Ferrl’s list of titles, a new one seeming to get tacked on somehow every two or three years.\n\n\tThe very first thing I must say is an emphatic Thank You for the crystal of healing energy you sent me with. About halfway through my trip, I had to defend Harlen against a group of bigots who’d taken an unreasoning exception to him, while circumstances had conspired to see me unarmed. One died of a crushed windpipe, another from a fatal blow to his solar plexus, but there were still three of them standing, if bruised and bleeding, when a bear who should have been there to keep the peace instead stepped in with a cudgel, on their side. Your gift saved me weeks of slow recovery from near-fatal injuries. It was my first real fight, but I’m not ashamed to have lost it, given that it wasn’t even remotely fair, and I’m satisfied to have taken a couple of the bastards with me.\n\n\tI’ve ended up in Gatuque, which is why it’s taken me so long to write, where I spent a couple days in your too-fancy manor house before joining Malia’s temple. Before taking up what will be my residence for the foreseeable future, I got reacquainted with Akani and met the acolyte who she almost had throw Mom out those years ago, now her co-priest. Kathy dropped by, too, and gave them the most amazing present, the black bunny (now white, at her request, so blood looks prettier against her fur) who we saw at the first show you took me to at Fariach’s playclub, brought back from being two years dead, with a promise to resurrect her again whenever needed. I killed her myself, that first night, and we both enjoyed it immensely even before the night devolved into a minor orgy. She’s a bunny, after all, and I’m a vixen, so there was plenty to enjoy even when her only bleeding was from her freshly-regrown, then freshly-torn, hymen.\n\n\tAlong the way, I stopped by our old dragon friends at the Roxanite enclave, and they set in motion the process that resulted in my first priesthood as one of Roxy’s bunch, a position that’s far more complex than either of us had previously realized. I’m to be a counselor, confidant, and comforter of bodies and minds alike, not just a whore, in my ecclesiastic role. Just before my visit to the playclub, Kathalla gave me the same rank in Her church for the effort of asking for it, since it involved very little beyond what I already know and love in Her service. Here at the temple, though, I’m starting from the bottom as a mere novice, as Malia’s church has a lot more formality, ritual, and doctrine to learn. Malia herself tested my combat prowess, ending up with her brains splattered all over the practice yard, but they don’t seem inclined to ‘pull a Julara’ with me, given that it would upset the many other novices and acolytes here to advance me too rapidly. In our favorite bunny’s case, any resentment was neatly dodged by the fact that she was being sent away, simultaneous with her promotion, so no one who might be jealous even realized that her jump in rank had occurred.\n\n\tMaliites, it turns out, have to learn at least one art other than fighting, so I’m resuming my abandoned lute practice on a larger scale, playing a cello that’s been wanting a musician for more than a year in the temple’s stores. It’s... interesting, I’ll give it that much, and I think it’s making my fingers even stronger than combat training did. Its four strings finger on the same principle as lutes, but it’s taking a bit of effort to get used to using a bow instead of plucking the strings.\n\n\tAs well as you trained me, though, there are still two things I’m learning here from the militant side of the order... For one, on my own whim, I’m studying two-handed combat with swords similar to my special one, though nowhere near as good, that I traded a week of sneaking into the room of an apprentice blacksmith for (less than half-paid at the time of this writing, but I’m certainly enjoying my side of the ‘bargain’). The priest in charge of novices was quite understanding about it, so it was only half ‘sneaking’ actually; such trades are fully in accord with my role as a Roxanite priestess. The other thing I’m learning is how to exercise as a woman. You taught me well, but you also taught me the only way you knew, and I hold no resentment over it, but there are some significant differences in how to build strength, between men and women. A lady knight here at the temple has been showing me different ways to exercise, and dictated some firm changes in my usual diet, with the intended goal of trading some of my muscular bulk for better tone, and finally letting me grow a decent pair of breasts. I’ve been measuring nightly, and I’m already up half an inch in bustline and down a quarter in tensed bicep-girth! The next time you see me, be prepared for a pleasant change!\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tYour princess forever,\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tElaria\n\nP.S. This letter has a bit too much in it that would smack of boasting or outright lies to anyone who doesn’t know me, which is why I’m sending it by courier rather than mage-relay, so it’ll probably pass whatever Sweet Sixteen present you’re planning along the way. That’s one reason I made the deal with that young smith, not that it’s in any way unenjoyable in its own right; I’d have asked for a pair of unicorn-made swords if I could be sure to get word to you in time, but I’m looking forward to whatever you choose for me on your own.\n\nInterlude 3\n\n\tTalaya banked into a more favorable airstream then gave her wings one more, strong thrust. The border posts were just coming into view now, and she had altitude enough to glide the rest of the way; as irritated as she was with this detour, the favorable air currents at least made the flight pleasant. It was just like a serf, she mused to herself, stubborn as a mule and nearly half as smart, to cross into another kingdom an inconvenient distance from the checkpoint she was treaty-bound to announce herself at before traversing the border in pursuit.\n\n\tWary of bored or spooked archers, the black dragoness introduced a shallow S-curve into her flight path, making sure she was well on ‘her’ side of the border as she neared the checkpoints, and showing a clear intent to land short of that dividing line. A flash of her badge while she was still settling her wing membranes into order sent the entire contingent of Dengarian guards to attention, an amused smirk only half-hidden as she returned their salutes with a casual wave.\n\n\tOn the Drachath side, she strode directly up to the highest-ranking officer in sight and presented her badge more formally, “I’m a Grand Inquisitor of Dengar, what you would call an Agent, locally. I must formally notify you of my intention to enter your kingdom in pursuit of a fugitive, wanted for the murder of a Low Inquisitor.”\n\n\tSwallowing hard, the guard captain nodded, “Our Stone of Validation wouldn’t work on your badge, of course... I understand that you may be in a hurry, so I won’t demand a formal description of the one you seek at this time, but I ask that you present one to a city authority at some point to be passed around; the more eyes that are watching, the better, I believe. Also, formally and to allow you unrestricted entry, I’d like to check you for spirit-magic, a simple matter of standing near the detection stone I have in my pocket, while you restate your identity and your intention to enter in the form of an oath to a named deity other than Sliisthar.”\n\n\tThe Inquisitor nodded, “My compliments to your training and protocols; that is indeed a fast, efficient, and reliable means of verifying my identity...” This fetched a nod in return even as the captain pulled a set of enchanted stones out of his pocket and selected one. Its spell-matrix, she saw with a moment’s effort, was simplistic and, under the guise of returning her badge to its belt-pouch, her hand brushed against a seemingly-decorative stone set into her belt, its power directed to snuff out the enchantment in the officer’s hand in the time it took her to draw breath before touching another stone and stating, “I am Talaya, Grand Inquisitor of Dengar, and in Tarragh’s name I swear that I pursue one convicted in absentia of murder, testified to by multiple witnesses and with evidence left upon his victim’s body which I’m using with a magical tracker to locate the one and only person it could have come from.”\n\n\t“That should suffice, ma’am,” the officer agreed. “In full keeping with our treaty, I inform you that I’ll be passing magical word of your hunt to the duchy seats of Rajai, Gatuque, and Crisom immediately, and it will be passed in turn from those points to lesser holdings by the first couriers to head in the right directions. You should get prompt assistance should you require it, with a minimum of formality, once the word has spread. For now, I grant you formal permission to enter the kingdom.”\n\n\tThe dragoness nodded a final time, “I’m weeks behind the refugee, so I ask your forgiveness if I’m hasty in taking my leave. We can’t know whether he’s still afoot or whether he’s added the theft of a horse to his crimes, so only the speed of my wings and the magical tools of my profession stand any real hope of overtaking him.” Without another word to, or from, the guard contingent, she crouched, spread her wings wide and high, and leapt as they beat that first, all-important down-stroke, another half-dozen beats seeing her well airborne and still ascending.\n\n* * *\n\n\tHaritor blinked awake as a hand closed roughly around his muzzle, holding back his reflexive yelp as a low voice hissed in his ear, “Your wife and children are under a spell to keep them asleep, but I must ask you a few, simple questions... Answer them fully and honestly, and I’ll be on my way. Will you cooperate?”\n\n\tThe skunk could only blink, at first, panic doing much to clear sleep’s fog from his mind, then nodded against that gripping hand, noting in passing that it was uncommonly smooth, lacking even the short fur of most palms. As it withdrew, he whispered, unsure of the proprieties of the situation and just following along with the theme set by his questioner, “I’m just a simple farmer, though... What d’ya want to know?”\n\n\tHe could make out no shape in the dark of night, the light of stars through his bedroom window far too scant to see by, but he got the impression that the voice belonged to a woman as it hissed again, “Between ten and twenty days ago, a stranger stopped by this house, looking like a fox but with unusually dark fur. He didn’t linger long, but I need to know what he said, and what business you may have transacted with him. I already know which way he went, but not at what speed... Did you sell him a horse?”\n\n\tHaritor shook his head, “Nah, no horses; he jus’ had a good iron cookin’ pot, an’ he traded it fer a few of mah older clothes. Hell, we used it jus’ last night; it’d still be in th’dryin’ rack if you need a gander at it. Th’clothes as he showed up in, they was a right mess, all dirty an’ stinkin’ to high heaven. Ah took ‘em out back and burned ‘em.”\n\n\tThe stranger in the dark, evidently, considered his words for a long moment; he could hear the rhythmic tapping of claws against the wood of his bed stand to one side. “This hunt is growing... interesting,” that voice finally mused, less hissy and more melodious this time, confirming the skunk’s guess at its owner’s gender. “The condition of his clothes does much to suggest how he avoided the patrols that were hunting him, as well as clarifying the ‘missing’ breakfast one squad reported... With respectable garb in the local style, though, he could very well be anywhere, settling nearby or journeying onwards. With the most pessimistic of estimates, he could be four, even five hundred miles distant... I guess I’ll just have to keep following the trail he can’t help but leave, just by being himself, and see where it takes me.” Just as the farmer was starting to relax a bit, that voice hardened, “But as for now, and as for you... I’m afraid you’ll have to get a dose of the same ‘sleep spell’ that made sure your brats and wench wouldn’t interrupt us.” The oddly-smooth hand returned to grip his muzzle, hard enough to hurt this time, as the stranger’s voice softened again, nearly crooning, “Don’t you worry, little man... the pain is but momentary.”\n\n\tHaritor had no idea what she could mean by that, until the coolness of a long, sharp claw touched one side of his throat, and he tried to bring his hands out from under the sheets to struggle, but it was too late. With one hard, deep slash, she cut through his jugulars and his windpipe, then let go to vanish silently into the room as he thrashed. The last sounds to be heard from the dark farmhouse were his ragged sobs as he realized just what her references to the ‘sleep spell’ and his entire family must already mean...\n\nChapter 9\n\n\tThe dawn chime rang, stirring Elaria from slumber, and she had to pause mid-scramble to smile at the realization that she was finally growing used to waking at this hour. Her sudden burst of activity had, she noted, felt more of reflex than panic at the thought of being late, this time, and she hadn’t even banged a hand into one of the walls of her tiny novice’s cell while jumping out of bed. Comforting as it was, though, she couldn’t dwell on her acclimatization, knowing that she had less than ten minutes to get dressed, reasonably groomed, and down to the practice yard for morning exercises. Acolytes were given one more hour to sleep, but were still expected to be outside and working out, regardless of the weather, once the novices had cleared the yard, and the vixen had made no effort to trade on her prowess just to get a bit more rest. She was in shape, yes, but wanted to stay that way, so she was dressed in her light, barely-opaque practice wear and among the first to line up for the group calisthenics as the sun crept gradually over the horizon.\n\n\tOne benefit to her novitiate, of course, was that her group got breakfast first too, the dining hall theirs while the acolytes were exercising. “Female muscle tone, carnivorous,” she remarked to the artisan on duty as a server, as she did every morning, and he dished up her meal, containing more veggies than she was used to, an almost greasy gravy, very few grains, and only enough meat to keep her digestive tract happy. It was all tasty enough as such foods went, but the combination was nothing she’d ever have eaten by choice before she’d come under Dame Grallia’s purview. It was just one more of those things that had surprised her before she’d had a chance to really think about it, the variety of specific diets available at this temple, but they had quite a number of specific goals the residents were working toward, be it gaining muscle mass, maintaining strength already attained, or keeping the more sedentary of artists from getting fat.\n\n\tThe third hour after rising was filled by something between a sermon and a lecture, held in the main congregational hall, covering a rotating cycle of general topics all novices needed to learn before they were released to their specific lessons or duties for the day. A similar group session would be held immediately afterward, covering acolyte-level studies, and the general public was welcome to join either one, though few did. No classes at all were held on restdays, when the usual worshipers packed the hall, but anyone who wanted more than that one, general-audiences sermon per week was free to sit quietly in back and learn what they could.\n\n\tElaria had no specific combat lessons beyond a brief afternoon practice of a specific routine one of the combat priests had shown her last restday, with a promise of a new one each week. Helping to prepare supper fulfilled her requisite daily chore, so the rest of her morning was normally hers for independent study in the library, which after little more than a week was already touching on subjects more suitable to acolytes than novices, until her instrumental lessons or practice, depending on whether one of the other students needed the strings-teacher more, just after lunch. Today, though, the vulpine priest who’d just given the morning lesson intercepted her on her way out, “Elaria... I’ve been asked to inquire of you, since you’ve been overheard humming, on-key and on-tempo, whether you can sing. I know you’re not good enough yet, instrumentally, to play with one of the bands, but we’ve got a tenor down with a sore throat who needs to be replaced for one of today’s Solstice Festival choirs.”\n\n\tThe vixen blinked, pulling her thoughts away from the fascinating tomes she’d been looking forward to, then nodded, “As I told Brettan, I tried a few artistic things on my own back in the Vale, and among them were a few tricks from a book on voice support and projection I came across... I’ve never tried to use them in public, but,” and she grinned, “if you’ve ever heard of the ‘practice attire’ Malia Herself overruled, you’d know that embarrassment is hardly an issue with me. And I’ve certainly heard the songs often enough, with the choir’s practice all through my study period for my first few days here. Hmm... yes, I think I can do this.”\n\n\tHer fellow fox nodded, “Good... Grab a light lunch a bit early, then assemble at the back gate half an hour before noon. If you ever do join one of the bands, we’ll probably use the wagon to get that cello of yours where it needs to be, but today your accompanists will be using smaller instruments that they can carry themselves, so you’ll be able to walk to the east district square in time to relieve the morning group for the noon set.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tSinging with a group, Ela found, was fun, but also required a degree of restraint. In the open air with no acoustic architecture to amplify them, the lutes, harps, and variety of percussion instruments played by the accompanists were only so loud, so the choir had to be sure not to drown them out. The fountain at the center of the square, at least, had been turned off so that was one less noise to compete with, and the crowd pausing to watch and listen, for the most part, restricted their applause and louder conversations to the breaks between songs.\n\n\tEven performing only two songs at a time, with breaks nearly as long in between, Elaria found herself looking forward to relief from the evening group as mid-afternoon neared. She hadn’t cracked or blurred any notes, yet, but she was developing aches in a few places she hadn’t realized she had. Singing for any length of time was work, and of a sort none of her previous exercises had built much endurance for. A flicker of annoyance crossed her mind, then, at just how relieved she was when a nearby listener remarked, “These folks have, what, four? Five songs? I’ve been listening to the same crap over and over all day...” She knew it was wrong of her to be grateful for such, but a good argument would give her just that much more of a break before she had to tense her aching gut and project at a controlled volume again.\n\n\tBefore any of the Maliites themselves could reply, though, the audience member next to the one who’d complained came to their defense, both of them clearly on a meal break by the plates in their laps, “You and I, we work here in this building, and thin walls it has. These people, they sing for those who pass by. Many songs they have not, but they have enough that one returning from a trip will likely hear something different. Not for just us do they sing, and they do so well, so complain we should not.”\n\n\tMost of the others who’d paused to listen nodded to the dark-furred fox in workman’s garb who’d spoken up, along with the bulk of the choir and musicians. In the interests of peace, though, Ela stepped out of line to address his ursine companion, “These are the traditional songs of celebration for the solstice season... but, I’ll admit, this isn’t a part of town that seems too concerned with tradition,” and she smiled as she gestured at the surrounding warehouses and manufactories to soften any insult that may have been inferred. Moving on before someone could take offense anyway, she offered, “I happen to have spent most of my life in Unicorn Vale, and I’ve had a few nights out in taverns with their soldiers... Just for variety, would you like me to teach my companions some drinking songs you’ve probably never heard before? They’re fairly simple, so we could probably perform them by tomorrow.”\n\n\tThe bear tilted his head, considering the unexpected offer, then nodded with a wry grin, “Yeah... that’s the kind of thing I just might sing along with, after I’ve heard it a time or two! You Maliites are alright folks; I know the duke’s paying your temple for these little ‘entertainment groups’ scattered all over the city, but not all neighborhoods are like the others.”\n\n\tNodding, the vixen grinned, “I hope you like lowbrow humor, then, as drunk unicorns are excessively fond of throwing ‘horny’ jokes into their lyrics.” Raising her voice to be heard over the many snickers and occasional guffaws this fetched, she announced, “For today, though, we’ll have to stick with tradition... and it’s time for another song!”\n\n\tSeveral members of the crowd, including the one who’d originally complained, actually cheered at that, and there seemed to be a renewed zip and vigor throughout the choir as they took their instrumental cue and launched into another old summer ballad.\n\n* * *\n\n\tThe same fox who’d gotten her to join the choir detained her again the next morning, noting, “I heard about your little... discussion, yesterday, and on the subject of keeping peace with a surly audience member I can only praise your tact and judgment. I also, however, heard a few verses of the songs you were practicing with your group, and I have to wonder about their... propriety.”\n\n\tThe princess kept her expression respectful as she nodded, “I understand your concerns, sir, but in a very real sense ‘propriety’ is what this is all about. The neighborhood my group’s assigned to is, quite possibly, the roughest we have representatives in. The audience is different there; the bear had a good point about a lack of interest in the usual repertoire we follow. I honestly believe that a few rather... off-color, shall we say, pieces will be well-received by the locals there. Our purpose, after all, is as much to entertain as to celebrate the time of year, and I believe we can do both, but entertainment itself is a subjective event, and a performer who fails to adapt his repertoire to his audience cannot expect a positive reception.”\n\n\tThe priest chuckled ruefully as he shook his head, “From the mouths of novices... I see your pendant, young lady, and keep forgetting that two other Goddesses judge you a full priestess, until you stand there and build an argument contrary to my own view, but as well-supported and logical as I’d expect from one of my own colleagues. Your point, at least, is well taken, and unless we get more complaints after today’s performance, you’re free to carry on as you’ve proposed.”\n\n\tElaria nodded, “As I said, I do understand your concerns, and to some extent share them. I’ll be watching folks’ reactions to the new songs, and if things seem to be going badly I’ll call it off myself. Propriety... cannot always be predicted with any certainty, so I’ll be looking for signs of whether they consider it appropriate throughout my set. For now, though... tomorrow’s a restday, and it’s one I’ll be spending as another faith. Since my study period is already truncated by the choir’s schedule, I’ve gotten Brettan’s permission to run out and do some shopping this morning, for a few things I need before appearing in public as a Roxanite for the first time.”\n\n\tThis fetched a raised brow, “Oh, my... I’m not sure I should even think about that too closely! As I recall from my own acolyte lectures on the other religions of light, you’ll probably be decent... but only barely, and arguably. Please... when you step out of your room tomorrow, wear a cloak on your way through the enclave and leave by the back gate; we need neither temptation nor rumors on a day when we’re supposed to focus on spirituality.”\n\n\t“I was already planning to do both of those; even Roxanites know when to show off and when to cover up!” his irrepressible novice replied around a grin before flouncing off with a swish of her tail.\n\n* * *\n\n\tRonnel nodded his thanks to the tavern wench as she handed over his own plate and mug, loaded with his usual mid-afternoon lunch, and gave a convincing semblance of a smile in reply to the parting wink he’d seen her give every male customer. In the week he’d been coming here for a cheap meal, he’d come to see the weariness hiding behind that wink, and could only feel pity inside no matter the cheerful appreciation he did his best to outwardly project. The fountain was on again, as the choir had the restday off, and he took a seat at its edge to let the spray cool him as he ate. Inter-city travel, he knew, couldn’t be scheduled to avoid a particular day at both its outset and its arrival, so he understood why his employer discouraged taking restdays off. A cart or even caravan could still show up, in which case his services would be required. Also a factor was the small bonus the warehouse’s owner paid for those who worked the whole week through, equal to a bit better than two extra hours of wages, and he could certainly use the money. He’d arrived in the kingdom penniless, only his association with the caravan that had gotten here warranting the consideration of a bit of credit for a place to stay and a job picking up boxes, moving them, and putting them down again. Some deep-seated aspect of the fox’s personality, though, found a bitter taste in being in debt to anyone, so he wanted to get his initial lodging paid for as quickly as possible.\n\n\tHe was about halfway through his meal of seared meat, flat bread, and small beer when a voice burst into quiet song almost directly behind him, “Drink to the barkeep and the wench with her jug, drink until early morny...”\n\n\tSwallowing quickly, Ronnel sang back one register lower, “Drink ‘til your mane is at one with the rug, and you can’t see the wench’s horny.” Already smiling at that familiar voice, he turned in place, then froze, blinking once before averting his gaze, “Um... that singer who prevented the fight, you are, but with the Maliites I thought you were.”\n\n\tEla giggled softly, but not teasingly, as she took a seat near him, hopefully not close enough for discomfort. He obviously hadn’t expected what she’d chosen for her ‘Roxanite look,’ a bit of coin spent at a magic shop having allowed for an outfit that pushed, but didn’t quite break, the limits of the city’s decency laws. Small motion-magic crystals, bought for a few silver each, held three scraps of red satin in place, an oval over each breast secured by a shard on either side, drawing attention to the matching bump of her nipple in the middle, and one more crystal pressed the top of a narrow band against her mound, its other side secured by a thong creeping up between her rumpcheeks to tie around the base of her tail, the trio only marginally obscured by her translucent robe. “I am a novice in the local temple to Malia, yes,” she murmured, “but I serve all three Goddess, each in Her own way. I must, as a novice, study and practice according to the rules of the temple for six days out of the week, but each restday I’ve decided to honor each of my Ladies in turn. Today, I follow the Goddess of Love, and you looked like you could use, if not outright love, at least a friendly ear. You’re not from around here, I’m guessing from your speech, and it can be a great comfort to have one friend in a strange town.”\n\n\tKeeping his gaze respectfully high, the darker fox turned back to his unexpected companion as he chewed another bite of his meal. He had no wish to be rude by eating, but he knew he had to eat, and his break was only barely long enough to avoid indigestion even without distractions. Swallowing, he nodded, “But one God, I thought most served... Yours must be an interesting tale, one the hearing of I think I’d enjoy, had I time, but work will soon beckon anew.” Blinking, then, he glanced down for just a moment to verify what his peripheral vision had suggested, “Silver... Your pendant yesterday, bronze was; between our kingdoms, the standards of priests and their ranks the same are, so a novice I knew you were, but your necklace now of a priestess is!”\n\n\tThe vixen gave something between a smile and a grimace, “In this faith, yes, that is my rank, but I haven’t had much of a chance to practice it... One friend only, I was able to help with advice, support, and a bit of pleasure for the both of us, just before I earned this necklace, but for the rest of my journey here I was recovering from injuries sustained in an unexpected battle. I was in no shape to go looking for love, and my Goddess knew it, so She didn’t pressure me to do anything. You, though... when I saw you, I felt the sort of nudge Roxanarra often gives Her clergy, so, if you allow, I know you have some problem or need I can help with. It really can be as simple as just being your friend, and I’d like to be at least that... No matter what you may have heard about priestesses like me, I’m not specifically out to proposition you for expensive sex.” She gave a wry half-grin, “Hell, I wouldn’t be in this neighborhood if I were! Maybe two percent of the people here could afford me, if even that.”\n\n\tHer companion nodded as he washed the last of his lunch down with the remnants of his mug, finally calm and centered enough to think out his words before speaking, “Two weeks from now, after some debts of mine are paid, I might have eight coppers to spare, and the sort of whore that could buy, about which I don’t wish to think. Early my work starts, though, and I have no days off... I get off in two hours, but must work now. I wouldn’t mind talking more then, for hours two or three before I must rest, but I know not where we might go or what we might do.” He shrugged, then chuckled softly, “All I know of what to do with a young woman is to buy her things and hope for sex. As a serf I had money not, but that seemed to be the way all the citizen boys and girls worked, back home.”\n\n\tEla reached over and gave him a gentle squeeze on one shoulder, “That may be the norm for most young, brainless brats... but it’s a standard that doesn’t remotely apply to either of us, I’m fairly sure. Sex... is yours for the asking, any time you see me in this robe, but all I’d hoped for tonight was to talk. Friendship and support, the caring ear of one native of this land... those are what I think will do you the most good.” Her grip turned into a light shove as she smiled, “For now... get back to work. It would hardly be the act of a friend if I lost you your job! I’ll continue my wandering, and try to be back here in two hours to see if you’d like some company.”\n\n\tBrushing a few crumbs off his breeches as he stood, Ronnel nodded with an oddly-shy smile of his own, “You... have my thanks, Priestess. Like that, I think I would.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tMost of the time Elaria needed to kill was taken up with a leisurely, meandering round trip back to the temple, where she replaced her barely-there underthings with a simple shift of white satin, long enough to avoid ill-timed flashes so long as she was careful about how she sat. Even taking her time as she was, though, she still got back to the square, taking a seat on the fountain, a good quarter-hour before a group of burly men emerged from the warehouse, the relatively-slim fox she’d felt such an odd stirring for among them.\n\n\tRonnel was obviously relieved to see her more modestly dressed this time, padding over to politely offer a hand to help her up before musing, “These evenings, I normally spend alone, meditating upon my day. I consider all I’ve seen and heard, the better to fit in here. Of where to wander with a lovely lady, I know nothing, though.”\n\n\tNodding, the priestess gave the matter a moment’s serious thought, then brightened, “The city has many public parks... but, since it’s high summer and they’re relatively cool, they can get crowded in the evening. I know of a private garden we’d be welcome in, though, which would be good both for comfort and for privacy if either of us wishes to speak of something not meant for general knowledge.” Tucking his hand against her side under her arm, she started walking toward the merchant district bordering that of the warehouses and other large buildings that they owned or ran, and was pleased to find her companion matching his stride to hers without overt hesitation.\n\n\tThere was, though, just the merest suggestion of nervousness in his tone as he mused, “I’ve... been careful about where I go, here. I am foreign, so I know not the subtleties of propriety, and only if a place is obviously public have I ventured there. I must ask, then, about this ‘private’ garden, and in what way of your welcome you can be certain, as evicted by guards I have no wish to be, and to keep my lodging arrested I cannot afford to be, if my job it makes me miss.”\n\n\tEla nodded, chuckling softly, “You show an admirable wisdom, in that... but I think I can ease your worries. Unless some need arises to assert myself, I go by the simple, unadorned name of Elaria. At need, though, I’m Princess Elaria, eldest child of the Earl of Gatuque, the kingdom’s first ambassador to Unicorn Vale, knight and retired Agent of Drachath, and sundry other titles he’s earned here and there. The garden surrounds my father’s manor house; he lives in the embassy in the Vale, of course, but his seneschal maintains the house for him, and I have a room there to hold the possessions that wouldn’t fit in my little cell at the temple. I suppose I could also sleep there, though I’d have to be up before dawn to get back to the temple in time for morning exercises.”\n\n\tRonnel swallowed visibly as she fell silent, clearly thinking hard... “I am... unaccustomed,” he finally mused, “to any contact with the nobility. The caravan I worked for on my way here, their chief guard was a knight, but his rank was the lowest among nobles, and he and I got along, to my surprise I’ll admit. You, though... in this entire city, with more people in it than I’d ever seen pass through the little village I grew up in, as I understand it only the duke and his family of rank are higher than you. I... cannot understand why me you’d single out and invite to your garden.”\n\n\tThe vixen was thinking just as intensely, listening with heart and mind to his tone and his words, as well as her own heart and soul. More than mentally considering, she let her feelings guide her response as much as anything, lifting her other hand to pat his bicep comfortingly as she mused, “Rank had nothing to do with it... I’m a priestess, and it was in that context that I saw you and sensed your need for a friend. If you want to banter the lowness of your rank around, well, I was born a slave. My ‘father’ isn’t even the same species as I am; he freed and adopted me back when his only formal rank was his knighthood. Don’t you think for a moment that, as a child in the pens, taught by stern-faced handlers with a whip always at the ready, I even remotely dreamed that I’d someday be a princess! I was... very lucky, and I know it, but please don’t hold that luck against me.”\n\n\tHer companion could only shake his head, “My apologies, Pr—Elaria. I strive for wisdom, but a fool I was, thinking that your noble title or former slavery mattered in the here and now. Trust I should have in the priesthood, and sadly lacking it was in me tonight. Also, rude have I been, having not given you my own name. I am called Ronnel, and in Dengar... a serf I was. Long will they preach of how slaves they keep not, but the lot of serfs little better is.” He glanced up as he noticed the early-evening air cooling several degrees, finding himself passing through a shrub-arched side entrance to an elegant, well-maintained garden, and he let himself be led toward a marble bench well lit by the sun as he continued, “There are... restrictions on the lives of serfs, and limits to justice as it applies to them. It was because of an injustice that I fled here, and novel it has been, adjusting to being treated as a man, just as good as any other man. I may be poor in possessions, but the contrast between equality and my former life has made me feel... very rich in spirit. Menial my job may be, but content with it I am.”\n\n\tElaria chuckled as she sat down, “And then, just for a moment, my being a princess brought that inequality crashing down on you all over again... I’m sorry for the discomfort you suffered from my admission, but I make no apology for what I am, because I don’t let that affect who I am except when it can help an otherwise untenable situation. Some nobles, I know, get that ‘what’ and ‘who’ backwards, and they can be royal pains in the ass, pun intended.” Her smile brightened as she managed to surprise a barked laugh out of the fox, then continued, “I think, at your core, you’re similar... You are your own person, and the time you lived as a serf makes up a very small part of the ‘who’ you’ve made yourself to be.” Glancing over her shoulder at a half-heard rustle in the brush and a sudden tension in her friend’s bicep, she spoke up, “It’s only me, Harlen, and I’m offering some strictly-verbal comfort to someone who needs it.”\n\n\tThe gray cat nodded, “Of course, Princess,” before turning to walk back to the manor and let the servant who’d reported the intrusion know it was alright.\n\n\t“Now,” the vixen mused, “since my friend there will probably make sure we’re not disturbed again tonight... let’s talk. Nothing serious, though, as I think we’ve each shocked the other enough for one evening; let’s just talk of the city. Neither of us has been here long, but we both view it through our own preconceptions, and I’d like to... compare those points of view. I think we’ll both learn something useful, that way, after which I’ll tell you of the spiritual journey you expressed interest in, if you wish.”\n\n\tRonnel nodded, relaxing again, and half-closed his eyes as he thought back, “I first saw the city wall, emerging dreamlike through the cloud of dust where I walked behind the last wagon of the caravan I arrived with... then the gatehouse, with its army of clerks. Half the population of my farming town there were, just to count taxes and search for the illegal! But of wonders that was only the first...”\n\nChapter 10\n\n\tThe tenor Elaria had replaced had had three days to recover, so the day after her ‘Roxanite restday’ she asked to tag along as one voice too many, mainly so she could catch Ronnel on his break and try to arrange some other means of meeting up with him. He seemed to be benefiting, as she’d felt he would, from having one native friend, someone who wouldn’t judge him for asking a ‘stupid question’ whose answer he really did need to know.\n\n\t“My last meditation time, I spent in your garden,” the fox mused. “Some thoughts I have... but think on them I must. Also must I—I must ask some of those I work with. You would answer, I know,” and he smiled gently, “but from your view. It is a... lower view I seek, for contrast, before I meditate upon the differences. I shall see you again, strong princess.” And with that he finished his lunch and headed back into the warehouse to pick up more boxes, move them, and put them down again.\n\n\tElaria pondered throughout the rest of the choral session, giving just enough effort to her songs to keep from dragging down the other performers. Ronnel hadn’t rejected her, exactly, and was obviously planning something... so she finally settled on simply returning to her regular duties and waiting to see what his thoughts and plans resulted in. In the meantime, once she got back to the temple, she had another two-sword routine she’d been shown the previous evening, and the young smith she’d been sleeping with had finally finished the simple, functional swords she’d be practicing with so she could get used to the differences in weight and balance between them and the communal practice blades.\n\n* * *\n\n\tTwo mornings later, Ela found herself seriously considering applying for the acolyte test as she listened to her daily lecture. She’d burned through the library’s basic-level texts on combat tactics, creativity processes generic to all forms of art, and the core spiritual tenets and doctrine of the Maliite order, and neither today nor the previous day were offering her anything new in terms of knowledge in the formal lessons. ‘I’ll ask Brettan about it,’ she decided; she was confident in what she’d learned so far, but she had only been in the temple for a couple weeks, so certainly hadn’t heard every novice lecture they offered. It’d be worth inquiring, then, whether the lectures had anything the books didn’t, or whether they were simply meant as one more way to convey the same information, from a sense of fairness to those who learned better from speeches than books.\n\n\tThe vixen blinked a bit as, just after she’d thought of him, the badger arrived for a quiet word with the lecturing priest, who finished up his current subject then surrendered the pulpit to him. “We have a new novice applying,” the man in charge of the temple’s lower ranks announced, “who says he fights with no weapon at all. Thus I ask you, and in a few minutes expect to ask the acolytes as well, if anyone here has ever been in serious unarmed combat. Wrestling with siblings or a common tavern brawl do not count; there has to have been a real risk of severe injury or death on both sides. We need someone to test him, you see, but our combat priests, knights, and weapon tutors have all admitted to having grown too used to having at least a knife around. Anyone?”\n\n\tThere were a few murmurs between the various novices as Elaria looked around, waiting to see if anyone else would volunteer... but, as Brettan shrugged to himself, suggesting he was about to give up on this batch, none had spoken up, so the princess raised her hand.\n\n\tQuirking a brow, the badger nodded in her direction, “Elaria? What sort of combat experience do you have in this regard?”\n\n\tStanding with a shrug of her own, she replied, “It’s not particularly glorious... Some common tavern toughs took exception to my traveling companion on my way here, after the proprietors had objected to my sword and insisted I pack it up, so I had to defend him with hands, feet, and claws against their desire to do him real harm, not just rough him up a little. It was no mere brawl, of that I’m certain... I managed to kill two of the five and leave one other bleeding before the tavern’s bouncer joined in with a club to give me a cracked skull and a broken arm, then the other three proceeded to very nearly beat me to death in the time it took my friend, who I’d made an opening for his escape, to get the watch and drag me out. Even with wizard-supplied energy, it took a healer two days to put me back together after that.”\n\n\tThe badger shook his head, eyes wide, “Not glorious?!? You’re a girl who’s still just about to turn sixteen, and no matter how strong you are, you shouldn’t be expected to stand against more than one grown man. To have felled two, whether they lived or not, until ambushed from a new direction... and before you fell, you still accomplished your base goal, that of saving your friend. I think, yes, that you are qualified to test our newest supplicant. Please join me in the practice yard right after my colleague here sums up his current topic.”\n\n\tEla took an extra moment to drop the novice’s robe she was wearing over her practice gear from morning exercises, its gray linen easier to clean in case of breakfast mishaps, off at her room, then emerged into the enclosed yard only to blink, “Ronnel!”\n\n\tHer friend blinked as well, ears perking up, then turned to the priest, “This is to be she with whom I spar?”\n\n\tThe vixen answered for her superior with a grin, “He was just inside, asking who had ever fought a serious battle unarmed... That gray cat who saw us in the garden, well, he likes boys as much as I do, and some burly fellows with deep-set prejudices took exception to that. I killed two of them before their three friends proceeded to break almost every bone in my body.”\n\n\tBrettan mused lightly, “And, son, if that doesn’t count as a serious battle, I don’t know what does. Yes, even though you two seem to be friends, I must ask you to fight. I suppose, the way things are working out, it at least means that neither of you will try to seriously hurt the other, but don’t hold back too much. I must see a reasonable level of effort and skill if I’m to fairly judge your ability.”\n\n\tRonnel nodded, turning back to his friend to press his hands together and bow, “Please, then, attack at your whim. I know only defense, but you may be able to teach me the starting of a fight, when coming to the aid of another, from your own experiences.”\n\n\tHalf-bowing back with a serious nod, Elaria considered for a moment, still several yards away, until she’d come up with a good opening move to try. Past that it’d be one improvisation after another, but she did enjoy planning attacks when she had the luxury. Crouching to gather her strength, then, she rushed, bursting into a spin halfway to her opponent, arms rising to suggest a strike, then dropped at the last moment, skidding on one foot as the other swung about in a sweep aimed at his legs.\n\n\tThe fox had little time to react, none of his previous sparring partners or even genuine foes having ever moved this fast, and the jump that evaded her kick was pure, instinctive response the moment she dropped to the ground, a low attack obviously on its way. He caught a flash of her kicking leg bending again as he fell from his leap, guessing that she was trying to stand up, and lifted his own knee, intending to come down hard on her with it... only to be sent back into the air before he’d quite hit the ground, his breath whooshing out from the strike of her other foot, lashing up and back in a contortion he’d never quite imagined to land on his hard-muscled belly.\n\n\tElaria kicked her other leg for the boost of reaction, flipping up into a hand-stand as she watched her friend land in a barely-controlled tumble and pause to catch his breath. “You’re going to have to do better than that, Ronnie,” she teased with an upside-down grin, then half-lowered herself to shove off and flip back upright.\n\n\tHer foe shrugged as he started padding slowly forward, arms out and ready, smiling back, “Sneakier than my other opponents so far, you are... try something straightforward, as a robber or thug might, and see differently you will!”\n\n\tThis fetched a wry shrug, “I suppose I should... just to see what you do about it, as this is an evaluation, not a contest. Now... I’m going to walk right up and punch you in the nose.” She restrained a smirk at how this statement immediately brought a wary caution to his expression, even as she took slow steps toward him, deceptively casual though she saw his eyes narrow with the perception that, without looking like it, she was still managing to maintain a near-perfect balance.\n\n\tIt was the walk of a better warrior than he was, Ronnel admitted to himself as she neared, thinking hard and fast for some reaction to her basic attack that wouldn’t make him look like a complete fool... Sure enough, her left arm cocked back as she neared and, at precisely the optimum distance, launched her fist toward his face. His own hand darted up to catch her arm, even as he ducked back just an inch or two to make the miss mutual if he botched the grab, but her elbow settled comfortably into his firm grip. Continuing with the inertia of his cautionary evasion, he leaned further as he pulled, his knee rising toward her midsection... only to be brushed aside by her free hand, darting faster than he could react even though he’d been watching for just that sort of complication. One of her legs hooked around behind his standing knee, and her caught arm was suddenly pushing rather than pulling; a tumble was inevitable, and he moved with the forces at hand to minimize his impact with the ground, but also let his grip slide higher up her arm even as he brought is other one up...\n\n\t“Point for you,” Ela rasped, her breath a bit ragged due to the elbow jabbing into her throat even as his other hand applied pressure from the back of her neck. He nodded and let go, even as she noted over to Brettan, “In a serious fight, he could have crushed my windpipe on the way down, aided by his own impact...” then looked back to Ronnel, “but I wouldn’t have left you unscathed. Look down,” and she gave a squeeze with what had been her free hand, now firmly down his breeches and cupping some anatomy he probably deemed very precious.\n\n\tThe fox blinked, coughed, and gently gripped her arm to pull it away, a flicker of relief crossing his face as she let go. He hadn’t been sure she would... “A man can bleed to death from that being torn off, so, yes, the point is mutual.”\n\n\tStanding, the vixen helped him back up before retreating two steps and considering her next attack, even as she mused whimsically, “By the way... consider my comment about availability when I’m in the right robe to be permanent. You felt... quite a bit bigger than any other fox I’ve met, and I’d like to see it off the battlefield.”\n\n\tRonnel chuckled, keeping his expression and tone light as he commented, “My dark fur’s the only other obvious sign... but one-quarter wolf, I am,” even as he subtly checked his footing, his mind on a move he’d contemplated but couldn’t practice much due to its flamboyant nature.\n\n\tEla blinked, visions of her adoptive father’s magnificent lupine shaft dancing in her head and a silly grin on her muzzle, then yelped as she realized her foe could be sneaky too, and had probably made that comment with a good guess at her reaction and timed to distract her. He was already rushing, an unexpected act in itself given his admitted defensive bias, and she braced herself to intercept, hands ready for whatever opening presented itself... only to find herself on the receiving end of one of the too-fast combinations she was used to handing out herself. One stride before collision would be inevitable, he’d leapt, one knee leading and its foot following in a flashing snap-kick to her belly, the leg he’d jumped with following close behind, his body as a whole still climbing in altitude, to bring its own knee up hard toward her face. She wasn’t sure how he’d managed it, given his formidable inertia, but the blow that should have broken her jaw, if not snapped her neck, was pulled somewhat, and she felt his hand catch the back of her head even as he followed her down to the hard cobblestones.\n\n\tWatching the applicant help his tester back to her feet, the latter clearly still a bit dazed, Brettan asked, “I take it that point was incontestably his?”\n\n\tElaria nodded a bit jerkily, “Um, yeah... His words distracted me, deliberately I think, but it’s no sin to take advantage of a foe’s known weakness. You know I’m a competent fighter, myself, but he was able to manufacture a clear victory in that one case, so I’d have to judge him fit, too.”\n\n\tGlancing between the two Maliites, Ronnel volunteered, “Told you honestly, I did, that untrained I was in the attack... That move, I’d thought of but never tried, and your knowledge of my statements of defense was, as much as a vixen’s thoughts of a wolf’s manhood, part of my strategy, though grateful I am, still, that it worked.”\n\n\tThe badger nodded again, “Against a less capable foe than our dear Elaria, though, who bested Malia herself in a fair fight with steel, that rush and double-kick would probably prove a very effective way to end a fight quickly and victoriously. We’re a little tight on novice quarters at the moment, but you certainly qualify on a martial level, so I’ll have the one that’s being used for storage cleaned out and we’ll see about getting you some suitable adornments and practice wear.”\n\n\tShaking her head to clear the last of her dazedness, Ela interrupted, “I’d been meaning to speak about that with you, sir... Is there anything the novice lectures cover that the books don’t? Because if the books are enough, I’m pretty sure I’m ready for the acolyte test, which would let Ronnel have my cell without inconveniencing our quartermaster’s storage arrangements.”\n\n\tThe priest shook his head in reply, “The lectures are, indeed, just another way of phrasing the same information that our library holds, because we cannot be sure of the literacy of any prospective member, and some also benefit from having the same thing explained in two ways. I have half an hour after lunch I can spare; stop by my office then, and we’ll get the quiz out of the way. Pass or fail, there’ll be time to get rooms set up before night falls, and the art tutors can have a go at your quarter-wolf friend in the meantime.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tThe bell at the back gate rang, and Ela tossed the acolyte normally assigned to answer it (not the mink she’d first met there) a wink before padding over to open the door with hardly a glance through the bars.\n\n\tRonnel was there, carrying his scant bundle of possessions back from the bunkhouse that, from his descriptions that night in the garden, even a novice’s cell would be an improvement over. “Elaria, you passed!” he immediately murred, pointing at the silver chain that had replaced her bronze pendant’s copper one.\n\n\tThe vixen nodded, “The test was fairly simple... It means I’m considered qualified to give advice on the right weapons for a particular fighter, to critique artworks so long as I don’t dwell too much on minutiae and stylistic points that can really be argued either way, and to give moral advice along the lines of whether a particular choice can be distinctly labeled ‘right,’ or whether there are additional issues still clouding it. Now, some of this may seem like simple common sense, and a lot of the test could indeed be called that, but they threw in a few potential stumbling blocks for anyone who hadn’t truly learned how Malia would judge a particular situation.” Tossing an arm around his chest, she urged him in and shut the door with one foot, “Come on, now... I’ve already been moved to my new, slightly more spacious cell, and I need to show you how the door sometimes sticks in the one you’re taking over. You’ve got to finesse it just right or you’ll be late for your first exercise session in the morning.”\n\n\tFiguring she not only wouldn’t mind, but would actually appreciate the gesture, the fox tucked his bundle under his far arm and slipped the nearer around her waist, nodding as he mused, “I got a good tour of the art workshops earlier today, but your guidance I could use through the residential sections.”\n\n\tShe hadn’t kept much there to begin with, but the cell just big enough for a compact bed and a tall, narrow four-drawer dresser was as pristine as the day she’d moved into it, now. Shutting the door behind her, she let go and pulled his shoulders down to seat him on the bed before folding her arms, standing in the scanty floorspace, “Now... the door here really does stick, and I’ll show you how to open it momentarily, but I have to ask... why did you join the temple? I like you, and I’ll enjoy getting to see you more often, but I’d better not be the only reason you came. Neither the priests nor our Goddess would like that...”\n\n\tRonnel blinked once, then dipped his head for a moment as he organized his thoughts... “Asked about your sect, I did,” he murmured as he glanced back up. “More than the bear, in the warehouse, had been annoyed in some manner by your songs, though enjoy them most did, yet one only spoke up, and of the workers the most abrasive was he. Also the singers, they looked not like minstrels; too much muscle, too good of balance. Found out I did that warriors you all are, but for justice you fight! Hinted I have, that my old life was... unjust in ways. Tell you now I must, that a wanted criminal I am in Dengar, but none here would call it a crime. A man... a Low Inquisitor, what you would call a magistrate, or a constable; he was both in ways, but he wanted pleasure at my expense. Rape, was to be but the start; his ‘toys’ he played with, with knives. Told me himself, if I played along a few scars I would get; if I struggled, dead I would be.” The fox looked down, swallowing as his gorge rose at the memory, “Authority over any serf he had, so into his bedchamber he’d already ordered me then the door he locked... Refuse I did, but verbally, until approach with a drawn blade he did. Cooperate I could not, so dead I was anyway; nothing to lose, had I... I grabbed his muzzle and crushed, to keep him quiet even as his wrist I broke. His own knife I left in his skull, waiting amidst the stench of his corpse’s shit until late, then take his key to open the door and flee I did.” He looked up, his expression hard, “Followers of Malia, protect others from such as I went through, told I was. Escape, to live as a common worker, I thought victory was, until I learned of your sort. Escape, then, not enough is; help others I must!” He touched the pendant of his own necklace, a faint smile finally gracing his muzzle, “Pleased, honored, and humbled with gratitude, I am, that my oath Malia did accept. Better the food and bed here are, and easier the work, than the job and bunk I left once paid my debt was, but in the rain I’d sleep and moldy rice I’d live upon, for a Goddess’ acceptance and the chance to defend the innocent.”\n\n\tHis friend nodded, a look of sympathy but, to his relief, no pity on her face, “I’m sorry I doubted you... Your vocation is, in a way, even truer than mine. Unless you earnestly wish me to keep silent, though, I will tell your story to a senior priest in strictest confidence. You see, if the leaders here know you’re pursued on an unjust charge, they can and will do something to help, should someone from Dengar come looking for you. Churches have always, in some ways, been sanctuaries, but Malia is a Goddess of justice, too. If there would be no justice in turning you over, then the leaders will flatly lie about your being here or, if the point is pressed, the entire congregation will take up arms in your defense.” Tilting her head to one side, she mused, “This might also be one of the cases where my rank might be able to help... As soon as I can get a few free hours to visit the ducal palace, I’ll petition the local lord for a writ of exemption from extradition.” She had to smile at his confused blink, “Don’t worry about the strange words... It’s noble-speak for making it a point of law that your home kingdom can’t take you back unless they can convince a higher-ranking noble, and the only one of those is our king, that you’re guilty. My name will be on the writ that the king would examine, though, and he knows me personally. Hell, I’ve had sex with his son and heir. The Dengarian ambassador would have to be very convincing to get him to overrule Duke Gatuque and, no matter how important this one Inquisitor was, I doubt they’d risk a diplomatic incident of that degree over a single serf.”\n\n\tMoving slowly but very deliberately, the fox stood from the bed and pulled Ela into a close hug, murmuring into her cheekruff, “Still being pursued, my greatest fear is... so, yes, of this you should tell our seniors. I knew not the propriety, whether they’d care if their newest, lowest-rank novice troubles had. The offer to on your own authority help, Princess, is more also than I ever hoped for. Always have I suspected lies in the tales of this kingdom I was told, of how wicked and evil you all are. My friend, proven these suspicions you have.”\n\n\tElaria pulled back to lean up and kiss him briefly on the lips, then grinned, “Actually, many would call me evil, and even be right in some ways... or did your meditations fail to notice the fact that I said I follow all three Goddesses? There are only two on the side of light, after all...” Extracting herself from his suddenly-tense embrace, she turned to grip the door handle as she continued, “Don’t worry about that, though... My being Kathallic hasn’t offended a single priest in this temple so far, so there’s no harm to be had in knowing me. Now, so we can get out of here before anyone gets suspicious of my Roxanite status as a cause for the delay... the door feels like it’s sticking on the latch side, but it really isn’t. You lift and pull it in that direction to get it to open.” She demonstrated as she spoke, and stepped out into the hall.\n\n\tBehind her, Ronnel shook himself visibly, “Right you were, thought about that I had not, though told me you did, so tell my mind I must that it’s my own oversight, not dishonesty of yours. A shock I’ve had, but recover I will, and your friend I’m sure I’d still like to be when I have.”\n\n\tThe vixen nodded once more, “You deal with that as you see fit... For now, I need to go help in the kitchen, but I think I’ll be able to arrange a meeting with the high priestess here after dinner, and I’ll tell her your story then.”\n\nChapter 11\n\n\tThe haste of this morning still had Elaria somewhat confused, but her orders had been clear. As a matter of course, the evening before, the high priestess had prayed a question to Malia to see if there’d be any reason to deny Ronnel formal sanctuary... Her acolyte hadn’t been privy to the exact wording of Her response, but the immediate result had been to dispatch a priest to the palace with a request for a private audience with the duke, before morning court, and the princess had only had time for exercises and a rushed breakfast the next morning before being sent off, given that she had to stop by Gatuque House to change into the best breeches and blouse she’d brought on her journey. Beyond those, she wore her good sword on its baldric, all three of her religious necklaces, and, perhaps most important of all for this trip, the heir’s signet to her father’s earldom.\n\n\tIn the antechamber to the throne room, there was only a senior page rather than the herald who’d be on duty once morning court was closer, so it was he Ela held out her ringed hand to, “I am Princess Gatuque, the earldom rather than the duchy of course, and I should have a private audience with your duke waiting, if he agreed to the request sent to him by the local high priestess of Malia last night.”\n\n\tSwallowing visibly, the page nodded as he checked a pad of parchment tucked into the herald’s lectern to one side of the ornate double doors, then glanced up, looking just a bit confused, “You’re listed here, yes... just like the lady I showed to his office four or five minutes before you showed up. Your appointments have the same time, and both have been initialed by his seneschal, so it’s probably not a mistake, just... odd.”\n\n\tElaria quirked a brow, “I’ll say... but it also might explain why Malia saw to it that I got here in such a hurry. Please, lead me to this office as well and perhaps this mystery will resolve itself.”\n\n\tThe man glanced briefly between her sword and her signet, then nodded to himself and waved for her to follow as he started down a side-hall, and Ela had to smile. She had just enough rank, in her own right, to keep her weapon; any lesser noble would have been divested of anything larger than a belt-knife before being permitted into the ducal presence.\n\n\tThe duke’s office was sparsely furnished, with just a desk, four comfortable chairs for visitors, and one that was probably a scaled-down version of his throne for him. The walls were decorated with tapestries and paintings, interspersed with candle stands for hours when the skylight alone wouldn’t be enough, but there were no shelves, books, or other documents visible, those probably cluttering up the offices of his seneschal and other functionaries. The lord himself was not yet present as Ela was ushered in by the page, who shut the door behind her, but one of the chairs was already occupied by a richly-dressed dragoness, her scales mainly a glossy black, but a line of dark gray was visible along her throat before it disappeared into the high neckline of her heavily-embroidered silver satin blouse.\n\n\tThe stranger’s slit-pupilled eyes flashed immediately to Ela’s necklaces, and her lips tightened, but any comment she might have been preparing was interrupted by the office’s discreet side door opening and an aging black mink stepping through, nodding half to himself on his way to his chair, “Good, you’re both here... I received, in short order, a notification of a foreign Agent pursuing a fugitive in my capitol, and a formal, noble- and temple-sponsored request for sanctuary and protection from extradition, both with remarkably similar descriptions attached. That, ladies, is why the two of you are here, and I’m prepared to listen to both of you before deciding which of these requests to favor, as I obviously cannot support both.” Settling himself a bit more comfortably into his small throne, he pointed first at the dragoness, “You may begin. State your case, clearly and completely.”\n\n\tNodding back, the foreigner began immediately, clearly having had plenty of time to consider her phrasing, “The man I pursue is guilty of murder. He was on the short end of a rank differential, and chose violence over lawful obedience to reasonable orders. Evidence and witnesses at the scene were enough to file an official verdict of guilt, and his sentence is death, but he must be returned to his home district to comply with the formal details of capital punishment as set down by our law. My government would normally have sent word to our consulates and, once the perpetrator was located, dealt with your government to get him returned to us for punishment, but the man he killed was a personal friend of mine, and I wasn’t on any other official missions at the time, so I took it upon myself to track him more quickly than diplomatic wrangling could manage. A magical path-finder that’s part of my official equipment as a Grand Inquisitor, supplied with one of his furs taken from my friend’s body, traced him to this city, and a flight around its perimeter indicates that he’s not yet left.”\n\n\tThe duke’s expression had remained carefully neutral throughout his guest’s speech, and he simply nodded once then looked to Elaria, “Princess? It’s your turn; please describe this situation as it stands from your perspective and that of your... well, one of your temples.”\n\n\tNodding back, the vixen leaned into her seat’s soft cushions, wriggling a bit to shift her scabbard from where it was cutting into her shoulder blade, then began, “I haven’t known Ronnel for very long, but he’s become a close friend. As of yesterday afternoon, after he was admitted to Malia’s temple as a novice, passing tests artistic, militant, and spiritual to do so, he finally trusted me with the full story of his reason for fleeing Dengar. The man he killed held the rank of Low Inquisitor, and as such had authority over all serfs, of which Ronnel was one. The order he gave, though, amounted to a choice: Ronnel could cooperate and be raped and tortured, or he could resist and be raped, tortured, and killed. As I understand it, this order was technically legal, but it could not be called just, which is why my Lady of the Arts, Herself, has granted my friend the sanctuary of Her church, and as his friend I sought to expand upon that with a protective writ. What he did would not be remotely illegal here in Drachath for anyone but a slave, and even then the order would have to come from their owner, being a basic matter of self-defense, and I’d like it if he had the freedom to step out of the temple without having to fear for his life.”\n\n\tGlancing back to the dragoness, Duke Gatuque noted, “As in each of this kingdom’s duchy seats, my private office has sophisticated magical features, set up a few centuries ago by one of the best Archmages our kingdom has ever had, and maintained and updated by subsequent holders of that office. I mention this because of your own comment about magical equipment, and as the reason yours probably did not notice that I have the equivalent of a Truthstone in place for anyone sitting in those chairs. It remained green throughout Princess Elaria’s entire statement. It did not, however, do the same for yours, specifically for your descriptions of the formal finding of guilt, and your mention of witnesses. Also worth noting, Elaria used this man’s name, while you did not, suggesting that you don’t even see him as a person... I am thus inclined to believe that this is a simple mission of vengeance on your part, and I cannot condone the death of an innocent man for protecting his own life and dignity. I believe that the treaty between Dengar and Drachath grants you diplomatic immunity, but I’m issuing a declaration of limitation to it at this moment. No one can arrest you, but neither will any subject of mine suffer any repercussions for preventing you from committing a crime, including the use of lethal force if warranted, and pursuit of your stated intentions will be considered attempted murder, which Ronnel or any nearby citizen is free to defend him against.”\n\n\tThe Grand Inquisitor’s eyelids closed to slits nearly as narrow as her pupils, and she hissed, “The man... ‘Ronnel’ if you insist, is still guilty of crimes under my kingdom’s law, and my government will not take kindly to your interference with the dispensation of justice in this case. As the ruling lord of this duchy, your declaration is within your power and I must accept it, but in realistic effect it simply translates to ‘don’t get caught.’ The murderer will die, and I will return home safely, this I swear.”\n\n\tOne brow quirked, the old mink shrugged, “You can try, I suppose... but I doubt you’ll succeed before the rest of my planned actions bear fruit. You see, I’ll also be passing a formal request for your recall to your government, explaining that your vendetta is not necessary to your kingdom’s security beyond the rather pointless act of increasing the public’s fear of your Grand Inquisitors, and that your actions constitute an abuse of diplomatic immunity that, unless justified by that necessity you lack, can only damage relations between our countries. If such a recall is issued, your immunity will be immediately suspended until you return to Dengar, at which point my military forces will take a hand in your capture and forcible ejection from this land, with orders to use as much force as they see fit. You will return to your homeland, but if it comes down to the final case I’ve outlined, I can’t swear as to how many pieces you’ll be returned in.” He made no visible motion to indicate manipulation of one of the office’s magical tools, but both doors opened at once, armed and armored guards visible through the rear one and audible through the one the dragon’s back faced. “You are dismissed, to be immediately escorted off the palace grounds. For your dignity and your very life, I strongly suggest you keep going all the way back to Dengar from there.”\n\n\tThe dragoness’ gaze was murderous as she stood, a basso growl rumbling in her throat, before she turned on her heel hard enough to make her wings snap and stormed out. The jewels on her bracelets flared with light as she passed the guards, and a simple wave in each direction sent them into the walls with a clatter of armor as she stalked down the hall as if they didn’t even exist.\n\n\tReaching over to touch an insignificant-looking stone in the mottled, flat-polished surface of his desk, the doors closing a moment later, the duke shared an arched-brow glance with his remaining guest, “That one... will be trouble, I’m sure. I’ll expedite my request for her recall as much as I can, but there’s a certain pace beyond which diplomacy cannot be rushed, and I cannot guarantee a positive response. Dengar’s Inquisitors tend to be much more... aware of their own importance, and make sure everyone else shares that awareness, compared to our Agents who are usually content to work from the shadows.”\n\n\tElaria nodded, her muzzle quirked wryly on one side, “My father tested me several times, but it turns out I have absolutely no capacity for magic, or I’d have seriously considered seeking to become an Agent, myself... and, in that hypothetical scenario, I’d like to think I’d act with more decorum than that bitch, or at least be polite when doing my job! Grand Inquisitors and Agents are, in a sense, the very personifications of their kingdoms, and the way that one acts would give me a very bad impression of Dengar even if I hadn’t already heard Ronnel’s story about the ‘reasonable, lawful order’ he reacted so badly, if naturally, to.”\n\n\tThis fetched a much more agreeable nod and smile from the graying mink, “I lament the loss to Drachath that you failed that single requirement... My grandson has served as a courier on the route between here and the Vale, and I took that opportunity to correspond with your noble father several times, and I have a great deal of respect for that man. I’d have had some, of course, after the way he stopped in my capitol just to get married, and immediately dismantled a scheme I’d been hiding for over a year, but he has depths well beyond that one-time surprise. As his daughter, I’m certain you’d prove just as capable, and an asset to the security and image of the kingdom.”\n\n\tThe princess giggled softly, “I’ve certainly tried in my own way... and, so far, I seem to be succeeding in making the most of my potential and his tutelage. Not many fifteen-year-olds hold a non-honorary captain’s rank in a militia, I’m pretty sure, and as far as I know I’m the only person who’s ever held clerical rank with every Goddess in the pantheon at once. I only made acolyte in Malia’s order yesterday, but I have every intention of being Her priestess eventually, and I’ll be looking into just what it takes to earn a knighthood in Her order tomorrow morning, once I have a study period without meetings and a bit more access in the library than novices enjoy.”\n\n\t“All I know of Maliite knights,” her lord mused, “is that they tend to be among the very finest warriors in the world, and that they’re sworn to uphold justice at any cost, including their lives and, an unusual stipulation, their honor, meaning they’ll break the law themselves, and suffer the consequences, to oppose something that’s legal but unjust. A potentially high price to pay... but worth it to the devout, and your personality seems to suggest that you’d get far more satisfaction from earning that rank, so I’ve discarded my first impulse to simply offer to make you a knight of the duchy. In any case, I’ve kept you long enough; you should get back to your temple and make sure they’re warned that an arrogant bitch with an uncomfortable amount of magic at her disposal wants to kill one of their novices, and probably doesn’t care who gets in her way.”\n\n\tElaria nodded, her expression serious as she rose from her seat, “It’s that damned tracker that concerns me the most... but I observed while my father toyed with one as part of his second-tier magical studies, so I know they can be blocked by the right spell. I’ll have one of our priests for whom magic is an art look into it.” Leaning across the desk, she shared a firm handclasp with the old mink then, at his smile and a shooing flick of his hand, made her way out.\n\n* * *\n\n\tBack in another office, Ela concluded her report, “Both of our mage-priests say that blocking the tracker is beyond their abilities, but they’ll be sending word to colleagues who might be able to do so. Our duke’s acceptance of the request to deny extradition will allow someone to make such a blocker, if we find one who can, but as some of our kingdom’s law-enforcement officials use a similar means to track criminals, the general sale of counter-agents is prohibited. The resident wizards can and will, however, ward the temple grounds to keep anyone from using magical means to sneak in, including the second- and third-story windows and the space above the practice yard as we know that this dragoness can fly. On my trip back here, I felt unfriendly eyes on me twice, probably the Inquisitor using me to locate the temple even if I couldn’t catch sight of her, but I didn’t bother to do anything about it as she could get the same information for a penny at the information booth near any gate.”\n\n\tKechira, the middle-aged feline who served as the local high priestess, arched a brow, “Your lectures didn’t cover it, as the effect rarely manifests until one earns the rank of priest or priestess, but sensing observation by those of ill intent is a gift granted specifically by Malia. You either have Her favor to an uncommon degree, or this situation is dire enough to warrant a major exception to Her usual practices.”\n\n\tHer newest acolyte shrugged, “It could be either or both. I’m grateful for any gift She grants me, but I’m not enough of a glory-seeker to ask Her just which one it is in the hope of proving myself somehow ‘special.’” Turning toward the room’s other guest chair, she gave Ronnel a wan smile, “I know this seems like a lot of trouble we’re going to, and that you never wished to inconvenience anyone, merely to live your life in peace... but the vendetta against you runs counter to everything we who serve Malia stand for. Our help is yours without need to ask, and we’re glad to give it.”\n\n\tThe fox nodded, still looking a bit glum but already starting to cheer up, “Coming to see that, I am. What to expect, I knew not, attending my first lesson this morning, but all I heard from those I asked prior to my joining, I heard confirmed and to greater depth and detail than I’d imagined. Match, do my sense of honor and the principles embraced here, and glad I am to have been accepted.”\n\n\tThe high priestess nodded with a gentle smile, “Regardless, know that you’re far from the first novice to arrive on our doorstep with trouble snapping at his heels. Just go about your lessons and duties, but always with an eye out for trouble, and don’t hesitate to raise a fuss if you catch sight of so much as one black scale. Every one of our priests will be going armed as a matter of course until this blows over, as will acolytes whose gifts are more martial than artistic, and any novice who wishes to and passed their initial combat testing with distinction.”\n\n\t“Speaking of initial tests,” Elaria mused, “I’ll have a bit of time between my morning study period and lunch in coming days... and if you’re willing, my friend, I’d really like to spend that time practicing with you. You need someone to work out offensive techniques on, and I’d like to learn more real finesse in my hand-to-hand, rather than relying on the sheer ferocity I used when we sparred. We may have scored equally, but I know for a fact that your technique has a sounder basis than mine, and my sense of artistry demands that I try to learn it, instead of resorting to substitutes that a more knowledgeable foe can overcome.”\n\n\t“Speaking of lunch,” Kechira interrupted, “none of us have had any, yet, and we’ve accomplished as much as we can with this meeting. I suggest we all adjourn to the dining hall, and you two can discuss training and stylistic issues between bites.”\n\n\tChuckling, Ronnel stood and, as gentlemanly as ever, offered the vixen a hand up from her chair before nodding to his leader, “Gladly, ma’am.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tTo the princess’ surprise, after lunch and the change to her usual temple-wear she hadn’t had time for before reporting to the high priestess, she ran into Ronnel again (very nearly literally, as the day’s events still had her thinking a bit too much) in the instrument storage room. “So you’ve picked music as a second art too,” she mused, ears perked. “What did your evaluation recommend?”\n\n\tHer friend grimaced, “My past has not the background for painting, or sculpture, or the like, and it turned out only almost perfect my pitch is... but, at least, rhythm and coordination I have.” He stepped over to the percussion section and hefted a linked three-piece tom drum set, “This I’m learning to play.” He tilted his head, clearly curious, “And what do you play when in your hands there’s not a sword?”\n\n\t“Don’t laugh,” Ela warned him, stepping past the violins and violas to pick up the cello she’d been practicing on, nearly as tall as her and a good bit wider.\n\n\tRonnel didn’t so much as chuckle, though he looked like he was about to grin at any moment, noting instead, “That’s... not the instrument with which I’d picture you, no. A silver flute, perhaps, or a metal xylophone for you to use your speed and ferocity upon, but never that enormous beast!”\n\n\tThe vixen shrugged, chuckling softly, as she picked up a long bow and a box of rosin to tuck into her robe’s belt and pocket respectively, “I’m actually getting pretty decent with this ‘enormous beast,’ as some of its principles can make use of my earlier training on a lute, though I naturally have to practice in one of the insulated rooms. Come to think of it, you’ll need to do so too, with those loud drums. They’re big enough for three people with smaller instruments; I think we could both fit in one even with these bulky accessories, and tone and percussion were meant to go together anyway, so it might help us both if we share...”\n\n\tThis fetched a nod in return, after a cautious glance at her neck to be sure she was only wearing her Maliite pendant, “One lesson I’ve had, but two topics were covered, related though they were. Specific beats I will learn, for instruments to play along to, but also improvising to complement and enhance the play of an instrument’s song, I must try. For your proposal, the latter would work... Yes, let us share a chamber, and your own practice I will play along with.” Pausing only to grab a pair of rigid-tipped drumsticks, he followed her to the first muffled chamber whose cracked-open door proclaimed its availability.\n\n\tThe walls, floor, and ceiling, Elaria had been told, were all lined with a thick layer of plaster filled with hollow blown-glass balls, and the thick wooden door had several inches of blankets nailed to it, allowing the practice of the loudest instruments without disturbing the rest of the temple or its neighbors too much. Even though the space would only be comfortable for three people with small instruments, there were four stools tucked into the corner, and she passed one to the fox before pulling one to the opposite corner for her own use and setting aside the sword she’d been carrying as one of the armed acolytes. “Hmm... I guess I’ll just start with my basic scales, then go with any tune they bring to mind,” she proposed, her cello leaning against the wall as she made sure her bow’s coat of rosin was sufficient.\n\n\tHer companion merely nodded as he sat down and adjusted his drums in front of him, sticks poised as he listened for a good point to join in. Starting with the deep bass of the E string, Ela touched her bow to the bronze-wound strand and let her fingers play along the upper neck for one eight-note series, only reaching the third of the four strings on that first run, but as she started again one note higher, her elbow was wagging soon enough; her fingers were still playing at the very top of the cello’s neck, practicing their positioning to hit the right two or three places on each string for the proper tone without the benefit of frets. About midway through her fourth scale, Ronnel joined in with a single, lingering strike of his highest drum, alternating between that and the low one in half-time to her progress.\n\n\tThat steady rhythm of high, low, high, low suggested one of the naval-inspired orchestral works to the vixen, and she held the high point of her fifth scale for a long note, before swirling down again into the mid-song theme of the tune running through her mind. Ronnel’s eyes were closed as the enclosed room sent the powerful strings’ vibrations straight through him, and he kept up his base rhythm even as he started throwing the occasional flair in between the beats, a staccato burst roaming back and forth along all three drums in a sequence of its own.\n\n\tThe combination of two intertwined beats with her own melody was having at least as profound an effect on Ela, and she started unconsciously speeding up, hardly even noticing when Ronnel matched her tempo without pause, and she was all but grinding the bow into the lower strings as her intensity rose, blurring the notes with an almost grating distortion that, in her mind, perfectly captured and portrayed the hardships of life at sea the song was meant to describe. At the speed and vigor with which she was playing it, the performance piece rapidly neared its end, but it had already reminded her of one of the very songs she’d sung in the holiday choir, and she transitioned smoothly to the new melody, fingers dancing up and down the upper two strings as her thumb roamed the lowest, hard bass notes struck in counterpoint to the drums’ pulsing rhythm whenever the slightest gap in the main theme presented itself.\n\n\tIt was only as a forming cramp in her fingering hand drew her attention back that she found herself playing still a third, or possibly even fourth, distinct song, and realized she’d been in a trance deeper than any she’d ever attained in weapon-practice. The intensity of her play suffered a bit as she worked past the pain to consciously, rather than instinctively, finish her current tune, drawing out its last, fading note to indicate that she wasn’t about to start another, and she couldn’t help but giggle as Ronnel blinked several times then looked around; obviously, he’d been in an altered mental state as well as he’d played.\n\n\t“Whew,” the fox rumbled, his muzzle wrinkling, “stink of sweat we do, and too hot in here it is... but enjoy that I did, very much. My second practice I’d not have believed that to be, hearing what I managed as a stranger; together we work far better than alone.”\n\n\tElaria nodded, glancing down with a grimace of her own at the spots where she’d soaked through both her clothes and the robe above them, then blinked, shivering, as she finally shifted in place. “I...” she panted, “I think the wettest spot on me is the crotch of my breeches, and not just from exertion. I... need to get back to my cell, or I’m likely to forget just which Goddess I’m serving at the moment, pounce you, and ravish you.”\n\n\tRonnel blinked back, “Oh, my... I’m, um, actually not to that thought adverse, but too new am I to know the rules. Regardless, your instrument let me return for you, so to your chamber you can return quickly.”\n\n\tNodding shakily, the vixen leaned her cello and bow against the wall and, mindful of her unsteady legs, climbed off of her stool, “I’ll check those rules,” she promised, still panting faintly as she snatched up her sword, “and if they haven’t been updated recently I’ll pray to Malia to ask what Her current standards are, since I know they’ve been changing... but, for now, I really, really need to get to bed and make love to my own fingers.”\n\n\tShe left her friend laughing helplessly as she stepped out, looked both ways to make sure no one was coming, and ran.\n\nChapter 12\n\n\tBrettan intercepted Elaria between breakfast and her morning lecture, informing her, “I have two pieces of news, neither of which I can really call good or bad, but both are... noteworthy.” At her attentive nod, he continued, “First, your friend Ronnel was attacked this morning during the novice group exercises... or almost; the way things turned out, calling it an ‘attack’ may be doing it too much honor. The two assistant instructors we keep around to help with specific calisthenic moves, since you informed us of that foreign Agent, have kept loaded crossbows handy, and one spotted the shape on the roof in time to get a shot off and spoil the aim of the weapon she was about to throw. It was a star-shaped knife, and our resident healer confirmed that the discoloration on its many points was a lethal poison, but it landed several yards from anyone and Ronnel himself is quite alright.”\n\n\tEla frowned, “As unlikely as it was given her outright oath to seek revenge, going two and a half days without incident had led me to hope that she might have left anyway... I guess she didn’t.”\n\n\tHer superior nodded, “Hope is always worth holding onto, though it was definitely misplaced in this instance... Anyway, the second bit of news is to remind you that the door is the least soundproof part of the muffled practice rooms, and three of our senior musicians, including your strings instructor, spent and enjoyed a fair bit of time outside of yours a couple evenings ago. Said instructor asked me to express his wonder as to why that sort of performance had never before occurred in your practices; he asserts that he’d have paid good money to hear the like in a public venue.”\n\n\tThe vixen could only blink, flush, and murmur, “Um... I hadn’t realized anyone had heard. I... I guess I have two pieces of news of my own in response. The first is that I couldn’t have been considered conscious for the bulk of that performance; I was in a trance even deeper than the one I normally fight in, and didn’t even know what I was playing until my hand started to cramp... Something about the way I played with a partner, rather than alone, sent me into that state and improved my accuracy and enthusiasm all out of proportion. Second, there were some, ah, side-effects to that performance that make it... unsuitable to repeat in public. Before I practice that way again, I’ll have to arrange for someone to take the drums and cello back to storage, because at the end I’ll be too busy dragging Ronnel back to my cell, neither of us to be seen ‘til the next morning. I had to make do with my fingers after that first session, but my need was extreme. I did some research yesterday morning that was initially disappointing, then followed it with a prayer for clarification last night, and as a result I’ve secured Malia’s permission to take a steady lover from within the temple’s ranks. Since She wouldn’t mind and Ron’s certainly willing, mere masturbation just wouldn’t satisfy.”\n\n\tBlinking several times, Brettan shook his head to clear it, “That’s... certainly a side-effect to keep in mind, I’ll admit. Still, the rest of your description of the event brings to mind a rather... rare gift that you just might have. Consider your existing afternoon schedule null and void; I’ll make arrangements for you to meet with Dame Grallia after lunch in the indoor salle, and you’re to bring either Ronnel or another percussionist, with their drums. Whoever you take with you is also released from other duties on an as-needed basis; you can tell them to tell their instructors that it’s on my authority, and I promise to confirm it when they check. Once you meet up with our finest knight, you are to inform her that I think you might be a blade dancer, and she’ll take it from there. She’ll be able to determine whether my suspicion is warranted quickly enough, and if I’m right she’ll give you some instruction on the subject with, just in case it has the same consequences as your musical trance, time before your evening chores to take care of, uh, things in your cell, alone or with Ronnel.”\n\n\tEla gave him an understanding smile, “I know that, as a priest in the traditional sense, you’re less than comfortable with that aspect of my nature... I can’t help it; it’s just part of being a vixen. Thank you, though, for making allowances for that which cannot be changed.”\n\n\tThe badger coughed, then nodded, “I do have to keep telling myself that there’s nothing really wrong with that aspect of the mortal condition... and, now that I think about it, none of the vows of chastity or celibacy I’ve served as witness for have ever been from a fox, of either gender. Now, you go on to your morning lesson; you can tell your tutor it’s my fault you’re late.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tThe temple’s indoor salle doubled as its ‘casual armory.’ One wall was lined with racks of practice swords, both wooden and pot-metal, that anyone was free to use, while another sported a grid of cubby holes, each with a tacked-on scrap of paper or parchment bearing the name of someone within the temple, where personal weapons of unremarkable value could be kept, though a great many of the holes were empty, their contents currently worn by their owners as they kept an eye out for the lurking Inquisitor who was almost certainly planning her next attack. More valuable arms such as Ela’s good sword, in contrast, were kept either in personal quarters or a second armory stocked with iron boxes and locks, its main door also secured and guarded, incidentally by being in sight of the back gate’s warden at most times, or with a specifically-assigned fighter in the temple’s present state of alertness.\n\n\tDame Grallia was already there when Elaria arrived, the acolyte carrying one end of Ronnel’s drum set to help maneuver it through the relatively narrow door, and she couldn’t help but blink at the arrangement her tutor was putting the finishing touches on. Hanging from hooks and eye-bolts already set into the ceiling and its rafters were strings of varying length, and at the end of each one was an apple, three or four winds of twine around each depending on what it took to hold a particular shape reliably. There were perhaps two dozen in total, and the knight was presently going from one to the next with a cup of red paint and a brush, marking the string just above the knot securing each piece of fruit.\n\n\tThe acolyte had to smile again, though, at just how little the lady looked like a knight... Though senior to the one other priest who warranted a ‘sir’ from more than just his students, this skunk was a bit below-average in height and quite curvaceous, her limbs looking to lack the hard muscle one would expect in a prominent warrior, and wearing a pale blue sundress with a slightly longer skirt than average out of respect for the proprieties of temple life. Her seeming softness, though, was an illusion, or perhaps more accurately a deliberate disguise. She did have the hard, strong muscle of her calling, but practiced a regimen of diet and exercise even more specific than the one she’d prescribed for Ela, a deliberately-maintained layer of fat making her look just like the peasant farmgirl she’d been born as, and still pretended to be when a low-profile investigation was needed.\n\n\t“I know why you’re here,” the mephit noted as she finished painting the last string and set her cup aside, “though I’m pretty sure that silly badger told you to tell me, anyway. I forgot the subject of one meeting, six years ago, and he hasn’t let me forget it, or anything else, since...”\n\n\tElaria nodded with a faint giggle as she made sure Ronnel was comfortable, then passed him the drumsticks she’d tucked into her robe’s sash as she asked, “What is a blade dancer, anyway? The term didn’t come up in the general books on tactics and fighting styles I’ve encountered so far, but then Brettan did suggest that it was rather uncommon.”\n\n\tThe skunk chuckled, “Well, in the simplest sense, it describes a fighter who gets a lot better when they have music, or at least a beat, to fight to, and I do mean a lot better. Experienced blade dancers are known to, almost as a matter of routine, win fights that even the most skilled of more ordinary warriors would dismiss as flatly impossible.” Stepping around a couple of hanging apples, she pulled Ela’s simple twin swords out of the hole with her name on it, then tested each edge with a careful thumb before nodding, “These will do for what I’ve got planned; set your good sword aside for now,” and offering the hilts to her student.\n\n\tThis fetched a nod from both foxes, the vixen leaning her sword against the wall before stepping over to accept her alternate weapons, and her friend musing, “That would explain why I’m here, then... Though far deeper into the experience than my only other two drum practices I went, that afternoon, basic awareness I at least maintained, so remember some of what I played I can. Sim—I’ll try to play similarly, today.”\n\n\tNodding approvingly at his continued efforts to remember the local syntax, Grallia turned to address Ela, “When he starts playing, just close your eyes and concentrate on the beat... Feel it pulsing through you, feel its motion, then let it move you. Ignore the apples for now, just settle into one of the two-sword practice routines you already know but, this time, make it a dance.”\n\n\tRonnel, at a nod from the knight, started a rolling, medium-fast beat on his lowest drum, ending every other measure with a double-strike on the highest and one tap in the middle, a sequence that focused on rhythm but added just a bit of a melodious accent. His eyes were soon half-closed and he felt the back of his mind itching to improvise, but he held off while he observed just what his friend would do and what she might seem to need.\n\n\tElaria had a bit less than half the spacious salle to work with, the strung-up apples on one end and her friend and tutor tucked into the corners flanking the door, so with a firm caution to herself not to wander too far, she lifted her swords and began the latest routine she’d been taught, imagining a pair of foes before her and moving her steel to meet their hypothetical attacks. The initial ‘strikes’ were meant to be simple, the intensity of the routine rising steadily even under normal practice, so she let sheer, ingrained reflex handle her early motions while she focused on the beat, doing her best to follow her instructions and feel it as much as hear it.\n\n\tThe first sign this was to be anything more than another static practice session came in the form of one foot’s sweep, the ‘right’ routine having called for a simple step rather than an arc just barely off the floor, ending in an extra tap of its toes to fill in the half-beat gap left at the end of one of Ron’s melodious measures. Her next two steps as she turned to face the enemies in her own mind struck the floor right on the drum’s more emphatic, mid-measure beats but, for the scripted dodge the practice called for, she stepped around the beat, her footfalls flanking it and actually enhancing it much like a drummer’s deliberate flair. The effect spread steadily up from her feet, her blades still finding their way into the ‘right’ positions at the proper moments, but the way in which they got there was more... fluid, always in keeping with the sound of the drums but never in a strictly predictable way, and almost entirely unlike the simple ‘here to there’ movements normally used.\n\n\tDame Grallia nodded to herself; Brettan had been right. Despite her relative lack of actual battle experience, this vixen was already a better fighter than she’d want to get into a serious disagreement with, and it was looking like a new order of magnitude was about to be added to that skill. For the moment, though, her routine was nearing its natural conclusion, so the skunk called out, “The apples are your enemies! They must be in at least three pieces each to be considered neutralized, and you cannot strike any piece that’s on the floor, nor can you cut any string above its red mark! Also, avoid those marks, as I used oil paint and it’s not dry yet; any red streak on you will constitute failure!”\n\n\tElaria moved, without even a nod, from blocking an imaginary overhead strike to dancing toward the twine-bedecked end of the room, her simple swords, scimitar-like though a bit shorter than the norm, while still longer than cutlasses, flicking out in a silk-smooth cross-slash, catching the first apple perfectly, its surrounding string falling in tatters as the fruit itself thudded to the floor in three slices. A flair in the drum beat surrounded a single blade’s slash at the next target, then her other sword came in low, whipping back and forth in a continuation of that flair to further mince the single falling piece. From one stance to the next, the acolyte danced her way through her crowd of foes, slashing and slicing, and at one point even skewering two apples nearly seven feet apart with wide-stretched arms, savage twists of her blades a half-beat later shattering them into small chunks. Sometimes her strikes sent the loose, painted ends of the strings dancing wildly, but she always seemed to be moving away from them when they did; others, they lost their fruity burden with nary a twitch, or with just the gentle sway of the breeze of her passage.\n\n\tGrallia thought, as the last apple fell in pieces, that the show was over, but a glance at Ronnel showed him watching his friend closely, with no evident intention to stop drumming just yet. Curious now, the skunk looked back to her pupil where she was weaving between the ‘lethal’ red marks of dangling twine, toward the corner where a small barrel of water, a stack of folded cloths, and a cup of oil were provided to keep weapons clean and rust-free. Into the barrel those swords plunged as one, twice, then the vixen brought them down by their flats on the cloths, wiping each side clean of sticky apple juice. Still to the rhythm of the drums, the tips of each blade were dipped into the oil, then she launched herself into a spin, sword-points leading, rising to the toe of one shoe as the wind of her twirl blew the oil down the weapons’ lengths, followed by two more swipes against the rags to clean off the excess. The fox went into a sustained roll on the high drum as his friend reversed her grips and half-spun once more, then struck the bass tom twice, punctuating her throws as her blades settled into her cubby hole, three yards distant.\n\n\t“Let me have a look at you,” the knight directed, lightly gripping Ela’s arms to turn her around, examining her headfur and robe closely... then nodded, “Not a single hint of paint. Brettan was right; you are a blade dancer, but it’s up to you to see if you can make something of it. It’s not possible, after all, to make sure you have percussion or musical accompaniment in a real battle, and to try to do so would put the minstrels at an unconscionable risk. You’ll need to practice with a live musician, working on the speed and ease with which you can enter your new level of combat trance, but your goal is to, eventually, be able to do this sort of thing to a beat that exists only in your mind.”\n\n\tThe vixen nodded solemnly, “Yes, ma’am,” then broke into a wide grin. “That was fun! It wasn’t exactly the same as when I was playing my cello; I was awake and aware, but the music was all around me... I could almost see it, the beats that were to come and the options they represented, and I moved with the ‘now’ through those possibilities. Choice and action were the same thing; my mind made the choice, and my body followed smoothly along on its own. It was somewhere in between the way I’d plan my initial attacks in normal combat, and how I’d watch for and grab any opportunity that presented itself later in the fight, but not really like either because the plans seemed to already be made for me, simply awaiting my selection.”\n\n\t“That,” the knight mused with a nod of her own, “sounds remarkably similar to the description penned by the last blade dancer this temple had... His journal’s in the library, in the unrestricted priest section; I’ll direct you to it sometime soon, as some of his experiences may help you make that last leap that remains to you, the ability to do this at need without a musician, to make you the best fighter you could ever hope to be.”\n\n\tElaria tilted her head to one side, mentally balancing a few issues of possibility and propriety, then noted, “Speaking of the library... my most recent research was the details and requirements of Maliite knighthood. I wish to inform you, Dame, that I will be seeking that status. The oaths are compatible with my beliefs and philosophy, with perhaps a minor reservation to keep from conflicting with my other priesthoods, and I believe I qualify in terms of basic prowess... but I know, too, that there is much for me to learn here that would be useful for both that knighthood and my more general life, so it would be inappropriate to bind myself to the possibility of having to rush off in the cause of justice before that learning. Once I feel my scholastic studies have reached a sufficient point, though, I’ll be checking with Brettan and yourself to see if you two agree, then ask, formally, for induction into the order.”\n\n\tThe skunk tried to keep her demeanor serious as she nodded, but couldn’t quite banish a faint smile of pride from her muzzle, “You are right on both counts, that you do currently qualify but also that more education could only help... and, when you feel you have learned what you must to be the best champion of justice that you can, it would be my honor to administer and witness your oaths, then welcome you as a sister knight. I’m already proud to be witnessing the emergence of a new blade dancer, that being an honor very, very few arms instructors ever enjoy, but dubbing you Dame Elaria would make it even sweeter a high point in my life’s accomplishments.”\n\n\tDipping a low curtsey, her head bowed to convey her own gratitude, the princess rose and turned to smile at her friend still in the corner, “Sorry to ignore you like that, dear...” She half-pouted, “I’m afraid that, this time, the trance didn’t leave me feeling like a bitch in heat. I guess it happened last time because the music was all there was, and in my trance I was the music, and the music... felt good. Still,” and she gave him a hopeful smile, “I’ve got the rest of the afternoon off if you just want to come to my cell to kiss and cuddle a bit... If more comes of that, I’m sure we’ll both enjoy it, but I’m still trying to avoid pressuring you into anything you’re not comfortable with.”\n\n\tRonnel nodded with a breathy chuckle, “A moment to recover from the drumming, I needed, so mind your chat I did not. Help me take the drums back and, yes, to cuddle I would like. More, though, will have to wait until we have more time; in two hours will you help with supper, and... longer I would wish to take, to do things right.”\n\n\tDame Grallia shook her head with a sigh, “Oh, well... I should mention, young fox, that I quizzed Brettan specifically on the ratios involved in the Roxanite necklace our second-newest supplicant showed up in, and if you hadn’t agreed to go back to her chambers, I would have gone in your place. Ah, well; a bit of disappointment builds character, I’m told.”\n\n\tAs her friend simply chuckled, the acolyte gave her teacher a more speculative look, the tip of her tongue sneaking around the edges of her muzzle... “In a bit less than two and a half weeks, I’ll be spending my restday in Our Bounteous Lady’s robes once more... so if you look me up then, I’d certainly like to... get to know you better.” She winked, half-grinning, “At no charge, of course. I needn’t solicit to honor my other Goddesses; like blade dancing, serving Them is simply another mental state.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tDear Your Royal Daddyness, Elaria began, belly-down on her bed as she wrote to the light of her cell’s small lamp.\n\n\tLife at the temple has become complicated, though by no means bad, and it all centers around one simple event: I think I’ve got a boyfriend. The basics are simple enough... His name is Ronnel, and he’s mostly a fox, but his grandmother was a wolf, giving him fur a bit darker than mine and, from what I felt of it during an unarmed sparring match, some anatomy that reminds me very much of you, though I haven’t seen it in action yet. I know, that’s a bit of a surprise right there, that I didn’t immediately fuck his brains out, but I’ve been taking my time getting to know him. I believe he’s amenable to the concept at this point, and we did spend a couple hours this afternoon kissing and snuggling in my room, where I got to show him how much more vixenish my bustline’s been getting lately. Part of the reason I’m moving slowly and carefully, though, is for his comfort, as he was born a serf in Dengar. As such, he started with some profound reservations about associating with a princess, which I’ve been patiently easing and wearing away. It helps that he joined the temple as a novice, the same day that I made acolyte.\n\n\tHis reason for being in this kingdom involves what we would call an act of self-defense that resulted in the death of an official with perverse tastes even by my standards. Unfortunately, that official had a friend. She’s the Dengarian equivalent of an Agent, and has sworn vengeance, though her one attempt to follow through on it so far was fairly inept and easily thwarted. Still, she seems to rely much more heavily on magical gadgets than you ever did, so even in a temple full of fighters with two wizard-priests on their guard, we can’t rely on her next try being so ineffective. I’ve met with Duke Gatuque on the subject, the Agent also at that meeting as he decided between our conflicting petitions, and the best we were able to come up with was to explicitly allow any necessary measures of self-defense despite her diplomatic immunity. I’d prefer to simply hunt her down and kill her in her sleep, but that’s beyond the limits of our diplomatic options even after pushing them as far as possible.\n\n\tIn slightly more positive news, it turns out I’m a blade dancer. It’d take a lot of explaining to completely define the concept and the processes involved, but once I master it it’ll raise my prowess by an entire order of magnitude, and I can already beat just about anyone in the world in a one-on-one fair fight. Given her magical toys, the situation with the Agent could never be called ‘fair,’ so I’m in no hurry to do battle with her. Related, if in different ways, to my new fighting technique, though, are two significant tidbits. First, with the right accompaniment I can hold my own with master musicians on my cello, though there’s a side effect that I’d need to get laid as soon as I stop playing. Second, the teacher who prescribed my diet to get my breasts back and instructed me in the new sort of combat trance a blade dancer needs is a Maliite knight, and has agreed to make me one as well, once we’re both satisfied with my education. I also plan to borrow a room with her at the temple of Roxanarra in a couple weeks, or maybe Gatuque House if we’re too eager to travel that far, but for this next restday I’ll be visiting Kathy’s house for the solstice celebration, and I’m hoping I can wrangle a night off the next day to celebrate another birthday in this city’s fine playclub.\n\n\tStill your princess forever,\n\n\tElaria\n\n\tThe vixen left the parchment there for a moment, letting its ink dry as she opened a dresser drawer and fished around in the very bottom and back, finally coming up with a small pouch and a glittering candle. The latter, she lit at the lamp and set aside to let its wax start melting, and from the former she extracted a slim, unremarkable copper disc, the diameter of a penny but a good bit thinner. Folding the letter up just a little more tightly than thirds, allowing a short flap to wrap around, she pressed the disc where her seal would go, then dripped the red wax from the candle onto it, glinting with the flecks of gold and ground crystal embedded in it. She blew out the candle, then on the wax to cool it a bit, but while it was still soft she turned her signet ring around and pressed its engraved symbol into the blob over the disc. Light flared to confirm that the three-piece enchantment had taken hold, and she addressed the outside and put her other accessories away before pulling on her robe and stepping out to find someone to deliver it to the palace. It could now only be safely opened after exposure to a specific, carefully-guarded blend of energies; any other magic, or an attempt to open it physically, would result in the release of the fire-energy stored in the disc, sufficient to incinerate the parchment and probably hurt whoever was holding it at the time.\n\n\tSpotting a black mink novice she’d been reasonably friendly with when she’d shared his classes, packing a broom back into a closet from the sweeping he’d obviously just finished, she offered him the letter and a silver crown, “You look fairly fast and stealthy, Jorrel... Could you run this to the palace for me? Ranks aside, I can’t insist, as you know that dragon’s lurking out there, but if you wear a dark robe you might be able to get through unseen...”\n\n\tThe mustelid blinked and considered for a moment, then nodded, “I’ve always enjoyed a good challenge, and I could certainly use the spending money next restday... Who do I give it to?”\n\n\tEla smiled as she handed him the parchment and coin, “Before that, I need to warn you to be physically careful with this missive, as it’s sealed magically and will burst into flame if it thinks you’re trying to open it... For the rest, just tell the first palace guard you see that you have a message for the mage-relays and they should immediately escort you to the right place. My letter, or at least as accurate a verbal transcription as the on-duty wizards manage, will be in my father’s hands within an hour.”\n\nChapter 13\n\n\tElaria couldn’t help but cast the occasional, nervous glance at the roof line throughout her morning exercises, after news of the recent attack, but she knew, too, that anyone resembling a well-trained Agent probably wouldn’t try the same trick twice. It took an effort to keep from pondering just how the next attempt might manifest, but she knew too that divining that was fundamentally impossible, and she was eventually able to focus on the task at hand, which was going through the fairly low-energy stretches and bends, and the somewhat more vigorous jumps and push-ups, while keeping every major muscle she could actively tensed in keeping with Grallia’s advice on trading bulk for tone.\n\n\tFollowing that regimen meant that her calisthenics burned a good three or four times as much energy as anyone else’s, so she was more than ready for breakfast, her stomach rumbling a protest that she did her best to keep out of her face’s expression as she was intercepted mere yards shy of the dining hall. “A common porter-for-hire arrived with a package for you,” Kechira noted, then smiled slightly, “but it can wait. You do well at looking patient and attentive under the worst of circumstances, but I’m not so old as to be deaf to your belly’s comments. I know, though, that you sent a letter by mage just last night, so whatever it is that’s arrived so promptly is probably important. I’ll have it delivered to your cell while you eat, but do so quickly.”\n\n\tHer belly protesting again, but this time from being filled more rapidly than it liked, Elaria untied the twine that secured the canvas-wrapped bundle and pulled back the top layer, a medium-thick bundle of parchment coming into view, so she opened that, more curious about its contents than the bulky package’s. Another piece of string secured the sheets, and she blinked as she untied it; the outer label did, of course, address it to her, but it was from Dame Julara, not her father.\n\n\tCaptain Elaria, attention to orders, the first sheet in the stack read, and her spine stiffened reflexively even if sitting on the bed was no place to come to attention.\n\n\tEnclosed is a duplicate of your warrant of commission, in case you aren’t keeping your original copy with you at the temple. Also enclosed is a certificate of Unicorn Vale citizenship, as you can be considered to have ‘lived and worked’ here for a contiguous period no less than five years, as was specified among the new laws and statutes that accompanied the normalization of the Vale’s status as one nation among many.\n\n\tI am informed that you’re presently an acolyte of Malia, in residence at Her temple in Gatuque. This status is immediately suspended. You qualified as a citizen of the Vale prior to your membership in the church, and your commission also predates your journey into Drachath. In accordance with these specific points of law and fact, you are hereby notified of the change of your military status from reserve to active duty. Based upon measurements from the gown you left behind, but with adjustments for the physical changes your communications to your father have described (feel free to pad the cups if I overestimated things there and they’re loose), you are being provided with two changes of standard Vale Militia uniform leathers, female variant, with the Elite pin and insignia suitable to your rank.\n\n\tYour orders are the protection by any means necessary of the life of one Ronnel, novice in the temple of Malia in Gatuque. Your obedience to these orders is strictly in your capacity as a citizen and officer of Unicorn Vale and, to clarify the legal and diplomatic issues currently clouding the situation you’ve described, Unicorn Vale has no treaties of any sort with Dengar. We do not formally recognize the status of their official representatives, nor have they deigned to exchange ambassadors with our government, so no citizen, noble, or other representative of that kingdom has been granted diplomatic immunity or any other related protection by our nation.\n\n\tYou are directed to report directly to me upon any serious confrontation involved in the performance of your orders to protect the person of Ronnel. If said confrontation is, in your professional estimation, decisive, you may provisionally consider your mission complete and resume your duties for the temple, contingent upon your prompt reporting and subject to whatever decision is specified in my reply.\n\n\tBy my hand,\n\n\tColonel Dame Julara, commander in chief\n\n\tNew Unicorn Vale Militia\n\n\tBoth of the other documents in the stack bore, at their bottoms, the official seals of the militia and the Vale government as appropriate, the wax glittering to suggest that they were ‘signed’ magically as well and would respond to the appropriate Stones of Validation. Still blinking a bit at the sudden change in her official status, and the loophole in the legalities of the situation it represented, Ela moved to unwrap her new uniforms, only to pause as she realized that something had been tugging at the edge of her awareness for some time now. Leaning closer, she sniffed carefully at the canvas... Most prominent, of course, was the residue of the somewhat sweaty touch of the porter, but under that... The vixen straightened convulsively as she recognized the underlying scent, one that had been intimately familiar to her for nearly a decade; she knew she was grinning like a fool in her empty room, but she felt anything but alone. In all likelihood no one else knew it yet... but she had backup.\n\n\tOne more surprise was still forthcoming as she finally opened the package, though. Between her two neatly-folded uniforms was something like a crossbow, but without the bow, and she sighed happily as her fingers caressed the length of the spellbreaker her father had scavenged from the ambush on his first mission, still permanently stained here and there with the blood of the soldier who’d wielded it. Just let that bitch try her magical tricks; a few shots from this would bring her back down to the world of mere mortals, and the vixen was certain she could deal with any mortal ever born.\n\n* * *\n\n\tKechira looked up from the letter she’d been given to read, eying the changed vixen who stood in her office. Gone was both the naughty-minded teen and the attentive, knowledge-hungry student. Instead, dressed in perfectly-fit leathers with gold-plated bars on each shoulder, a tiny ruby set into the strap that held the insignia on her right, and a polished brass badge clipped to her belt, a soldier faced her, the hilts of two swords peeking out from behind her back and a third’s scabbard hung at her hip as she stood, still save only for breathing and the occasional blink, at attention.\n\n\t“I cannot give you orders,” the priestess mused wryly, then went on more seriously, “but I suggest you find some time to bring this to the attention of the duke, as well. While it cannot change some aspects of the situation, given that it would still be illegal for you, as a foreign citizen visiting the city, to go out and murder another foreigner, it does change other details in ways that our lord should, out of politeness if nothing else, be made aware of.”\n\n\tElaria relaxed to ‘stand easy’ position, grateful for the private lessons in military protocol she’d asked for from a sparring partner shortly after being labeled an honorary sergeant, and noted, “You’re technically right, but you still hold authority over the one I’ve been assigned to guard. I’m obligated, thus, to coordinate with you, as you’re free to insist on my charge’s behavior in ways that amount to veto power over any plans I may have made independently. The arrival of those orders, in any case, canceled my plans for attending a Kathallic sermon tomorrow, probably with a holiday sacrifice involved, and the more intimate celebration with other members of that faith I was going to try getting leave for, the next evening, because I’ll be turning sixteen then. I judge my friend’s life far more important than either of those rather self-indulgent activities, though, so I’ll instead be accompanying him through his own lessons and duties, helping where I can but staying in the background when that’s preferable.”\n\n\tThis fetched a nod and an inquiry, “And what of the spellbreaker you were sent?”\n\n\t“It’s presently being fitted with a baldric-like strap, being among the bulkier configurations for that sort of device. I’ll be giving it to Ronnel himself, with instructions for its use, once he can comfortably carry it on his back. Anyone attempting, alone, to nullify this Inquisitor’s magic will, I suspect, be physically neutralized while doing so, while anyone attacking her directly will be quickly felled by her magic. Only by working together do I see a real chance of defeating this enemy, and we still have the complication that we must allow her to act first, legally. Given my current intent to actively guard Rollen, do you think I should leave him behind for your suggested trip to the palace, bring him with me, or simply conduct business by messenger?”\n\n\tKechira frowned in thought, “We’ve been having more messengers than usual coming and going... and I’m sure our enemy has noticed. It can’t be long before she tries intercepting one. Here in the temple, no matter how good you are, we’ve got so many eyes and blades that I don’t think it would make a difference whether you were here or not if an attack came, but remember your own point about solo versus team efforts. You’d be in as much danger as any other messenger if you went to meet the duke alone. As nervous as it makes me to let him leave these walls, I really think you’d be safer with Ronnel in your company.”\n\n\tGlancing down for a moment, Elaria’s voice conveyed just a hint of discomfort as she noted, “I do, actually, have a way to make that sort of trip, um... significantly safer, though I dare not voice a hint of the specifics involved, as there’s a good chance that bitch’s toys include one for listening through walls. I must, however, ask your permission as high priestess to pray to a dark Goddess under your roof. A brief message or two, passed by Kathalla, will be necessary to coordinate things.”\n\n\tThe feline tilted her head curiously as she thought her way through a memory those words brought to mind, that she’d barely paid attention to at the time, “Devin... the acolyte you first met the day you applied, he said something interesting. I was lurking nearby while Brettan discussed the divinely-mandated change in the youngster’s duties, just in case he ended up reacting badly enough to throw him out entirely, but what I’m remembering now is the theological near-crisis the fellow was having over the various mortal incarnations he saw all calling each other ‘sister.’ Combined with a few other bits and pieces that have come to my attention in recent years as leader here, I’m given to believe that Kathalla’s definition as a ‘dark’ Goddess is more a technicality than anything else these days, and that my own Lady doesn’t actually dislike Her. Between that and your own legitimate status as the Fanged One’s priestess, I find nothing inappropriate about you praying to Her, particularly if you think it can have a direct, positive effect on your safety or your friend’s.”\n\n\tEla nodded once, smiling, “Thank you. I’ll do just that on my way down the hall to collect Ronnel, or just to guard him if any delays crop up. By your leave, ma’am?” The priestess just smiled back and waved her on, so the vixen stepped out into the hall, closed the office door, and muttered simply, “Kathalla...”\n\n\t*I’m here, and paying attention to your thoughts, and you’re right... You needn’t speak aloud to converse with Me.*\n\n\tNodding mostly to herself, the captain asked mentally, ‘Is my shadow near enough, and in a convenient situation, to tag discreetly along on short notice?’\n\n\tThis fetched a low, hearty chuckle in reply, *Yes to both, and he’s currently having a great deal of fun. This is like old times to him, and a break from the often-boring duties of his present station. Don’t you worry yourself any; you just make the trip you’re planning, and if he’s needed he’ll be there. Incidentally, he’s pleased that you realized that he’s here, as he’d guessed no more than an even chance of your somehow reasoning it out.*\n\n\tGrinning to the empty air, Ela nodded and thought, ‘I’m not about to forget his scent, faint though it was on the canvas of that parcel... In any case, I thank you, my Goddess, for serving as a secure means of communication in a sticky situation. I’m glad he’s enjoying himself, and just knowing that he’s in the same city has been an immense comfort to me all morning.’\n\n* * *\n\n\tTemple Row was close to the palace, but there were still two blocks of the houses of the wealthy and a segment of the ring of public parks and gardens that surrounded the castle itself to get through on the way there. Going by the alleys between the houses, the trip would be less than half a mile; both Ronnel and his bodyguard, though, agreed that there’d probably be more safety in crowds, so they went a bit out of the way, following the actual streets.\n\n\tCrowds, though, were hard to find; the Row itself had a reasonable amount of foot traffic, but the rich preferred not to be disturbed and it showed as the vulpine pair turned onto the broad avenue between two walled estates, the only pedestrians on that route and growing steadily more alone with each step they took from the Row’s population. “I don’t like this,” Ronnel muttered.\n\n\t“Neither do I,” Elaria admitted, “but I haven’t sensed any ill-wishers watching... She might not have been there to see us leave.”\n\n\tThe fox nodded, “I certainly hope—”\n\n\tHis words were cut off by the buffet of wings’ downdraft as a dark shape flew directly over the pair, and the dragoness landed easily a few yards in front of them, no other citizens or guards visible close enough to realize that the grouping might be anything but friendly. Stifling a yelp, Ronnel still reacted with a fighter’s reflexes, yanking the spellbreaker off his back, taking aim, and squeezing the trigger.\n\n\tThe dragoness simply smirked as she stood there, thumbs tucked into her belt where her fingers had easy access to its stones’ enchantments, “The vixen was right, little man, in that I could listen in on her meetings... and the same soul-shroud that lets me lie with impunity also blocks her ability to sense me. Your high priestess should never have asked about the spellbreaker... I was able to kill its enchantment from a distance rather easily, instead of relying on the shield I also have against such, which may or may not have lasted as long as your toy’s charge...”\n\n\tEla calmly drew her good sword, unclipping its scabbard from her belt and letting it fall to the cobblestones so it wouldn’t get in her way in a fight, even as she asked conversationally, “And how many charges do your bracelets have? Cold steel, unlike magic, doesn’t run out...”\n\n\tOne finger shifted slightly on that bejeweled belt, nearing but not yet touching another stone, “Your steel wouldn’t be cold for long, Roxanite slut, so I suggest you put it away... That is a very, very nice sword, and it would annoy me to have to melt it out of your hands. It would make a far better trophy for my wall... Hmm, I might even consider trading you your life for it, once I’ve dealt with this murdering nobody you so foolishly think you can protect.” Her hand suddenly jerked away from her belt, and she stared at one of her rings, glowing faintly even in the bright summer sun, “Stealth?!?” Both hands flew wide, her bracelet-jewels flaring as she spun in place, eyes probing...\n\n\tAt the distance she’d landed from them, the wave of motion-magic merely nudged Ela and Ron firmly, each reflexively planting a foot behind them to brace against it. Close as it was, though, the pressure had no visible effect on the distorting blur in the air that had separated itself from an alley and drawn near from behind. Only when she’d slapped a hand to a large, polished agate pendant on her chest and concentrated did that blur fade, resolving into the shape of a very large, very muscular wolf in workman’s clothes, a four-foot bastard sword’s point less than two feet from where her back had been the moment before.\n\n\t“I don’t think I’d like it very much if you killed either my daughter or my potential son-in-law,” Sir Ferrl commented casually.\n\n\tEyes widening, the Inquisitor grabbed for her belt again, fingers playing over the stones and angry-looking energies in several hues launching themselves at the newcomer, but none got within a foot of him. She focused on his sword, asking her Firestone for heat, but it had barely started to glow a dull red before he caught and absorbed that energy, beyond the reach of his established shields, with an act of will.\n\n\tOther than her jewelry, the dragon wore a short skirt, a loose blouse, and a cape that draped as far down as her skirt did, slit to let her wings through. It was behind the latter that she reached next, yanking out a small tube and thumbing a crystal set into it, a sharp crack ringing out an instant later as something shot out of it only to shatter against the wall of force the wolf was projecting from the hand he’d raised just as quickly.\n\n\t“You seem to be running out of tricks, bitch,” Elaria snarled from behind her, firming her grip on her sword and taking a step forward.\n\n\tThe head on that sinuous neck whipped around to glare at her, then back to the closer threat of the huge wolf, and the next instant she was sprinting to one side, wings spreading and coming down hard as she all but clawed her way into the air. The earl’s hand rose again and, though no visible magic emerged, the fleeing dragoness was suddenly surrounded in a coruscating bubble of crackling purple energy, bright but already fading as it failed under the mystic assault. That very attack, though, was also weakening with range, and the Inquisitor’s frantically-pumping wings were doing much to increase that.\n\n\tFerrl’s expression scrunched into a snarl as he gathered his strength and concentrated, his fist closing and making a yanking motion even as the fleeing figure cleared some trees and dipped down behind their shelter. “Got it,” he rumbled, turning back to his daughter and holding out his hand even as he slipped his sword into the sheath across his back with the other. There, resting in his palm, was a single, shining black scale, and he explained at two sets of confused blinks, “Things that block magical trackers are harder to build than the tracker itself, and I haven’t had enough time yet... but I did still have the tracker I’d built as part of my studies, and with this we can use it to find her.”\n\n\tSheathing her sword, having picked its scabbard back up a moment before, Elaria smiled and turned to her friend, “Ronnel? I’d like you to meet my father, Earl Gatuque, also known as Sir Ferrl, a retired Agent of this kingdom. I didn’t ask him to come, but I’m very glad he did... As you can see, sometimes it takes one Agent to defeat another.”\n\n\tThe fox nodded, his muzzle tense, “Too well informed that one was of our plans, and counter our strengths she did, before we’d even met!” Slinging the useless spellbreaker across his back, he took one step forward and pressed his hands together in front of him, bowing over them, “My thanks, noble sir, for your timely rescue, and my appreciation to finally meet he who raised such a remarkable daughter. Feelings for her, I must tell you I have, but honorable my intentions are.”\n\n\t“Oh, don’t worry about that,” the earl snorted, waving one hand dismissively. “She makes her own decisions who to befriend or sleep with, and if they’re bad choices, those’re hers to deal with too. Now,” and he started walking down the street, gesturing for them both to follow, “let’s finish this little journey you started on. We may have driven that dragon off, but she’s not truly defeated yet... I got a good look at everything while I was sneaking up, both her magical toys and her magic. You see, she’s a mage herself, though not a particularly good one. Several of the devices she uses are well beyond her own ability to create but, given enough time, she can recharge them. Her attacks against me and that last defensive shield drained a lot of them, some completely, but within a few days she’ll be a force to be reckoned with again.”\n\n\tChuckling, Elaria noted to her companion, “One of the titles of his I didn’t mention is ‘master-rank mage.’ That bitch of an Inquisitor may have used toys and tricks to multiply her options far beyond her native ability, but my daddy here doesn’t need tricks.”\n\n\tThis earned one more nod from Ronnel, “Nervous, magic made me when against me it was arrayed... but... remarkably comforting, it is to have on our side the better mage!”\n\nChapter 14\n\n\t“I’m glad you all decided to come and see me,” the duke began as they all settled into seats in his private office, the mink having abandoned his morning court the moment their arrival was announced. “There’ve been some additional... complications, since last you and I spoke, Princess, and I’m also pleased to meet both the young man in question and renew my acquaintance with your noble father.”\n\n\tFerrl smiled, “As I’ve been since we first started exchanging letters, I’m once again pleased to speak with you under better circumstances than our very first meeting... That aside, my daughter has kept me informed in summary in her letters, and I’m as curious as she looks to be about these new developments, so let’s get those on the table first in case they have a direct bearing on what we’d already meant to discuss.”\n\n\tThe lord nodded, and explained, “Two events occurred at different times on the same day, both reported immediately to Rajai then passed along once the information was collated by an official who’d gotten my report that the Inquisitor had found her quarry in Gatuque... First, a routine check of the various magical tools assigned to any official border post showed that their spirit-magic detector had been nullified, and the only time it had seen use since the last check was when that dragoness swore an oath in Tarragh’s name in order to establish her identity and reason for entry. Now, my own lie-sensing enchantments didn’t have any problem with her status as a Grand Inquisitor, but did show her basic lack of legal support for a formal murder charge, so I’m guessing that one of her tools includes an on-demand spirit shroud to let her lie in cases like that, and she canceled the stone to get away with it.”\n\n\tRonnel thumbed the stock of the spellbreaker sticking over his shoulder, grimacing, “The same she did to this; anti-magic, we know she has.”\n\n\tThis fetched a second nod from the mink, “True, but that’s not really the issue here. What’s important, from an inter-governmental perspective, is that she lied to gain entry to the kingdom and, at least initially, cooperation from its officials. In terms of international protocol and relations, that’s something one just doesn’t do, and means a lot more than the specifics of her gadgets. Any hope she has of our help in her claimed quest, though, is rather neatly dashed by the second piece of news, reported by a traveler later that same day, which is much... nastier. There’s a farm not far off the highway between Rajai and the border... yes, Ronnel? You look... stricken.”\n\n\tThe fox looked almost frightened, his voice quiet as he answered, “Stop at that farm, I did... A pot of beans and pork I’d stolen from soldiers hunting me, and with those farmers I traded the dish for clothes after sustained on my journey I was by the meal.”\n\n\tThe duke could only shake his head in sympathy, “I know it’s hard, son, damned hard... but try not to blame yourself for what you’re about to hear. You were doing what you must, what any man would, when faced with an unlivable situation; the evil that resulted is entirely the Inquisitor’s, not yours.” He waited for a moment, his gaze hard, until he’d extracted a reluctant nod from his visitor, then continued, “A soldier with a fast horse investigated the farm after the rather fragmentary report of the traveler... The farmer, his wife, and their three children were found in their beds with their throats cut, most likely by a claw given the specifics of the wounds. Only the landowner’s bedclothes were in any disarray, suggesting that the rest of the family had been silenced, first magically and then permanently, while he was left unrestrained so he could be questioned.” He glanced over to Elaria, “I hate to ask this of you... but you’re going to have to inform Dame Grallia. The farmer was her brother, Haritor, we found when checking the property’s listed next-of-kin.”\n\n\t“Shit,” the vixen muttered with a wince. “She’s going to want revenge, the legalities be damned; you told me yourself how Maliite knights treat this sort of thing!”\n\n\tThe lord nodded again, “I know, and it wouldn’t be fair to her to just ‘forget’ to tell her until the situation changed. Still, the diplomatic issues’ resolution will be expedited by our recent findings, given the clarity with which they reveal the Inquisitor’s ill intent. Her entering the kingdom under false pretenses, outright lying to the border guards to do so, puts the situation on an entirely different diplomatic footing than it had been. If her government doesn’t immediately disavow her actions and suspend her legal protections, this could very well mean war over the mockery she’s made of the politeness and respect two kingdoms’ representatives are supposed to show one another. Taken as a whole, her actions here cannot be anything but an embarrassment to the nation she’s supposed to represent, so I’m certain they’ll fold quickly, but even the fastest such diplomatic resolution will take anywhere from two to four days, possibly with one added on as tomorrow’s a restday.”\n\n\tSir Ferrl mused softly, even ominously, “The sister you spoke of won’t wait that long... Another Maliite knight, Dame Julara, is a close personal friend of mine. If someone told her that her brother had been murdered, much less his entire family, and his killer was in the same city, she’d grab the nearest blade and go hunting, not even pausing for clothes if she happened to be out of them.”\n\n\tElaria frowned, looking nearly as unhappy as Ronnel had moments earlier, “We just fought that murdering bitch, and saw some hint of the resources she can call on... Alone, my teacher would wind up as dead as her kin in short order! That would be... such a waste... I can see only one positive, honorable way out of this entire tangle,” and this earned her several surprised blinks, as no one else, obviously, could think of a solution, and she looked up with a hint of amusement in her expression, “but it’s going to involve my tacitly telling a duke what to do.”\n\n\tThe noble in question snorted, “Then by all means, do so! If you’ve got a way out of this mess, tell me so I can stop pummeling my brain trying to find it myself!”\n\n\tThe vixen blinked, chuckled, and shook herself, finally touching the badge at her waist, “I’m wearing this uniform for a very specific reason... You see, I’m not here as an acolyte of Malia, or even as Princess Gatuque. I’m here as Captain Elaria of the New Vale Militia Elite, a point which, had your functionaries realized it, meant that I really shouldn’t, strictly speaking, have been let into your presence still wearing my swords. Foreign military officers don’t get the same privileges as local nobles, after all... Still, you’ve got someone who you know committed murder in this kingdom, along with sundry lesser crimes, but who is, for the moment, protected by diplomatic immunity. The solution I propose, then, is for you to ask a military officer of a sovereign nation with no diplomatic ties or treaties to Dengar to look into it. If you will provide the appropriate documentation of crime and sentence, and assign me as executor for the court, I can legally track down and kill this bitch!”\n\n\tThe duke’s eyes widened, then narrowed as he considered the possibilities her points offered... then he reached for one of the enchanted stones on his desk, “Toraden.”\n\n\t“Yes, milord?” a voice replied from thin air.\n\n\t“I need a warrant, fast, for the capture of that dragoness Inquisitor, by description as she never gave us her name, dead or alive. Now this is the tricky bit... it needs to be worded to assign capturing authority to a foreign military officer, specifically one Captain Elaria of Unicorn Vale, who’s coincidentally Princess Gatuque of the earldom for purposes of spelling and description though the document should make no mention of that, despite the suspect’s crimes being committed in our kingdom rather than our ally’s own. Can you manage that?”\n\n\tThere was a brief pause as whoever was on the other end of the link thought, then an enthusiastic reply, “Yes, sir! I’ll need to look up one or two references for a wording that’d stand up in both Drachathian and Dengarian courts, but I should have it for you in twenty minutes, thirty at the outside. Also, I’ve got the initial report from the border crossing sitting in front of me; the name she gave there was Talaya, though out of simple courtesy she should have given it to you, too.”\n\n\tThe old mink nodded to himself as he leaned back in his seat, then noted to the leather-armored vixen, “Please note the phrasing I used, in that this is only a justification for you to arrest the Inquisitor if you can manage to do so. Actual execution is a matter for the courts, though we’ll almost certainly be able to try her here rather than extradite her, once she’s been formally disavowed.” His lips twitched upwards at her quickly-hidden pout, “Now, now, I didn’t forbid you to kill her, only to try to capture her first. ‘Resisting arrest’ is still a justification for force in all three kingdoms involved in this little scheme, and you certainly have the right to defend yourself or anyone else she might try to harm. If she surrenders, or if you can subdue her without great harm to her or risk to anyone else, then please do so, but if she’s as stubborn as we all suspect she can be, and leaves you no other choice... yes, you can kill that bitch, and I wish you enjoyment along the way.”\n\n\tElaria gave him a sharp, satisfied nod, “Good... You have my oaths as princess, priestess, and an officer that I’ll try to get her intact, but if she gives me too much trouble, I intend to give dear Grallia the news of her relatives’ deaths at the same time I present her with the head of their killer.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tLunch was shared with Harlen and his family at Gatuque house, along with the revelation that Ferrl was already based there, having arrived by inter-duchy gate just before dawn, stashing most of what he’d brought in the manor to free him to hire the porter that had delivered Ela’s parcel, then lurk about, as circumstance required, either concealed magically or impersonating a common worker. After the meal, the wolf retreated briefly to the master bedroom, then joined his daughter and her friend in the sitting room, holding a rather odd device. “This,” he told them, holding up a flat, square wooden box with several crystals visible, “is the tracker I made, a bit cruder than most as it was only for practice, but it should work... I’ve already given it that scale as a sample and charged its power pool, and you can see right now that the central crystal is glowing faintly. That one indicates proximity; the brighter it is, the closer the person you’re hunting. The smaller ones around it... those are for following the line of where someone’s been, since they only light up when you actually cross an old path. The brightest glow represents the most recent path they’ve taken, so you should start checking it near the street we met her on. She flew, as I recall, to the southwest, toward the nearest city wall to that fairly central point. You’ll probably want to start past the trees we saw her duck behind, and work from there. I don’t think she’ll suspect that we have such a device, as my mage-duel with her revealed only that I’m powerful; I didn’t use any outright second-tier techniques at that time.”\n\n\tRonnel shook his head, pointing out, “Take a piece of her you did, though, and familiar she is with a need for such. Could not a missing scale suspicions arouse?”\n\n\tThis gave the former agent pause, and he shrugged a moment later, “We can’t know... Her calf can’t be feeling good after I managed to grab it hard enough to take a piece, and the nature of the damage is consistent with a last-ditch effort to penetrate a shield at range, because that’s what it was. I guess it’ll depend on whether she thinks I was breaking through her defenses for a specific reason, or with the relatively simple intent to hurt her, instead. If she does suspect, though, I’m not sure just what she can do about it; these trackers are fiendishly subtle and complex in their operation, taking advantage of the relationship anything that once was one item has with any removed parts of itself, but it’s not remotely related to souls so her spirit-shroud can’t block it.”\n\n\tBoth young foxes pondered that, Ron shrugging first, “An unknowable, it is, so proceed on our own we should.” Gesturing at the spellbreaker on the low table between them, “Asked for that, you did... rep—I assume you plan to repair it?”\n\n\tFerrl nodded, “It’s the physical construction of these things that takes the longest, needing a somewhat unusual arrangement of several different types of crystal. I’ll need to replace the active components of their spell matrices and, of course, recharge the power pools, but give me twenty or thirty minutes and this old enchantment will be back in action... with just a few slight changes.” He fixed his possible in-law with a firm gaze, “I’m going to widen its projection, for one. Originally, this fired a simple line, and you had to be as precise with it as with a real crossbow in some ways. That’s only good for countering one or a small number of her closely-packed enchantments at a time, though... I’m going to be converting it to the ‘wide-aperture’ style used by this kingdom’s constables to ruin everything she’s got at once, but that power comes at a price. It will be projecting so vigorously that its power pool will be exhausted after five, maybe six seconds of continual use, and you’ll need to bathe her body in its emissions for at least one full second to be sure of getting everything... assuming she doesn’t have that anti-spellbreaker shield she mentioned up and running again. So you’ll have to be accurate, as you’ll only have a few shots at best, but you must act with confidence and speed, too. You can’t afford to worry about missing and wasting the power, because any hesitation gives her a chance to kill you, with far more varieties of ‘weapon’ than if she’d have if you shot first.”\n\n\t“On the subject of weapons,” Elaria mused to her friend even as he nodded at her father’s advice, “I think she shares the same fondness for knives that the fellow who wanted to rape you does. I’ve only seen her twice, but there can’t be room for any sort of real sword or bludgeon under that cape of hers. Knives at the small of her back, and possibly more in her boots; that’s all I think she can carry in her chosen outfit. She has those poisoned throwing-stars, too, but they could be concealed just about anywhere her own motions wouldn’t get her poked by them.”\n\n\tThe knight across from them snorted, “That would be an ironic ending to this whole fiasco, now wouldn’t it? Killed by bending the wrong way...”\n\n\tRonnel surprised himself with a laugh, then blinked, looking abashed.\n\n\tEla shook her head to him with a smile, “Try not to feel like a little levity’s out of place in a serious situation... Throughout our various adventures, Daddy and I have found that keeping things as positive and light-hearted as possible is really the best way to go. If you let the seriousness of the situation depress you, you’ll never be at your best, and could lose as a result.”\n\n\tThis earned a second blink, then a slow nod from the fox, “I... think I see, if not in the way I think you mean. Inquisitors, in my land, feared are. Know we all do that when questions they ask, answers they get, and answers they dislike will be punished. Simply to have one’s gaze fall upon you and over you pass, a narrow escape is considered. What better way, then, to fight them than with happiness, with humor, with fun? If nothing else, fluster her into mistakes we might, if ‘taking her seriously’ we seem not to be and an issue her ego becomes.”\n\n\tFerrl nodded encouragingly as he stood and stretched, “That’s the spirit...” He picked the spellbreaker up off the table, “Now, I’m going to need to concentrate to get this fixed and changed in a short time, so you two find some way to occupy yourselves for just a bit, then you can go hunting,” and padded out of the sitting room, pulling the sliding door closed on his way out.\n\n\tVixen and fox exchanged a glance, the former bemused and the latter a bit nervous, at the implication of how the knight expected them to spend a free moment. “As soon as this is over,” Elaria mused, to break the somewhat awkward silence if nothing else, “I will be dragging you off and fulfilling the teasing promises I’ve been making to you and to myself for so long... For now, though, perhaps we should just... talk about it.” His nod and increasing comfort with the situation were immediately interrupted by her first question, “Are you a virgin?”\n\n\t“No!” he exclaimed with a hard shake of his head, then paused, realizing how emphatic that had sounded... His voice was a bit strained, though a tense composure had returned to his features at least, “Apologize I must... it’s just that the third woman you are, to ask me that because immediately into her skirts I didn’t try to get. Twenty years old I am, and embarrassing it would be, for a fox especially, to be that long innocent.”\n\n\tThe princess smiled, “I didn’t mean to tease you or make you uncomfortable, but I really did have to ask. Anyway, you seemed to like the breasts I showed you, so at least you’re not like... another friend of mine.” The door may have been closed, but she couldn’t be sure that none of the servants or Harlen’s family were in earshot. “Also, I’m now remembering your comment that implied two hours wasn’t enough time to do it right... On the subject of experience, I suppose I should fill in one detail I neglected; I was specifically a pleasure slave, in my childhood. That’s what I was when Daddy bought me, but he was only seventeen at the time, himself, and had only had a few of the local whores in a kingdom without slaves. I had to seduce him, that first morning, to convince him that it really was alright and what I wanted.”\n\n\tRonnel shook his head in mild wonder, “And tired or disgusted with the concept, you are not... The truest sort of vixen, you are.”\n\n\tThis fetched a hearty giggle, “I suppose... It’s just something I enjoy, a lot, like swordplay or learning. Just like our little duet at the temple, though, it’s something I find a lot more fun to do with a partner than alone.”\n\n\tThe novice chuckled in reply, then mused, “Experiment I did, as all tend to when puberty strikes, and quickly word passed that bigger than most boys my age I was, thanks to my grandmother... and respectful my mother raised me to be, so as serious things became, my best I did to see to the girls’ pleasure as well. Still... fifteen I was when their favor jealous made the other young men, so to defend myself I started to study. Fascinating in its own way, this was, the play of balance, angle, and force, but to hurt anyone I did not want, so my attention I shifted, from the girls to my practice and my farm work. Less cause to fight me, the others had, and I seemed to always win in ways they understood not, so soon both men and women left me alone. The joys of meditation, by that time I had found, so mind I did not, simply living my life and doing my work, until an interest that Inquisitor took, and from there my story you know.”\n\n\tElaria leaned closer to wrap one of her arms around his and cuddle up against it, her cheek resting on his shoulder as she murred, “Good... I’m glad I actually waited to get to know you before having sex, since you’re a strong and interesting person in your own right, but I certainly look forward to the next level of our relationship. Between size and the... consideration you’ve admitted to, I anticipate that you’ll be a very satisfying lover.”\n\n\tHer friend chuckled, planting a brief kiss on her forehead, “And now that I know better the basis and depth of your own... enthusiasm, be surprised not if the next time we spar, down your breeches you find my hand!” and he winked.\n\n\tEla turned her head and leaned up to plant a light kiss of her own, right on his lips, before murmuring, “You’re right, I’d certainly enjoy that. Remember that it’s only the propriety of the setting and any company we might have that limits where and how you’re allowed to touch me. Unless I’m in season and avoiding foxes, because I’m not ready to be a mother yet and my mother’s only twenty-five as a side-effect of my adoption, and would freak out at being a grandma at her age, permission is one thing my friends never have to ask for.”\n\n\tSlipping an arm around her shoulders, Ronnel pulled her just a little closer while his free hand came around to cup and gently squeeze one of her breasts through her armor, and he couldn’t help but smile at the happy sigh this elicited... though he let go quickly enough at a knock at the door.\n\n\t“Are you two decent?” her father’s voice called in an amused tone.\n\n\tGiggling after a glance shared with her friend over the irony of the interruption’s timing, Elaria sat up a bit straighter but didn’t pull away as she called back, “Yes, Daddy! We just talked!”\n\n\tThe earl was nodding as he opened the door and stepped in, carrying the spellbreaker. “That Inquisitor’s enchantment-killer seems to be second rate,” he noted, holding the artifact up. “This one’s matrices were only weakened, enough not to work of course, but I was able to restore them much more easily than I’d anticipated, after which it was just a matter of altering their focus and power-flow rate then recharging the pool. We can go hunting as soon as you’re ready... As the Drachathian ambassador, Ela, I can’t represent any country but my own; I’m even exempt from the citizenship you and your mother have both gained by living in the Vale long enough, and your siblings were born with. Because of this, the hunt’s still mainly yours, and I’ll only be lurking nearby in case of outright disaster.”\n\n\tHis princess nodded solemnly, “Still... on the subject of moods and such we raised with Ronnel, just knowing you’re there does a great deal to keep me from getting nervous or indecisive, so you’re still helping in a way that can make a real difference, and I appreciate it deeply, Daddy.”\n\nChapter 15\n\n\tBetween the steadily-brightening glow of the proximity crystal and occasional flashes of the directional ones as they drew nearer and crossed one of the dragoness’ old paths, Ela’s party narrowed things down to a mostly-residential, middle-class neighborhood favored by reasonably successful artisans and shopkeepers who were doing well enough live somewhere other than their own shops. A few passes through streets that probably wouldn’t take them too near their quarry further suggested that she was in the east end of the district, probably in one of the city’s better inns that an old manor house had been converted into.\n\n\tRather than rush in for a confrontation, Elaria instead stepped, alone, into the the district’s guard station. Glancing around to identify the officer of the shift, she padded straight up to his desk and set her badge down on it. “I require your assistance, sir,” she told him, politely but firmly. “My name is Captain Elaria of the New Vale Militia Elite, and I hold a warrant for the arrest of a foreign national in this district, placed in my hands by your duke. The suspect enjoys diplomatic immunity with Drachath, but I’m here as a representative of Unicorn Vale, with which her kingdom enjoys no treaties or other formal recognition. That immunity has already been trimmed back by your liege, so it’s legal to defend yourself or your fellow citizens from any attempt to harm them she might make, and I ask for your assistance in that regard, to make sure she doesn’t do any major damage while I’m attempting to serve the warrant.”\n\n\tThe tiger across from her blinked, glanced between her shoulder-bars and the badge on his desk, then nodded and reached for the document she was offering, calling over to another guard, “Sergeant! We don’t have anyone in the holding cell today, so get the usual watchers there off their lazy butts to start gathering the detachment. Just from the major posts, mind you, and leave each one’s senior guard in place, but I want the extras gathered here as soon as possible,” before opening the warrant to read its specifics.\n\n\t“Yes, sir!” the soldier agreed with a quick salute, then stepped deeper into the station to carry out his orders.\n\n\tThe officer, a senior lieutenant by his shoulder insignia, finished his examination of the parchment and nodded as he passed it back, “Dresten’s my name, ma’am, and I’d be happy to help even if you didn’t outrank me and have my lord’s support. The charges listed... aren’t something I want to think about too closely; this job gives me enough nightmares as it is. Still, I agree that it’s worth some caution, in trying to apprehend someone who could casually murder a bunch of simple farmers. I’m assuming you know where the suspect’s hiding, Captain?”\n\n\tEla nodded, “Unless she’s moved in the last ten minutes, she’s holed up at the Foam and Featherbed. I’ve got a magical tracker that’s been used to narrow things down that far, and I’ll use it again once we’re closer, and issue my arrest demand from outside, standing by whichever windows she’s nearest. In case you missed it in the warrant, though, she’s a dragoness, so I’m hoping she doesn’t simply flee... If I can face her, woman to woman, for even a moment, I’ll try to disable her wings, at which point your detachment surrounding the building will be far more effective.”\n\n\tThis warranted a nod and a faint smile, “You seem a bit young for your rank, Captain, but you have a good head on your shoulders, both from the specifics of your plan and the fact that you had the sense to ask for help, first, rather than just rushing in to see her tail vanishing through a window. It’ll take ten or fifteen minutes to gather my troops; you’re welcome to relax here in the meantime.”\n\n\tThe vixen started to nod back, then paused... “Actually, there are a few details I really should nail down first. Do you have anyone in plain clothes who could, discreetly, carry my tracker around the inn to determine which part the suspect’s closest to, and a place near the inn but not in view of it where your soldiers and I can gather and discuss deployment orders? This isn’t so much a matter of scaring her into flight, this time, as it is one of basic safety... This dragon, you see, is in possession of a variety of dangerous magic items. A confrontation with her an hour or two ago resulted in most of them being drained, but she’s had enough time now to consolidate her remaining resources, and I don’t want to give her any more time than absolutely necessary to shift her defenses to a specific threat. I have a comrade waiting just outside with a spellbreaker that can probably nullify whatever magic she still retains, but not if she spots him first and feeds some of her remaining power into a device that specifically shields against such.”\n\n\t“Still more good, sound ideas,” Dresten mused around a grin, then thought for a moment... “The sergeant who’s off gathering my forces is who I’d normally send, but I do keep a set of regular clothing in my locker just in case I need to nose around. Give me a minute to change into it, and an explanation of how your tracker works and what I need to watch for, and I’ll handle that part of your plan myself, and gladly. This neighborhood isn’t considered a high-risk duty post, normally, but I do worry about the safety of my men, and I’ll take any reasonable precaution to ensure it those rare times when real danger threatens.”\n\n\tEla smiled and snatched his hand up in the armclasp of warriors, “To return your compliment about my planning... good man, Lieutenant. Good man. Any officer who doesn’t see his troops as being in any way expendable is one I can work with.”\n\n* * *\n\n\tElaria glanced up and swallowed the last bite of her meatroll as the tiger stepped into the small restaurant, crowded with men in chain armor and occasional bits of plate, where she’d bought whoever wanted one a snack to get the owners to let ‘her’ troops gather where they wouldn’t attract enough notice to warn Talaya. “What’s the word, Lieutenant?” she asked politely.\n\n\tDresten snapped off a quick salute before reporting, “The tracker doesn’t report altitude... but unless she’s in the storeroom, she’d be on the second floor in one of the better rooms. It’s at the corner of the rear and the right side from the perspective of facing the front door from outside, has two windows, both closed, and it’s right next to the back staircase.”\n\n\tThe vixen nodded, then gestured Ronnel over, “Let’s see the map...” The standard Vale Militia uniform lacked pockets, instead using its belt to support whatever bags or pouches were needed, so the fox was carrying a few useful things for her, beyond the spellbreaker. She moved aside the mug of small beer she’d washed down her own snack with and smoothed out the parchment that depicted the neighborhood in clear detail, pointing at the lines of the inn, “From its former life as a manor house, it’s got a hedge with four entrances... and one’s just around the corner and down the street from us. I’d like you to send half the detachment the long way ‘round, though, to come through this other entrance, both being closest to the room in question. It’s an average-sized block, so at a jog it should take them just over a minute to get around and as close to it as we are now... so let’s split up on the street, send them off, count off sixty seconds, then charge the other break in the hedge ourselves. Once on the grounds, I want your men to spread out evenly, but keep their distance from the building itself. I’ll make the approach, and Ronnel here will be staying mostly out of sight, peeking around or through the hedge to await my signal for the use of the spellbreaker. It’ll work through walls, plants, or anything else for the range we’ll need it. Oh, and if a very large male wolf seems to be interfering, don’t stop him; he’s my emergency backup, and a damned good wizard besides, and’ll only poke his nose in if he senses something serious that we can’t stop.”\n\n\t“A sound strategy, ma’am,” the lieutenant agreed, then addressed his men, “Teams two and four, you’ve got a bit of a run. West around the block and through that end of the hedge at the Foam and Featherbed, then backs to the bushes. One and three, you’re with me; we’ll go in from the north, same drill, exactly one minute after two and four. Fall out and form up; we deploy on the captain’s signal.”\n\n\tEla took a moment to quietly note to her fox, “Speaking of signals, you’ll have two to watch for... If that bitch shows her black, scaly face, hose it down the instant you spot her. Otherwise, watch for a hand behind my back; if I point in a direction, it means I think she’s behind the corresponding window and you should shoot that with a bit of a back-and-forth to cover everything, but if I shake my fist up and down it means I don’t know but I want you to shoot anyway, covering the whole room and hoping that what exposure her gear takes is enough.”\n\n\t“Just... careful you be,” Ronnel murmured back with a nod. “Of risk yours is greatest, and care for you I do.”\n\n\tThe princess gave him a wan smile, then a quick kiss on the lips before following the other soldiers out, addressing their officer, “One last thing, Dresten... You keep and watch the tracker; if the central crystal starts to fade, that means she’s making a break through the inn’s main halls. That would be your cue to redeploy to cover the front door, as that’s the only other exit short of breaking into another guest’s room and jumping out the window.” At his grim nod, she turned to the group that’d be going around the block, “Teams two and four, deploy! One and three, follow me when I move!” and started silently counting seconds as half the detachment started down the street at a jingling jog.\n\n\tCity guards were a far cry from the Vale’s Elite as military units went, but their training and coordination certainly sufficed for this simple a maneuver; just as Ela led the charge through one break in the hedges surrounding the inn, she could see the other teams spreading out through the other. Her ears told her that her squad was doing the same, so she kept going at a jog, halting a few yards from the corner of the building where she could see both windows and yelling, “Talaya! The building is surrounded, and I’m placing you under arrest on the charges of five counts of murder and one of giving false testimony to an official for purposes of entering the kingdom! I have a warrant for your capture, dead or alive, so surrender now if you’d prefer the latter!” She drew the paired swords from over her shoulders as she spoke, the only weapons she’d brought this time, and couldn’t help but smile to herself as the troops behind her took that as a signal to draw their own weapons, the hiss of steel against leather and brass scabbard-trim seeming loud in the quiet following her demand.\n\n\tAnother moment of silence followed, before a mocking voice came back, louder than expected and seemingly from both windows at once; Ela suspected a bit of magic in those details... “Arrest? You sound like that slut I met earlier this morning, and you confirm my observation that you’ve got more guts than brains... I have diplomatic immunity; no one in Drachath can arrest me!”\n\n\t“Allow me to clarify,” the vixen called back, allowing a hint of satisfaction to enter her tone. “I’m placing you under arrest as a captain of the New Vale Militia Elite, representing the nation of Unicorn Vale, treaty-partner to Drachath but with no formal ties to Dengar. My country does not recognize your diplomatic immunity, but as its representative I’ve decided to honor Duke Gatuque’s request to aid in apprehending a criminal he cannot touch. If you surrender, you’re free to view the warrant for your arrest, my warrant of commission, and even documentation of my citizenship if need be, but such niceties must wait until you’re secured and rendered harmless. Make your choice, Talaya; if you don’t drop your weapons and toys out of a window in ten seconds, I’m coming in!”\n\n\tOne of the shutters on the left window banged open and the dragoness leaned out, one hand aiming that magical tube-weapon. Elaria was already diving forward in a roll to dodge, but even her reflexes weren’t quite fast enough; she heard the loud thwip of something passing by her at extremely high speed, and felt her uniform armor’s leather tear over her right shoulder, pain blossoming as the flesh and fur beneath was torn as well. An instant later her back was pelted with bits of dirt and grass as whatever had been shot at her exploded, and she grimaced at the degree of overkill her foe so readily embraced as she completed her roll and sprinted toward the stairs. She took only the briefest glance at her wound as she climbed; the hit had been grazing, enough to bleed a fair bit, but she couldn’t feel any sign that that weapon also used poison, so she ignored it. She’d suffered injuries worse by a goodly margin in practice and kept going, after all.\n\n\tPassing under the room’s other, closed window on her way up the stairs, the vixen nonetheless heard a muffled, inarticulate scream of rage that sounded somehow... nauseous, and she grinned. The focus on her as a target had clearly given Ronnel a clear shot with the spellbreaker, and knowing him she guessed he’d taken careful aim then emptied its power pool in one sustained burst which, from the sound of things, had been enough to overcome whatever defenses the Inquisitor had restored in the last couple of hours.\n\n\tThe hall the door at the top of the stairs opened onto was, thankfully, empty, but Ela still slowed her rush with a bit of caution. The first door on the left was the one she wanted, but she couldn’t count on the disorienting effects of the spellbreaker to last enough to gain surprise over a determined and experienced Inquisitor. Raising her swords, she swung them down and back just to add a bit more force to her forward kick, the heel of her boot striking the door’s latch more than hard enough to splinter the wood, but the next instant she was rolling to the side again. Light glinted off of steel as a curved, wicked-looking dagger cut through the air where she’d have been if she’d charged straight in, and the dragoness herself jumped out an instant later, a matching blade in her other hand.\n\n\tTalaya smiled thinly as she observed her foe, already back on her feet, “Ah, another who favors twin blades... Perhaps you’re not as incompetent as I thought; this might even be fun,” before attacking, a basic double-thrust at the vixen’s midsection turning into something else as she pulled one hand back early to instead aim a lightning slash at her throat.\n\n\tElaria slashed down to block the first blade, ducking back to avoid the second as her free sword came up from the side in an underhanded slash of her own, her foe’s arms going wide as she leaned out of its sweep. She swung again without hesitation, from both of her weapons’ previous positions, the upper easily twisted into a neck-slash while the lower thrust straight for the Inquisitor’s groin, the dragon’s daggers whipping back into line with her body to deflect both. Even as she launched another slash she knew would be easily parried, Ela twisted her other sword in a tight circle, edge grating against edge as she tried for the disarm, only to have to spin out of the way as that knife slipped past her own blade in a thrust. That attempt had been token, care taken not to ruin her stance for her next attack, and she engaged her quarry in another round of traded attacks and parries, unable to keep from smiling to herself; the dragoness was skilled, and fast, but she was no Malia, and it was only the cramped quarters of the hallway that had let her hold her own so far, though the burning confidence in her slit-pupilled eyes suggested that she didn’t even know it.\n\n\tA snatch of melody ran through the captain’s thoughts, inspired by the rhythm of a quick quartet of strikes launched by her foe, and she went with the inspiration even as she parried, humming under her steady breaths with the melody of a traditional competition-song, two singers taking turns with the verses, each a little faster than the last, and the one to flub a line first lost. Her foot moved in a sweeping arc as she danced through a half-step’s retreat, flicking her swords as one to knock both daggers wide with their tips, then tossed a bit of a skip and a double-tap of her leading foot into the motion as she followed through with a double-thrust the dragon could only leap back from to avoid. The notes came louder with her next breath as she twisted away from a slash, returning it with two of her own to the beat of the new tempo, and these were only barely deflected in time by the closer-held of the twin daggers.\n\n\tShe deliberately gave Talaya two beats to collect herself as the verse neared its end, then kicked the volume and speed up yet another notch, blades visible as little more than flashing blurs as she struck, one straight slash then a second that didn’t quite land on the ‘right’ beat, instead flaring around it with a sudden halt, a twist, and a fresh lateral slash, its corresponding knife left out of position when the vertical attack failed to land, and blood seeped into fine silver satin as steel opened a gash in the dragoness’ right breast.\n\n\tHer confident expression had faded to disbelief as soon as she recognized the humming for what it was, and from there to panic as the Inquisitor’s defense was penetrated for the first time in decades, and she struggled, barely deflecting a follow-up that would have cut her arm off, before leaping back, daggers clattering to the floor as she yelled, “Yield! I yield! Underestimate you, I did; never a Songblade did I suspect you were!”\n\n\tElaria chuckled under her breath as she let her flashing swords finally still; the well-trained Agent’s reversion to her native dialect was, she figured, a pretty sure sign that her panic and dismay were total. Schooling her expression to one more serious, she nodded, “I accept your surrender, but I’ll be watching for the first sign of treachery, and run you through without hesitation... Now, I know you have those throwing stars on your person, and I suspect more knives in your boots, so I must insist that you strip, here and now, including your jewelry. Turn as needed so I can always see your fingers, and know that I’ll kill you if I see them touch a weapon.” Not taking her eyes off the dragon, whose expression read of a renewed fury fueled by embarrassment even as she lowered her wings and loosened the epaulet-hooks of her cape to let it fall, she leaned toward the open door of the room and yelled, “Lieutenant Dresten! Come up alone, and bring manacles or rope to secure the prisoner!” Back to her foe, she commented, “He’ll also be able to get you a sheet to wrap up in, so you don’t have to march naked in front of an entire guard detachment. Yours, I believe, is a cruel nature, but outside of a temple to the Fanged One, mine is not.”\n\n\tSome of the anger faded from Talaya’s face as she pulled her blouse over her head, then dropped it with a nod, “I am... grateful, for that consideration.” She glanced down at her breast as she brushed the rings off of her fingers, grimacing at the deep cut that had only barely missed her nipple, “A healer I will need to see about this... My kind’s scales, badly react to cutting, and scar it will without aid.”\n\n\tThe vixen’s own expression hardened as she shook her head, eyes still alert, “If you have any future need to worry about scars at all, then we’ll consider getting you a healer. Remember, you’re charged with murder, and you won’t need a perfect bosom on the headsman’s block, if that’s what the duke, his courts, and our inter-kingdom negotiations finally settle on.”\n\n\tThe guard officer arrived just in time for a perfect view as the dragoness bent over to pull down her skirt, and the faint purple flush to her ear frills suggested she realized her degree of exposure only too late, but she remained cooperative as he fastened steel manacles around her wrists behind her back and helped her out of her boots before ducking into her room to grab the sheets off the bed. A second shape darkened the back door before he could return, though, to both ladies’ surprise, the vixen bursting into a wide smile and the dragon a deep frown as Ferrl filled the hall with his bulk.\n\n\tRumbling only, “Hold very still,” in a tone that brooked no argument, the wolf pressed the bound Inquisitor against the wall with one arm while the other gripped her chin firmly, and he spent a long moment staring at, or perhaps through, her glossy-scaled skull... Her eyes showed confusion at first, then widened for an instant before scrunching shut, tears squeezed out to run down her cheeks, quickly followed by more.\n\n\tGlancing between his daughter and the confused-looking lieutenant, he explained, “What I just did caused her no physical pain... She cries from the realization alone. A healer taught me how to find the specific portion of any given individual’s brain that allows them to channel magic... and I’ve just cooked hers. No other harm at all was done, she’s simply no longer a mage,” and, with that, he stepped back out of the inn.\n\n\t“And now she is truly defeated,” Dresten mused with a hint of sympathy. “Almost certainly, she had some last-ditch plans for escape that relied on magic... and now even those are taken from her.” His touch gentle, even respectful, he eased her shoulders away from the wall to slip the sheet around them, a second tucked the other way around, forming something of a loose, misshapen toga that made allowances for her wings, though it would tangle with them and cause a great deal of wind-drag if she tried to fly in it.\n\n\tEla nodded soberly, “That she is... I told her, though, that I wouldn’t be any more cruel than I had to, so let’s stop by your station to dress her wound, get her into a prisoner’s robe less prone to accidental exposure than loose sheets, and another set of hobbles for her wings, after which I’ll need an escort to the duke’s gaol. Also, please have one of your soldiers talk to the innkeeper here, and forward a bill for the sheets we’re taking and the door I broke to me at the temple of Malia. They or another guard should also check the room itself, to take the prisoner’s possessions into custody.”\n\n\tThe tiger chuckled, nodding back, “I said you had a good head on your shoulders... Not every young officer would remember to pay for damage done by their command.” Setting a guiding hand on Talaya’s sheet-wrapped shoulder, he gave her a nudge toward the door, “Time to move, ma’am. A bandage and better clothing await.”\n\n\tElaria followed close behind, swords still out and ready, eyes still watchful, but couldn’t help but flush with pleasure, cheeks and loins alike, at the spontaneous cheer that broke out from the assembled troops as the very dangerous criminal she’d gone in alone after was led out in chains.\n\nChapter 16\n\n\tDame Grallia arrived at the duchy’s high-security gaol wearing a long shirt of chainmail belted around her ample waist, a sword slung across her back, and her pendant as a full priestess of Malia. She glanced around the waiting and processing room, then padded toward Ela as soon as she spotted her, sitting on one of the row of chairs set against a side wall. “I was told you have important news pertaining specifically to me, when I was asked to come here...”\n\n\tHer student nodded grimly, “News, yes, and about the worst I could possibly convey, I’m afraid... This morning, the duke received word that the same Inquisitor who was out to kill Ronnel... also stopped by the farm, not far from the border, where he’d traded a cooking pot for clothing. That farm was your brother’s... and the Inquisitor, following his trail, stopped there as well, just to ask if he’d gotten a horse so she could calculate how far he might have come, then killed your brother and his entire family for, as far as we can tell, no more reason than the fun of it.”\n\n\tGrallia hissed, her eyes closed to slits that did nothing to conceal the pain and fury in them, “That bitch... I will have her life for this; I will find her and mete out justice with my own hand, I swear it! You must either let me accompany you on a hunt for her, or tell me where you think she is!”\n\n\t“She is currently,” the vixen stated, her tone carefully neutral, “in the highest-security cell of this very gaol, under constant watch by guards with crossbows and orders to shoot at even a faint sign of trouble. I made her strip to the scales when I captured her, but I wouldn’t put it past her to keep a lockpick up her twat just in case. She is formally charged with your brother’s murder despite her diplomatic immunity; that’s what all the wrangling this morning between Kechira, the duke, and myself was about. Only I, as a citizen of a country without diplomatic ties to Dengar, and as an officer in their military and thus a valid ad hoc diplomatic representative, could legally serve the warrant for her arrest, and she’s still technically in my custody, held here only by my formal request and while I remain on the premises. I know you value justice more than law, but both can be served if you can cool down long enough to let the legalities currently working their way through the system of international diplomacy do their work. I promise you, she will not be returned to her government alive, and she’s already suffered acute humiliation, once at my father’s hands and twice more at mine, followed by the removal of her magical abilities, in itself a profound and irreversible punishment that caused her great anguish.”\n\n\tThis drew another hiss from the knight, but one that dripped satisfaction, “Yesss... Death would have been just, but hurting her, in her pride where I’m sure she’s most sensitive, is far more satisfying. I know it’s not the Maliite way, to wish pain for pain’s own sake on someone... but since she’s already suffered it, I refuse to feel guilt at being pleased by the fact. I’m content to let the law take its course from this point, unless it looks like she’ll somehow go free anyway.”\n\n\tElaria nodded, grimacing, “If it looks like that’s a possibility, I’m already prepared to arrange an ‘accident’ for her on the way to the border, after which I’ll run back home to hide in a temple there, the whole country effectively Maliite. I couldn’t rejoin my family in such a case, as they live in the embassy that’s legally Drachathian territory, but I could certainly get by. Now... at the same time I sent the guard to fetch you, I also let Ronnel, who’s got my purse at the moment since this damned armor doesn’t have pockets, look for something for dinner, and he should be back soon. Care to maintain ‘technical custody’ with me over a good meal?”\n\n\tDame Grallia closed her eyes for a long moment, a tear at the corner of each, as she faced her grief head-on... then sighed, relaxing as she tucked the memory of her brother into a corner of her heart, and nodded with an almost-natural smile, “I guess I will... Thank you, in any case, for your part in the capture. Without the legal loophole you represent, I’d have had no other choice but to commit murder, myself, to get justice for my kin.”\n\n\tThe acolyte in captain’s bars smiled back, “Let me tell you of that capture while we’re waiting for supper... It was quite the fight, and I’m proud of how well I pulled it off. You see, I had my dual swords, but she had paired daggers and was very good with them, so the initial advantage was hers in a none-too-wide hallway...”\n\n* * *\n\n\tIt was past sunset, nearing the time Ela would be shown to the barracks to bunk down without leaving the premises, when a page arrived from the palace, interrupting the light conversation she, Grallia, and Ronnel had been sharing over cups of wine. In keeping with his training, the young stag immediately bowed, “Sir, ma’ams...”\n\n\tOne corner of the skunk’s muzzle quirked up, “Out with it, son... You’re trying painfully hard not to grin at something, and it probably has to do with whatever news you were sent with.”\n\n\tThe page nodded vigorously, then calmed down with a visible effort. “The negotiations with Dengar have concluded,” he began. “They were, despite her crimes, insisting upon the immediate release and return of their Inquisitor, until a detail no one had thought to mention before was coincidentally included in another message, concerning the ‘reasonable measures’ that were taken to secure her. It seems that, without her magic, they’re not quite so enthusiastic about getting her back, as she’d obviously be unable to continue with her job and duties. The final inter-governmental communique read, once the formalism had been pared off, to the effect that we’re welcome to her, and if we try to give her back they’ll kill her themselves.”\n\n\tEyes gleaming brightly, the soft-looking knight staggered the sturdy deer with an enthusiastic slap on the back, “Yes! Thank you for delivering this very, very welcome news!”\n\n\tElaria tilted her head to one side, considering a half-formed idea she hadn’t had the luxury of expanding on while the issues were still being decided... then glanced between her teacher and the messenger, “Um, could you excuse us for just a moment? I may have a message to send you back with, but it hinges on... well, a decision no mortal should make.”\n\n\tBlinking, the page nodded, “I’ll wait over in the other seats; just wave when you want me.”\n\n\tFacing the skunk directly, Ela held out both hands, “I need to pray to Malia, and I want you to hear any reply She might make... If She agrees to it, I have a thought that you should find... satisfying.”\n\n\tNot without a blink or two of her own, Grallia nodded and took those paws in hers, leaning forward until her forehead and her student’s were touching each other.\n\n\t“Malia, my Goddess,” the acolyte murmured, “justice has, at its most basic level, been served by the capture of she who had Your temple in arms, wariness, and fear, and the diplomatic permission to try her for her crimes under the laws of this kingdom... I ask, though, if basic justice is enough, or if a further step can be condoned. This Inquisitor’s guilt is, from when we asked why she killed Your knight’s kin, established by her own boasting words of tacit admission, her pride blinding her to the possibility that this gaol was not just a temporary, inconvenient stop. Death is her fate... but tomorrow is the solstice restday celebration at the temple of Your dark sister. If it would not, to Your mind, be going too far, I would like to take her there... as the sacrifice.”\n\n\tHer own eyes were closed, but the tension in her tutor’s brow suggested that the skunk’s had just gotten very wide. *The one you have captured,* the whisper came to both Maliites, *has a soul like few others I’ve ever seen... She is Godless, but not by choice, as not even Sliisthar would have her. She is more than a hundred years old, though her kind tends not to look it, and that century is one steeped in cruelty and depravity of a sort that few could imagine. The man Ronnel killed... was not only her friend, but her lover, and her student as well, and the world is well rid of another like her. It is more than pain she enjoys, but the terror and despair of a soul in unendurable torment. Haritor’s final moments, to give an example of just what sort of ‘play’ this Inquisitor practiced for her own amusement, were the piecing together of two statements, even as he bled to death, to tell him that his entire family had already been murdered, and their killer had been enjoying a pleasant chat with him even as their bodies cooled. He died in a sadness far more profound than the pain of his mortal wound. His killer’s entire life has been one torment after another, inflicted all but exclusively on the innocent, while she rested in blithe confidence that her position, power, prowess, and the fear she inspired in others would forever keep her safe. No one, however, is immune to consequences, however delayed they may be... and the crimes for which you pursued her are but a drop in the bitter cup of the life she must pay for. Yes, I give you not only My permission, but My earnest desire that she be given to My sister, to die in agony and, beyond death, find some semblance of payment for the pain she’s caused others in Kathalla’s heaven, though I doubt she’ll enjoy the eternity that awaits her there.*\n\n\tTears seeping from her eyes again, Grallia could only murmur, softly and emphatically, “Thank you, my Goddess,” even as the sensation of spiritual contact faded. Pulling away and looking up, she rubbed her sleeve across her face and smiled, “And thank you, Princess. Of every eventuality I could think of, even my torturing her to death at the cost of my honor and position, none were quite enough to feel like true justice... but, now, to my own disbelief I am truly satisfied, or will be by the end of tomorrow. Eternal punishment... is just what the healer ordered. I could only wish I’d be welcome to watch...”\n\n\t“I can’t do anything about observing eternity,” the vixen murred with a grin, giving the hands she still held a squeeze, “but I’m almost certain I can get you in for tomorrow’s show.” She glanced over to Ronnel, “We’ve just gotten Malia’s permission to give our prisoner to Kathalla as the traditional holiday sacrifice... You can come, too, if you want to see just what the least socially-acceptable of my religions entails. It will, I should note, be more cruel than what Kathallics usually indulge in; our routine sacrifices, if we do our jobs right, involve as much pleasure as pain, but I doubt anyone will go out of their way to see that Talaya dies happy.”\n\n\tSwallowing hard, the fox considered for a moment, then nodded, “My suffering cannot to the knight’s loss compare, but wronged I was too by this creature, and her death I would be satisfied to see. That you sometimes kill for fun... is part of you, and live with it I must.”\n\n\tEla nodded back, “I don’t consider myself to be on Talaya’s level, though... I sacrifice slaves, who were raised knowing their lives might end that way, and who have no real hopes or ambitions to dash, nor any loved ones to be grieved by their loss. I do not delight, as the dragon did, in bringing a citizen’s dreams and aspirations crashing down in one moment of horror and agony... and the ones I kill are well-received in the Fanged One’s heaven, as well. The eternal torment that’s been promised for the dragon is the exception, not the rule, there; compared to even the best of lives led by slaves, their spirits end up in a better place.”\n\n\tRonnel thought for a moment, then nodded, “What you do, and what I thought you did, rather different are... In a way I can accept, you describe it, and fear that part of you I no longer do.”\n\n\t“And I’m quite a bit more comfortable with that aspect of your spirituality than I was before, too,” her teacher added, then quirked a wry smile, “To be honest, I’d been trying not to think about it... I guess that’s what you meant about ‘minor reservations’ that might need to be part of your oath of knighthood. Now, I know that it’s technically wrong to consider anyone a non-person... but slaves really are as close to such as anyone can get, with no one to mourn their loss. A final bit of pleasure, a passing agony, then dying to emerge into an afterlife where they no longer need toil at another’s command... well, it’s hard to really consider that a bad thing, either as a priestess or a knight of Malia.”\n\n\tNodding once more, Elaria let go of her hands and stood, waving the page back over as she padded to the desk of the chief of the watch, “Major? I formally release the prisoner into your custody, as the diplomatic entanglements have been sorted out, and I also ask,” and she shot the stag a glance, “that, unless the duke overrules me on this, you will bind the prisoner tomorrow morning, right after her breakfast, and escort her to the rear entrance of the temple of Kathalla. She is not to be informed of the disposition of her case in the meantime, or her destination in the morning; one of her crimes is that of inflicting psychological cruelty upon her victims, and she could use a taste of that herself as she realizes just what’s in store for her.”\n\n\tThe wolf across the desk nodded simply, “Understood, Captain, and I don’t see any problems with following those orders. Hell, my troops’ll be happy that we only have to keep an eye on her for one night.”\n\n\tThere was a glint of suppressed glee in the page’s eyes again as he nodded too, “I’ll tell our lord, ma’am, and he’ll let you know if he countermands you.”\n\n\tGiving them each another nod, and the major a salute, crisply returned, Ela padded back to her friends to help clean up the dishes and containers from their meal, “It’ll be a relief to sleep in my own bed tonight... though I do have one more prayer to make on the way home, I guess, to tell Akani that there’s a last-minute change to her holiday celebration.”\n\n\t*You needn’t bother,* a much more chilling voice than Malia’s mused to all three souls, the fox and skunk jerking, eyes wide, at the unsettling sensation that the vixen was so used to. *My sister passed word, and I’ve told My priestess... and, yes, I’m looking forward to devising several centuries of ‘justice’ for this dragon. Three of her victims were Mine in spirit, and they’re already looking forward to... helping. Also, you were right in that I will allow both of your... friends to join you, there, despite the holidays normally being open only to My flock. They each, for their own reasons, have a right to see this side of you, as well as a need to witness the end of the life of one who’s done them harm, for the sense of closure so vital to their long-term comfort.*\n\n\tElaria took the additional moment her friends required to recover from the experience as a chance to empty their hands of the dishes they’d been holding and pack them into the bag she’d be taking back to the temple, then pulled its drawstring tight as they finally started moving again, noting to Grallia, “Service at the temple begins three hours after dawn. Given the nature of things, even with a stomach hardened by your combat experience you might want to consider a light breakfast, or none at all, though you might also want to pack something to eat afterwards, as there’s a chance that the ‘refreshments’ will consist of Talaya, sliced thin, seared with a few spices, and served on bread.”\n\n\tThe skunk tilted her head, blinking, “Oh, my... Well... I’ve had lizard before, and it’s a lot like poultry but without the disgusting texture when it’s a little undercooked. I’ll bring some raw veggies and such so I can stick with my diet, enough for you too, but I don’t object to the notion of having that bitch for a meal. She doesn’t deserve an honorable burial, after all, so let’s just see to it that there’s not enough of her left to bury!”\n\n\tHer student giggled and nodded, then slung the bag over one shoulder while she wrapped her other arm around Ronnel and started leading the group out of the office, musing in a slightly sultrier tone, “And you, my dear fox... I’d like to invite you to share my cell tonight. Though the restday celebrating it is tomorrow, the actual solstice was today. I believe I’ve honored Malia enough by my efforts on the behalf of justice, and Kathalla will have my attention tomorrow, so tonight... I think it would round things out beautifully if we could do something for Roxanarra, too.”\n\n\tThe fox, throughout the entire walk back to the temple, couldn’t seem to completely get the silly grin off his face.\n\n* * *\n\n\tEla exchanged respectful nods with the occasional priest or artisan she met in the halls, on her way back to her cell from the privy. She glanced behind her to make sure no one else was too near, though, as she reached her door itself, and slipped quickly inside, shutting and latching it firmly behind her. The friend she’d told ‘make yourself comfortable’ was there on her bed, his clothes folded neatly atop her dresser and his shoes tucked out of the way on the floor, and her eyes brightened as they roamed up and down his nude form. “Mmm...” she rumbled, licking her lips even as she moved to unbuckle the straps running down one side of her armor. “I’ve always liked strong men,” she noted, “but my focus had previously been on a muscle’s sheer bulk. It really wasn’t until I joined this temple, and observed how things move under the fur, that I’ve gotten a true appreciation for sheer tone. I look at you, my friend, and I see... strength, tempered by precision, and guided by goodness and integrity.”\n\n\tRonnel flushed faintly at her praise, but his reply was cut off as she unfastened the final strap over one hip and pulled her uniform over her head, as she hadn’t bothered to wear a single thing beneath it all day, though a narrow bandage had been tied around her shoulder to cover the gash she’d taken there. His eyes drank in the sight as her hands immediately cupped her breasts, marginally above average after her weeks of focused diet and exercise, her fingers fluffing up the fur that had been trapped beneath leather for the last twelve hours, then moving down to do the same along her sides and belly. Her loose skirt hadn’t compressed anything below the waist, so her roaming paws had no cause to obscure the peeking hints of pink just visible within her shadowy cleft. As she finished her grooming and moved to sit down on the bed so she could pull off her boots, he found his voice, “Strength I see in you, too... and for that, beautiful I’d find you regardless, but the deliberate enhancement of femininity I know you’ve also sought, and admit I must that to my lust the results appeal.”\n\n\tThis earned a pleased sigh from his vixen as she turned to lay down beside him, smiling into his eyes as she mused, “I know that, fairly soon, you’ll be working hard with a language tutor to deal with what we Drachathians think of as backward syntax... but feel free to revert to your native dialect when we’re alone. Somehow, the way you phrase things just sounds... more poetic than most speech, to me.” Her expression still conveyed a great deal of affection, but gained a cast of naughtiness as well as she reached for his arms, pulling them to her and planting his hands on her breasts, “Now... this is about as far as we’ve ever gotten, and we had clothes in the way at the time. Please, continue as you see fit.”\n\n\tThe fox didn’t so much as hesitate this time; his hands shifted a bit lower as his fingers closed gently around the curves within his grasp, letting her nipples slip between his fingers before tightening his grip around them, and the way they stiffened under his careful kneading, as much as the light, pleasured moan elicited from their owner, was gratifying enough to cause a similar tightening at his own groin. While nearly twice as wide as the one in his own cell, an acolyte’s bed was still only barely big enough for two, so he moved carefully as he curled up against the wall behind him, lowering his muzzle enough to capture one of those firm pink nubbins even as the hand that released it stroked steadily downward through his lover’s white bellyfur...\n\n\tElaria’s moan turned into a low, throaty murr as she felt his fingers’ progress, the anticipation as stimulating in its own way as the faint sparks of pleasure elicited by the scrape of his teeth against her flesh and the warm touch of a tongue to her nipple. She lifted one leg to welcome his lower touch when it ran out of fur and met flesh below, but decided to pray while she still could, “Roxanarra... this evening of love, I dedicate to You, and ask Your favor to dull the senses of any who might take offense, muffling our sounds of joy, save for those to whom they’d bring a joy of their own.”\n\n\tThe fox chuckled throatily, “A... sensible precaution, that was,” as he paused to tease a finger into the shadow of her navel, then ruined any reply she might have made by proceeding lower, the rounded backs of his claws trailing over her mound firmly enough to dimple its contours, though he avoided the uppermost reaches of her bare flesh out of respect for their sensitivity, instead letting go for the instant it took to bring his fingertips, grouped tight, up along the length of her labia in an affectionate stroke.\n\n\t“Mmf... yesss...” she managed as her hips rocked forward, pressing her moist treasures more directly into his touch. She wanted him, with an intensity she hadn’t experienced in quite a while, but knew that she hadn’t the faintest clue whether her arousal was more from his friendship and caress or instead just a positive response to her prayer. It hardly mattered, as his muzzle closed around her nipple once more and a single fingertip parted her lips below, stroking in slow circles as it wormed its way gradually deeper. Careful not to interrupt his own work at any point, then, she eased a hand of her own between them, finding his swollen sheath and gripping it to gently knead. Her palm was almost immediately rewarded by the warm touch of bare flesh, and the satisfying scent of a male fox joined her own in the room’s warm air, but it bore hints of wolf as well, detectable too in the bluntness of the head that was steadily swelling under her touch.\n\n\tRonnel’s suckling missed a beat at her touch, and another at the way his lower fingers could feel her get wetter, very suddenly, in direct response to his scent, and he slipped a second finger in beside the first, still swirling a bit to spread the stimulation around but not as much, their main goal of the moment to ease ever deeper into that hot glove of flesh.\n\n\tEyes closed to slits, her muzzle half-open as she panted, Ela’s hips pressed down to further welcome him in, then pulled slowly away from his hand with a shudder of pleasure. “R... Ronnel,” she gasped, her free hand nudging his chin up so he could meet her fevered gaze. “Advice... my father had about this sort of thing... T-taste me; if you haven’t had your own species yet, be ready for... for a surprise.”\n\n\tThis fetched a blink, and a momentarily thoughtful look as his fingers delved into her once more then out again, and he admitted in a husky voice, “I... haven’t, but had never thought about it.” Curious now, he left her breast with a gentle kiss on the stiff point poking up from its center, and brought his hand up, wet enough for a clear droplet to fall even in that short a journey, then tucked his two slickened fingers into his muzzle. The vixen’s hearty giggle thrummed through the swell still cupped in his other hand as his eyes went wide and the hint of softness in his shaft immediately vanished, replaced by rock-like firmness even he could feel, its dusky skin taut enough for minor discomfort, though he hardly noticed through the sudden rush of lust fogging his mind.\n\n\tGiven that it was in full accord with the demands of his instincts at the moment, he didn’t resist in the slightest as Elaria’s grip on his shaft guided him toward her even as her hips lifted, depositing her dew-flecked petals directly atop his rigid head. Without ever dislodging that point of contact, then, she all but picked him bodily off the bed so she could slip directly beneath him, knees wide as she hugged him close, breasts half-flattened by his chest as she murmured, “Mmm... there we go. It’s now or never, lover... Hold me, fuck me, fill me!”\n\n\tA half-feral growl rumbled in Ronnel’s throat as he leaned down to nip at her shoulder, his arms slipping around to return her hug even as his hips rolled, and her first real cry of pleasure of the night greeted the sensation of being stretched and filled to capacity. Her hips rose to meet his halfway, her walls shuddering in a wet massage around his length, and her rump met the bedsheets again as he withdrew only to rise at his next thrust. He was, perhaps, just a bit shorter than her father where it counted, but just as deliciously thick, and her eyes fluttered open with a happy squeal as his half-formed knot followed right behind the rest of his foxhood, splaying her lips even further as it sank fully in.\n\n\t“Oh, Goddess!” she half-screamed as that unexpected bit extra combined with her own instinctive reactions to his same-species pheromones, her pleasure peaking with an explosion of sparks behind her tight-shut eyes. Even with her libido and a bit of fingering beforehand, it was still unheard of to reach ecstasy on the second thrust, but she wasn’t about to question such a pleasant surprise. Instead, her walls still spasming and the liquid evidence of her enjoyment dripping into the sheets beneath her, she pulled off of that stimulating bulge until the slight flare of his head tugged at her outer depths, then rose with renewed energy to meet his next invasion, welcoming the entirety of his thick length into her once more.\n\n\tRonnel kissed her shoulder, her throat, and her cheek, not caring to wonder where he found the focus for these simpler affections when so much of his attention was focused on his cock and the surprisingly snug, exquisitely moist, and amazingly warm depths he plunged into time and time again, mentally blessing his lover’s sheer strength as well as his own as their lusts fed upon each other, demanding ever more vigor even as his thickness battled her walls’ spasming grip to move at all. Lights spangled his vision behind his eyelids each time he pressed in, and they only grew brighter as his swelling knot was squeezed each time by her taut-stretched flesh. Soon, one such thrust bordered on discomfort for him, even her copious slickness unable to fully ease that thick bulb inside, so on the next he took things just a bit slower, and a bit stronger, another garbled cry muffled in the fur of his neck as his vixen’s third or fourth peak struck even as her lips closed around his knot and he kept it there, moving shallowly, but vigorously, within the living massage of her trembling passage.\n\n\t“You’re... you’re perfect f-for me,” Ela gasped raggedly against him, holding him even tighter as her hips bucked shallowly, helping to move that thick rod of meat within her even as she marveled at the first-time experience she was in no condition to verbalize. For all her experience and her many partners, this quarter-wolf was the first canid who’d ever been the exact, optimum size for her adult depths; her father’s knot added too much length for her to take all of, and ordinary foxes weren’t big enough to be captured and held like this, so never before had she been truly tied with a lover as her deepest instincts demanded.\n\n\tThe tension was rising in the body above her, his normally subtle musculature outlined starkly beneath his sweat-damp fur, but the look on his face was one of closed-eyed rapture, with only a hint of the strain visible when most men she’d slept with neared orgasm... but near he was, his shallow, knot-restricted thrusts slowing in frequency even as they gained in vigor, and it only took a few more jerky, panting plunges before one final aspect of his lupine ancestry asserted itself and his head flew back as he tried his best to howl. As a fox, of course, he didn’t really have the voice for it, but he gave it a good try, and the sound left little doubt in his lover’s mind as to the degree of ecstasy he was experiencing as his foxhood pulsed within her, hard jets of his essence filling her darkest depths.\n\n\tElaria shuddered in, if not another climax, a profoundly satisfying wave of sympathetic pleasure as she just pulled him back down against her bosom and hugged him tight, waiting for his peak to play itself out. A fond smile spread across her muzzle as the first thing he did upon opening his eyes was to hug her tighter himself, planting another line of kisses up the side of her neck. “That,” she murred softly, huskily, “was the best I’ve had in a long time, if not ever. You fit me like a sword in a custom scabbard, the perfect size, the perfect shape, and I doubt I’ll ever find your like again. Others may have given me more numerous peaks, but those with you had a... profound depth unlike any I’d previously enjoyed.”\n\n\tRonnel gave a raspy chuckle in reply, “Better, I cannot recall myself... Too large to fully enter most women I was, in my youth; two could take me, but... loose they were, in body and morals. Satisfying I found them not. You... noble in spirit you are, more than title, and so warm and snug where your loins grip me... Were I never to have another woman, content I would be after the way with me you shared yourself.”\n\n\tThe vixen’s smile spread into a grin, “This had better not be the last time you have a woman! More than just having me again, I’d love to share the occasional girlfriend with you... Anyway, from the sound of your voice you could use some water, and I could too... but afterwards I’d certainly like to try that again! Now, let’s try to sit up while your knot’s still stuck in me, so I can reach the window and get a head start on airing this place out enough to step out without reeking of what we just did. I’ll get a pitcher, maybe two, to face the rest of the evening with. I also have a spare pair of sheets we can put on the bed before we finally sleep... but I know I’ll do that very soundly, with your body next to mine.”\n\n\tHer lover smiled gently back as he helped her sit up without tugging too uncomfortably where they were still joined, sheath to mound, and rumbled, “Sex in plenty, I had in my youth... but rarely did I sleep beside those girls, as an intimacy too deep that was for them, the romps merely games. For you, with you... hardly enough it is to convey the affection I feel. Other girls you encourage me to share with you, but mere romps and games they must always be, for never could they be to me the sort of friend you are.”\n\n\tEla eased back down from her stretch to reach the shutters, then nuzzled his cheek, “I think we’ve both been dancing around three little words, afraid of saying them despite the compliments we’ve heaped upon one another... but I’m to be a knight, and cowardice is not an option.” She pulled back a bit, hands on his shoulders as she looked into his bottomless blue eyes, “Ronnel... I love you.”\n\n\tThe fox blinked once, then hugged her crushingly tight anew, “Goddess... unworthy I felt to dream of those words from you, and scared in my mind’s depths I was that to you only a diversion I could be...” He nuzzled around to kiss her full on the lips, then opened his eyes to slits as he murmured, “My strong princess... love you too, I do.”\n\n\t“Oh, love,” she murred, tears in her eyes but a smile on her face, “you know I’m Roxanite, so I may... no, will sometimes share my body with others... but I have only one heart, and it is yours alone. I choose you as the one to whom I’ll always return.”\n\n\tRonnel’s expression was one of similarly poignant happiness as he nodded, “Know this I do... Never anything less than honest with me have you been, and trust you with my life, my honor, and my heart I do.” There was a soft, moist sound from below as his knot finally slipped free of her with a rush of fluid, and he glanced down at it before grinning again, “For now, though... a drink you were going to fetch for us that try again we might?”\n\n\tEla grinned and kissed him once more, “After I grab a rag from my dresser and wipe myself off a bit... It’s late enough that there aren’t many in the halls, and I can’t completely eliminate the smell of what we just did, but I’m bound by propriety to reduce it as much as I can. Only propriety, mind you; I feel utterly no shame for the love we’ve expressed, and your scent upon me... is an honor.”\n\nChapter 17\n\n\t“The black robe and that knife, Elaria, I understand, but aren’t those the same clothes you wore yesterday, Ron?” Grallia asked as the two youths caught up with her on the temple steps on the way to the shrine of Kathalla a few buildings distant.\n\n\tThe fox glanced down at his outfit and shrugged, “Never back to my room did I get, last night.” He didn’t seem particularly repentant about it, either.\n\n\t“I kind of distracted him,” Ela added with a shrug of her own. “Oh! Ronnel, she counts as a witness. Will you marry me?”\n\n\tThe ex-serf nodded promptly enough, replying simply, “Yes, and gladly.”\n\n\tThe vixen nodded back, “Good,” then turned back to her teacher, “That and a couple more changes of sheets will settle the only lingering business from last night, and they can be dealt with later. For today, we’ve got a show to attend!”\n\n\tDame Grallia could only blink and shake her head in wonder, “Sheesh... That may have been the quickest proposal I’ve ever heard or heard of, but at least it wasn’t cloyingly mushy.”\n\n\tEartips darkened in a faint blush, Ronnel chuckled, “Um... mush physical and verbal, also last night we took care of.”\n\n\tHis fiancee grinned, “Hey, I had to be quick; this is a short trip,” and turned to the bear in the robe that matched her own, standing to one side of the doorway to greet and screen visitors on this special day, “Mornin’, Krebic! I don’t know if She mentioned it when arranging for our main ‘guest,’ but Kathalla also explicitly made an exception for these two to attend. This is Dame Grallia, one of my tutors and the sister of a family that guest murdered, and my husband-to-be Ronnel, who she chased several hundred miles and tried to kill.”\n\n\tThe priest nodded, “Akani handled the divine arrangements with this sudden change in plans, being my senior, but, assuming you gave them fair warning of what to expect, it’s your right as priestess to invite whoever you wish, and I trust your judgment. Hmm... dame?” and he turned to the skunk with a smile, “That makes this day even more special; never has our humble temple hosted two knights... Enter, please, and be welcome in the House of the Fanged One.”\n\n\tElaria answered the raised brow this earned her as she led her guests through the outer, fake chapel, “I guess my father’s still in town... Sir Ferrl, retired Agent of the kingdom, currently an earl and ambassador, is almost certainly the other knight he was referring to. The embellishments he’s earned to his title in his roles of knight and Agent were ‘Savior of Lark’s Reach’ and ‘Vengeance of the Horned Ones,’ as he solved the murder of one of our barons and the kidnapping of Malia’s unicorns, leading the army that fell upon the kidnappers’ fortified enclave and defeated them soundly. He may not be Maliite, but he’s accomplished much in the cause of justice, so I think you’ll like him.” Parting the curtains to the inner sanctum, she grinned and pointed out the largest figure of the small gathering behind it, “There he is.”\n\n\tSaid figure had already noticed them and was drawing nearer with a welcoming smile as the skunk blinked, “I was disappointed when you said ‘retired,’ but this guy isn’t old! And, may I add, damn that’s a lot of muscles...”\n\n\t“As if the difference in species didn’t make it obvious,” the other knight chuckled, “little Ela’s adopted... and we nearly share a birthday. I am, for the record, about to turn twenty-seven; I’m only ‘retired’ because of the requirement that ambassadors be titled nobles, not just knights, and I couldn’t be an Agent and an earl at the same time.”\n\n\tHis daughter waited long enough for these greeting comments to be exchanged, out of politeness, then took one more step and stood on her tiptoes to hug him tight, “I’m glad you’re here for the party, Daddy! Anyway, just to be willful and contrary for a moment, I wanted to tell you I proposed to Ronnel on the way over, and I’m not asking your permission.”\n\n\tFerrl quirked a brow as he hugged back, then chuckled, “Silly vixen... you know I’m hardly traditional enough to require that, and anyway, you heard me call him a potential in-law yesterday morning. You used the term ‘boyfriend’ in your letter, after all, and that’s a far more serious label than you’d ever applied to one of your lovers, so I’m not particularly surprised.” Letting go of her, he offered his hand and a smile to the fox in question, “Welcome to the family, son. Back, briefly, to the subject of technicalities and my earldom, Ela’s adoption counts as one ‘remove’ from the bloodline and is the maximum allowed for inheritance, while you marrying her would be two, so I’m afraid you won’t become a lord as a result, but you will be a citizen of both Drachath and Unicorn Vale, as her husband, and a close enough relation to be considered a noble in this kingdom even without a title of your own.”\n\n\tRonnel stepped out of the way of the curtain as Krebic made his way back inside, then nodded as he grasped that large hand, smiling, “That, sir, to me is a comfort. Stop the Inquisitor we did, but still my status was of an escaped serf so trouble down the road we might have had. Citizenship anywhere this problem solves, and glad I am.”\n\n\t“You can’t do this to me! I’m a Grand Inquisitor of Dengar; don’t you cretinous fools know what that means?!?”\n\n\tAll heads in the room turned toward the source of the outburst, being led in in chains through a curtained archway in the rear by a black-robed priestess, a naked white bunny, and a burly man in the uniform of a guard corporal to keep her under control, and Grallia commented around a tight grin, “Speaking of that bitch... it looks like the entertainment’s about to begin. Let’s get good seats.”\n\n\tEla gestured her friends and family toward the pews, smiling, “I’m here to help officially, so I’ll be joining the priests up front,” then stepped toward the stone altar under the watchful obsidian eyes of Kathalla’s statue, needing no prompting to immediately grab a flailing leg and hook two of the permanent chains dotting the base of the altar to its manacle, even as Krebic wrapped a hand around a black-scaled muzzle to keep further interruptions to a minimum.\n\n\tLeaving the securing of the prisoner to her fellow clergy and the guard, all much stronger than her she knew, Akani stepped around to stand between the altar and her congregation and announce, “Welcome, friends all, to the House of the Fanged One. We have two last-minute changes from the solstice celebration I described last restday... First, our usual sacrifice, as much fun as it would have been, has been replaced by a rather special substitute... As you no doubt heard from her, this is a Grand Inquisitor, Dengar’s equivalent to an Agent of Drachath. Her ego, however, doesn’t seem to have caught up to the fact that she’s been stripped of that status, and the diplomatic protection that comes with it, and has been sentenced to death as a common murderess for the unjustified slaughter of an innocent family. She also, along the way, managed to seriously offend at least three members of the pantheon, and They have given her to us to carry out her sentence with a bit more... flair, shall we say, than a court’s executioner would be permitted.”\n\n\tThe assembled Kathallics voiced a combination of snickers and chuckles at that, several licking their lips as the dragoness’ bonds were completed and the guard unceremoniously cut the prisoner’s robe from her body before taking his leave.\n\n\t“The other piece of news,” the cat continued, gesturing to the smaller of the other figures in black robes, “is the introduction and participation of our newest priestess, though she’ll only be available to serve in that capacity infrequently at best. To clarify any confusion caused by her mottled soul, she serves all three Goddesses, but loved and was loved by ours, first. I would like you all to meet Princess Elaria of the Earldom of Gatuque, presently the heiress to this city and most of the land for five or ten leagues in any direction, priestess of Kathalla, priestess of Roxanarra, and acolyte of Malia, also rumored to be one of the finest warriors of her generation, if not history itself.”\n\n\tThe princess blushed under the spatter of applause and appreciative murmurs from the crowd, noting that there were two more pews than the four she remembered from nine years ago; it seemed the local Kathallic population had grown in the meantime, and those long benches averaged three occupants each. Sixteen, not counting her two guests, was very nearly the highest number of her first Goddess’ followers she’d ever seen in one place, only Fariach’s playclub on a show night managing to pass it in her memory. At a gesture from her fellow priestess, though, she set aside her observations and the pleasure of the moment to speak, “Thank you all, you make me feel truly welcome and glad to be here... though I should note that I plan to formally abdicate my title as soon as my little brother’s old enough to meet the requirements of an heir apparent, but Akani’s accurate enough for the better part of the next five years. I’d also like to make an introduction or two, for my friends with the white souls none of you probably expected to see in a place like this, today,” and she grinned at the chuckles this elicited. “The lady is Dame Grallia, a Maliite knight and a priestess in her own right, and it was her brother’s family the bitch still trying to talk about herself through Krebic’s grip killed. She’s here under special dispensation for a bit more emphatic and satisfying a definition of ‘vengeance’ than her faith officially condones. The strong young fellow next to her has a similar right, as it was he the Inquisitor hunted in this kingdom for the crime of objecting to being raped, but he’s also my fiancee as of about ten minutes ago, so he’ll probably be with us for any event I attend that he’s comfortable with. Presently a Maliite novice by rank, as he’s new to his vocation though I’m sure he’ll learn and rise quickly, please make Ronnel feel welcome here, or at least refrain from scaring him enough to run before I can marry him,” and she shot the fox a wink.\n\n\tAkani grinned as the guest simply smirked across the room at his promised, then noted, “My book of services has a phrasing close enough to the Roxanite marriage I’m assuming you’d been planning, that promises love but not monogamy, if you two want to take care of that here, later today... but for now,” and she gestured to where the temple’s bunny was dragging in a cart of tools and implements, “our lovely Pola has gotten everything ready, so it’s time for some fun!”\n\n\tKrebic, as soon as it was in reach, grabbed a buckled leather strap off of the cart and held it up, addressing his prisoner, “We’d all prefer to be able to hear you scream... but if all you can talk about is how we can’t do what we’ll very much be doing, or how your government will get us, I’ll just wrap this around your muzzle and leave it there,” before finally releasing his silencing grip.\n\n\tTalaya’s eyes narrowed, “But they will... I’m an Inquisitor, and never are we left unavenged!”\n\n\t“About that, dear,” Ela drawled, “I’m afraid your government reacted rather badly to the news that you’d lost your magic. According to the summary of their final message I was given, if we returned you to them intact they’d kill you themselves after all the trouble you’ve caused for utterly no gain. In Kathalla’s name, in Her own House and without your liar’s spirit-shroud, I swear this is true. To be blunt about it, you aren’t an Inquisitor anymore.”\n\n\tThe dragoness blinked as she searched that vulpine face for some hint of deception, but she saw only firmness and resolve... “What... what happens to me now?” she finally asked, the steel gone from her voice.\n\n\tIt was the feline priestess’ place to answer, as the senior member of the clergy, and she drew the short, curved dagger from the sheath tucked into her robe’s sash, a bit small for combat but adequate for the moment, and tested its edge carefully... “Now,” she finally replied with a purr and a wicked smile, “you hurt, then die,” and brought the knife down in a slash, aimed for the unmarred of those glossy black breasts and slicing a furrow to match the one that had scabbed over on its mate.\n\n\tTalaya yelped loudly over the rumble of approval from the assembled watchers; yesterday’s slash had been in the heat of combat, and she’d barely felt it ‘til it was merely a particularly bad, stinging ache afterwards, but this one had nothing to mute the pain of broken scales and cut flesh. Tears seeped from her eyes as she murmured to herself, “No, no, Gods no, happening this cannot be...”\n\n\tThe bear’s turn was next, and he mused, “There’s one appendage here that doesn’t have a manacle and isn’t secure, so it might be a problem later... so I think I’ll take care of it now. Pola, if you’d help with an iron?” He’d stepped between the victim’s chained-down feet as he spoke, a short-handled axe from the cart in his hands, and reached down to solve the dragon’s confusion by gripping her long, mobile tail near the base, leaning a knee against it farther down through his robe. She tried to wrench it from his grasp anyway, at first, but that effort was forgotten as she noticed the large bowl of hot coals that occupied half of the cart’s top shelf, only when the red glow of the leather-handled iron slat the rabbit was picking up drew her attention to it.\n\n\t“No, please,” she managed before the priest pulled her tail a bit tighter and, pausing only to lick his smiling lips, brought the axe down in a hard chop as close to its base as he could reach. Blood spurted as the edge bit deep, two more blows landing before it was completely severed, and she screamed despite her promises to herself not to, getting only half of her next breath before that glowing iron was applied to the stump and an even higher, if truncated, keen of agony drowned out the sizzle of burning flesh as the raw meat was cauterized.\n\n\tElaria knew it was her turn next, and thought quickly... then smiled as she finally spotted a favorite in a corner of the cart’s lower shelf. Picking up the large-hilted knife with about an inch and a half of blade, she looked to Akani with a question in her eyes, then grinned savagely at the senior priestess’ smiling nod, having been unsure of the propriety of the escalation so early in the service. There was only one thing this particular knife was good for, after all... Turning back to the dragon, she spoke as much for the audience’s benefit as hers, given that she probably wasn’t listening too closely after her savage dismemberment, “When we fought in that hallway, I was constrained by my oath to pursue justice and my promise to the duke to bring you in alive if I could... I really would have preferred to do what I’m about to do then, and I’m grateful that circumstances have changed to allow it.” She nudged the point of the blade up under one of the broad, lateral gray scales running down the sacrifice’s belly, then, easing it into the gap until it encountered resistance, then just a bit more before angling it upwards, spreading those scales even as a trickle of blood escaped from the flesh beneath. The dragoness whimpered as this new event penetrated her agonized mind, then screamed again as the knife plunged down to its full depth. Following the line of the gap, Ela shifted her grip and tore savagely toward the far side, slashing through the Inquisitor’s hard-trained muscle and freeing a much more copious rush of blood to flow down over the finer black scales of her sides.\n\n\t“I’ll use this there if it looks like she needs it to last, Mistress,” Pola noted attentively from her place by the cart, patting the insulated grip of her cauterizing iron with a smile.\n\n\tThe vixen nodded with a pleased chuckle, “Acceptable... but let me hold the sides of the gash open if you do. It’s a personal favorite of mine to play with guts, and I don’t want you to sear shut such a convenient point of access to hers...”\n\n\tThe temple’s usual priest and priestess had been conducting a whispered discussion throughout, and it ended with the bear stepping forward, parting the split of his robe’s skirt and lifting it to display his sizable ursine erection as he asked, “Does anyone here have a larger cock than mine? We don’t sacrifice many reptiles here, and never a dragon, but the thought occurred to me that their scales represent a... vulnerability, and I’m guessing that this lady’s anus is more limited in how far it can stretch than we furred types are used to. Its profound humiliation value aside, I believe it would be quite painful for her to be penetrated there by something too big to comfortably fit, the larger the better.”\n\n\tKrebic was big enough that none of the men of the congregation looked particularly embarrassed to, by their very silence, admit they were smaller, and in the end only two hands raised, Ronnel’s and Ferrl’s. The latter blinked after a moment, then lowered his, murmuring over the pained sobs of the dragon, “I’m bigger... but I just realized I can’t participate in that way. My wife probably wouldn’t object, but this time the victim’s not a slave, so she’s not covered by my previous promises. I’m a man of my word, even if violating it ‘just a little’ would be so much fun...”\n\n\tAfter a moment’s thought, Ronnel brought his hand down too, “And I... cannot. The fact that the same to me her protege wished to do, makes rape not less vile. I object not to causing pain and chagrin to her, but do it myself I can’t.”\n\n\tElaria looked up from where she’d been licking her knife blade clean, and smiled, “You’re sweet, dear, and that’s part of why I love you... Don’t worry any; Krebic’s big enough to do the job, and it was just a matter of dark principle to try finding someone who could do it better. Now, if you’re alright with doing that sort of thing gently, to one who likes it... well, I do.”\n\n\tThere’d been time enough since her newest wound for Talaya to start tracking again, and she blinked at the realization of just what was being discussed... “Songblade!” she cried, looking desperately over to Ela even as the other priestess started wedging wooden blocks under her to raise her hips far enough for the act. “Songblade, please kill me! Beg you I do, to take that knife and my throat cut with it! Sodomy, not for my kind is; tear I will!”\n\n\tThe vixen gave the sacrifice a condescending pat on the head as she looked over to Krebic, “Hear that? Your guess was right; this should hurt like hell!” The chains rattled as anger flared and the dragoness tried to lunge and bite that hand, but the iron and Ela’s reflexes conspired against her, and she settled back down against the lumps of wood beneath her with a sob.\n\n\tThe position itself had to be a form of torture, the dragoness’ back arched by the blocks and her knees spread by a strapped-on bar, and while less painful for him, it was also rather impractical from Krebic’s perspective. His robe set aside, he had to ease his legs between her thighs and around that bar, kneeling but without his rump able to quite touch his calves for a bit of relaxation. Still, he managed to get himself into place quickly enough that his erection softened only marginally in the time it took, and his grin was lecherous as he corrected that lack by stroking himself with one paw while the other crudely splayed Talaya’s sex to peer into. “This hole,” he mused, “is... practically star-shaped, obviously meant to stretch relatively easily around an egg on its way out. The other, though...”\n\n\tThe fallen Inquisitor closed her eyes with a whimper as she felt the rounded tip of his shaft stroke up her truncated tail and come to rest at the little slit at its base, the sound replaced by a rising keen as the pressure there gradually increased, and a ragged scream escaping as he finally abandoned subtlety and rammed his hips forward. Two more thrusts with pauses to gather his strength and punctuating grunts saw him about two-thirds buried in that tight orifice, close to the limits of his awkward position and his own comfort, and he withdrew slowly to let the audience see the dark gleam of blood on his shaft, easier to spot than the trickles already running down black scales to join the stains left on the altar by the amputated tail. Fresh blood also flowed above, the portions of the gash in her belly that had started to clot breaking apart to leak anew under the unwelcome pressure within, and his second thrust only made it worse, the cut parting enough to give a flashing view of glistening intestines.\n\n\tAkani leaned down, mindful of that long neck and the teeth at the other end, to murmur to Talaya as the initial agony of penetration passed into a sustained ache and the burn of humiliation, “Do you still want to die quickly? Because I should warn you... your death here will not be the end of pain, but only the beginning. You’ve tormented and murdered hundreds in your long life, and the consequences await you in the Fanged Goddess’ heaven.”\n\n\tThose slit pupils widened again at that news, then the dragoness shook her head, “No! Believe that, I cannot! Godless am I; no heaven shall I find, only rebirth! End this abuse, and quickly, that washed clean might this one failure in a life of glory may be!”\n\n\tBehind the altar, Ela and Pola responded to a spiritual nudge by stepping out of the way, giving a clear view to sacrifice and audience alike as the statue on the wall animated. *I’m afraid, My dear, that you are... misinformed,* Kathalla Herself mused to all gathered. *Those sacrificed to Me are, when they’re ready and with My agreement, reborn, but ‘tis My heaven they visit first, and neither Malia nor Tarragh would appreciate My releasing you short of learning your lesson. The fate that awaits you is to experience every moment of pain and death you’ve ever inflicted on another, until you recognize your wrongness and truly repent it... but you will relive your victims’ ends in a completely random order. You think so little of them, that I’m sure you’ll have trouble even remembering who you killed and why for any given instance, and each victim you fail to identify and find sympathy for will simply have to be repeated at some future point. Thus, I anticipate your stay in My realm as being one of centuries before the last lesson is finally learned...*\n\n\tTears that had nothing to do with her physical wounds seeped from the Inquisitor’s tightly-shut eyes, and she didn’t even twitch to show she’d noticed as Krebic rammed himself up her ass one last time, rumbling his pleasure as his shaft pulsed and several audience members gave quiet cheers at the sight. Akani nodded to herself as she observed, then told the young ladies across from her, “The true scope of her situation has finally penetrated her mind... so there’s no point in drawing things out longer for their own sake. You two... just have fun, as messily or fatally as you desire. I’ll handle the official, formal prayer of dedication,” and she glanced over to where her co-priest was using his robe to wipe the blood from his crotch, “though, for my relatively boring efforts, I’ll expect a certain... consideration in my room after the service.”\n\n\t“Gladly,” the bear agreed with a nod. “A responsive lover is always more stimulating, so raping that creature there was something of a chore.”\n\n\tMeanwhile, Ela and Pola had removed the props from between the sacrifice and the altar, the vixen giving a wave of her hand and a teasing half-bow to cede the first new torment to her lapine partner. Giggling, the bunny murmured her thanks then lifted a serrated kitchen knife from the cart. Climbing onto the altar, then, she straddled Talaya’s ribs and reached down, her free hand gripping one gashed breast, claws digging into scales, while her other snugged the knife up into its undercurve. Eyes bright and a big smile on her face, the slave started sawing upwards, a happy shiver running up her spine as rivulets of blood started streaming down and the toothy maw above opened in a renewed scream of pain. Tossing the soft, bloody orb toward the audience in case anyone wanted a souvenir, the rabbit groped again and started another ragged cut.\n\n\tThe agonized cry as she lost her other breast was quieter this time, the dragon’s body managing to adjust enough to the new level of pain... until Pola shared a grinning glance with the vixen, lifted her hips from the sobbing chest beneath them, and leaned back on one hand. Dropping the knife to one side, her free fingers reached between her legs to spread herself and aim, then an arcing stream of bright yellow gushed out onto the bleeding tatters of raw flesh, her fingertips digging in to both play the salty flow over every bit of exposed meat and caress herself to even better enjoy the ear-piercing shriek of agony she’d elicited.\n\n\tThat scream lasted a breath and a half before the vocal cords fueling it were overwhelmed and it quieted to hoarse moans, still loud enough that Elaria had to raise her voice as she grinned to her collared friend, “You either thought about my comment on gutting a lot, or asked Akani for specifics of that night she summarized... Either way, that was damned mean. Good job, bunny!”\n\n\tPola nodded happily, ears flopping, as she climbed down, pausing to lick the last bit of salt from her fingers before asking, “And what are you planning? You were right that that trick’s one of the most painful things you can do to someone, but I’m hoping it’ll help inspire you to new heights.”\n\n\tThe vixen chuckled, shaking her head, “This isn’t a contest... and I wouldn’t win if it were, as all I’m planning is a somewhat quicker, much messier variant on the way I killed you. It’ll actually be a fairly close call... but I think asphyxiation will set in first, rather than other causes of death.” Much like her friend, she climbed onto the altar to straddle the prisoner, then, though her rump rested on black-scaled hips instead of ribs. The temple’s slave watching curiously, her hand back between her thighs, Ela first took a moment to spread the blood-crusted gash in Talaya’s belly, reaching in to gather a big handful of hot, slick guts to pull out. She fondled the moist intestines for a self-indulgent moment, then gave them another tug before letting them drape down the audience’s side of that firm-muscled belly and reaching back in. A few more feet of entrails, here and there, emerged, but her main goal was to nudge things out of the way internally; once satisfied, her bloodied hand emerged and drew the long, curved blade at her hip, several of the watching Kathallics’ eyes widening as they noted the aura of darkness that surrounded the steel. Her other hand holding that broad slit open, she eased the point carefully inward on one side, an expression of concentration on her muzzle as she probed for just the right placement and angle... then thrust savagely inward, knife and hand alike vanishing completely, though her forearm twisted visibly as she wrenched the weapon and her victim screamed. Fur and steel were completely drenched in blood as they withdrew, and the dragoness’ next breath had an audible gurgle in it. The attempted scream elicited by a matching stab-and-twist on the other side of her ribcage made almost no sound at all as blood fountained from the inquisitor’s muzzle. Ela climbed down, crimson streaming from her arm as her fallen foe thrashed among the chains holding her down, fighting for the breath that her shredded lungs just couldn’t draw.\n\n\tPola nodded beside her, “You’re right, Mistress... We’ll probably never know whether she suffocates or bleeds to death inside first; it could be either one.” Grinning, then, she leaned down to steal a lick of still-warm blood from the priestess’ arm, “Not that she’ll appreciate the fine distinction, I’m guessin’!”\n\n\tChuckling, Elaria gave her a one-armed hug while the other wiped her knife off against her robe, then sheathed it as she padded toward the pews. “Dame Grallia,” she noted with a bowed head, “I offer you the head of your kin’s killer, and to pay for the services of a taxidermist upon it.”\n\n\tThe skunk blinked, then shook her head with a sigh, “Keeping that, I’m pretty sure, would be pushing things just one step too far beyond the indulgence I’ve been granted simply to be here...” She gestured at the chained-down body, still twitching faintly though its outright struggles had ceased, “I am... content, and I’m sure that the spirits of my brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephews can rest now, too. My friend... you have my gratitude.”\n\n\tEven as the Maliites, Ronnel included, shared one more nod between them, Akani rose from her prayerful kneel to address the audience more generally, “Justice has indeed been served here, today... and I’m sure we all agree that it was a very entertaining show. I’d like to thank both of my fellow priests and our sadistic little bunny for their parts in it, and I invite everyone to stick around for another half-hour or so. Refreshments, featuring hot slices of this criminal grilled with garlic, will be served shortly, and dragon is a rare treat indeed, I’m told.”\n\nChapter 18\n\n\t“I don’t know if we’ll have time for much practice this morning,” Elaria mused to her promised, a hint of confusion still lingering from the announcements she’d heard at the end of her lecture period. “In half an hour, all but four of the acolytes have been ordered to report to the west corner of the park-ring, and I wasn’t among the exceptions.”\n\n\tRonnel blinked, “Similar news, I’d been about to give you. Five of the twelve novices, myself included, a similar order have been given. The priests, too, on my way here I saw preparing to go out, almost all of them!”\n\n\tA knock at the door of the upstairs room that was occasionally used as either a salle or musical practice spot, depending on need, interrupted their speculations, and Kechira poked her head in a moment later, giving them an appraising glance then nodding to herself. “Good... you’re wearing what I hoped you were, Elaria. You, Ronnel, should probably grab your robe on the way out, just for propriety as this is something of an official temple event, but your prospective wife will be better off in her practice-wear. I also came by, Princess, to suggest that you use the intervening time to limber up. A quick regimen of stretches, but nothing strenuous as you’ll need all the energy you’ve got, just might let you go to bed with fewer aches tonight.”\n\n\tThe door shut again with a click, and Ela blinked once more, then shrugged and pulled her pants tight against her crotch to keep from tearing the seams as she sank into the splits, “I’ve decided... not to wonder. They obviously won’t tell us what’s going on, so it would be pointless to speculate.” She smiled over at the fox, “Besides... trying to figure it out would take time, time that I’d much rather spend enjoying your company.”\n\n\tChuckling, Ronnel nodded and knelt down to give her a light kiss, then sat on the other side of the room to stretch out one leg and lean along it, reaching for his toes. “Since practice we cannot,” he mused philosophically, “join you in this I might as well. Less I knew about flexibility’s importance, in my self-teaching, so of this the more I do, the better.”\n\n\tA few wispy clouds offered the occasional cooling shadow during the short walk to the park, the foxes joining the trickling line of individuals and small groups also on their way to their evident destination, one of the larger, grassy clearings in the park, the tall surrounding trees doing far more than the weather to reduce the summer heat. Even though a number of priests and lower-ranked devotees had stayed behind to watch the temple, the still-forming crowd clearly had more people in it than that edifice’s entire population, and Ela blinked as she recognized at least couple dozen men and two women from the temple of Tarragh by their dress and jewelry.\n\n\t“Musicians to the north,” Grallia’s strong voice called out over the various conversations going on, “and those simply observing please make use of the chairs set out by the western bushes... Ronnel? That means you; we’ve got enough percussionists to let you just watch, today. Elaria, you join Kechira and... Torralic, I think his name was; everyone else, line up by those novices to choose your weapons.”\n\n\tTorralic, it turned out, was an exceptionally muscular cougar in plate armor, a thick silver chain looped through the straps on his shoulder-plates, normally meant to hold up a cape but instead supporting the crossed-swords and shield emblem of Tarragh in solid gold. “High priest,” the vixen acknowledged, bowing deeply to him and getting a nod in reply.\n\n\tHer ‘own’ high priestess greeted her with a smile, “It’s good to see that you’re just as courteous outside of your own threefold faiths, dear. Anyway... unless I’m very mistaken, you’re probably rather confused by this whole affair.”\n\n\tEla nodded, but her intended reply was cut short as a brightness intruded... but it wasn’t exactly light. It cast no glow on the people or trees nearby, and she wasn’t even looking in the direction it was coming from. Swallowing hard, she shut her muzzle and was halfway down in her deepest curtsey even before she’d finished facing that light, her eyes downcast but her ears reporting the sound of people falling to their knees all around her.\n\n\tGlowing brightly to all of sufficient priestly rank to see such spiritual radiance, a mostly-black feline walked nearer, hand in hand with a much taller, incredibly muscular green dragon in heavy armor. Something deep within the vixen resonated with each step They took, and she finally understood the references she’d heard occasionally, to the ‘footsteps of the Gods.’\n\n\tHe and His sister stopping right in front of the genuflecting princess, Tarragh mused in a rumble as deep as the rolling boom of thunder, “So... this is the one?”\n\n\tMalia nodded, a fond smile on Her muzzle, and spoke in a voice that was also a song, echoes of a choir’s worth of harmony in its otherwise-conversational depths, “That she is, brother... I think that even You would be satisfied with her, had it been Your church she’d joined. Her military rank started as an honorary one, but she proved worthy in the way she followed the orders of her colonel and her duke, and commanded in turn the soldiers beneath her, resulting in the cornering and capture of the one who took Your name in vain.”\n\n\tThe dragon nodded, “A strictly minor event... but flawlessly executed, I must admit. For now, sister... I’ll simply observe in spirit, as these mortals, quite understandably, don’t seem to be getting much done when I’m around, Myself.”\n\n\tThe melodic chuckle of the Goddess of the Arts followed Him as His physical body vanished, the light of His spirit hanging on for one more moment before fading, but She Herself remained, shaking the assembled souls with a few more steps before gathering some golden rays of sunlight to shape into a nebulous chair to relax onto. “Please, My children, and My nieces and nephews of My brother’s church... carry on.”\n\n\tElaria swallowed again as she stood, turning back to the high priests, “Um... I know one of you was about to explain things to me, but I can’t help but wonder... did even you expect Them to show up?”\n\n\tTorralic shook his head, a hint of awe still in his voice as he answered, “No... I’ve cherished each and every time I’ve heard my God’s voice, but this was the first time I’ve ever seen Him in divine person.” Glancing down at the vixen, his grim muzzle spread into a smile, “Many call Him gruff, and grudging of praise... but ever has He been such. You may take the slightest positive word of His as a profound and unquestionably earned compliment. He called your recent victory perfect... so you must accept it as such. If any hint of a flaw or possible mistake exists in your mind, forget it, because His word means that no one could have done better, and He’d only have given it if He’d analyzed the entire scenario with a mind no mortal tactician could ever match.”\n\n\tThe vixen swallowed a third time as she nodded, “I’m... not feeling inclined to argue the point with Him.” Touching the shoulder of her blouse over the bandage she still wore there, she smiled, “I guess He accepts this minor graze as fast enough, as if I’d been a fraction of a second slower that nasty bit of magic would have lodged an explosive projectile in my shoulder and I’d probably be missing my arm.”\n\n\tKechira chuckled and patted her unwounded shoulder, “I’m hoping that the wound is, indeed, minor enough to avoid inconveniencing you today as, on the suggestion of our Lady there,” and she nodded toward Malia, “you’ve got a bit of a fight to look forward to. Once everyone’s in padded armor and has their wooden weapons... you, my dear, will get some music to dance the blades to as the entire fighting clergy of both militant temples try to take you down.”\n\n\tEla was pleased with how she managed to accept that with a simple nod rather than immediately breaking down in incredulity or tears and, even now, long before the fight would start, she consciously walled her mind off from thoughts of failure. Thus, there wasn’t much she could come up with for a reply other than, “I must admit, ma’am, that this... isn’t anything I’d ever have thought to ask for as a birthday present.”\n\n\t“That’s why I suggested it, My dear,” Malia commented from a few yards distant, a chuckle thrumming in Her choral voice, “though it’s not entirely a present to you... My brother and I wished, too, to give Our children the gift of seeing you at your finest, for most go their entire lives without getting to watch a blade dancer. There are only three others of your kind in the wide world, this day, none within a thousand leagues of here, and their reputation means that they rarely have to actually fight.” She pointed at where the musicians were seated, idly tuning their instruments, “The bard at the stand harp, there... you should remember him from when I healed his hands in this very town, years ago. He has expressed an interest in watching this fight too, and interviewing its other participants afterwards to get a better feel for the subtleties, and he’ll probably be composing a song about it. Once something like that gets around, you too will have a reputation that shall spread, so I suggest that you savor every chance for stimu",
"writing_bbcode_parsed": "Fantasie Eviscerotique
Episode Three
By Adrian VanWormer (Kathalla at FA and IB)
Chapter 1
\tElaria, Princess Gatuque, straightened up from where she’d been stretching against the floor of her room, lifting herself by her palms and bringing her split legs together, heels still inches off the carpet, until the fur of her calves met with that of her forearms, only then bending her knees to stand. She lifted her arms then, hands each grasping the other’s wrist, and stretched for the sheer pleasure and relaxation of it, back arching as it hadn’t throughout the more formal, limbering exercises she’d just finished. She glanced toward the altar in one corner of the chamber, fluffy mementos neatly arranged around the centerpiece of a long, curved dagger on a small stand of ebony, the black wood polished to an almost mirror-like gleam, then sighed. As much as the first half of her morning exercises relaxed and calmed her, the internal struggles that had crowded her waking mind were merely diminished, not forgotten, and she resolved quietly, “I’ll pray about it... later.” She had another workout waiting for her, she knew, and she smoothed down her light robe from where it had been bunched up indecently high by her splits.
\tShe nodded to various people as she passed them in the hall, giving servants and the representatives of great trading families equal regard, but added a wink, which was returned with a wide smile, as she passed the armed and armored unicorn guarding the top of a narrow flight of stairs. There was a lot of speculation, among those in the embassy not in her immediate family or their closest friends, as to just what went on in the high-walled courtyard her father had ordered constructed when he first took his position, with no windows opening onto it and local soldiers protecting its sanctity. Most of the strangers’ guesses focused on sex, starting with massive orgies and descending steadily in depravity, and they were even, quite accidentally, occasionally correct in one or two details, but none came particularly close. The hard-packed dirt she stepped out onto at the bottom of the stairs was her family’s private practice ground, as well as the training area for the New Vale Militia Elite. Three of the latter were waiting for her, the largest of the figures greeting her with a half-bow and a basso rumble of, “Good morning, Princess... are you ready for your spanking?”
\tAround her eleventh and twelfth years, Elaria had undergone a brief masochistic phase... Back when she’d simply been Ela, and a slave besides, the wolf who’d bought her had never actually punished her as her earlier trainers had, and she’d found she actually missed the stimulation of a sharp swat or twenty. She still enjoyed that, on occasion, though she’d grown out of almost needing a bit of pain to climax, and, once her tutoring in combat had passed basic physical conditioning and moved on to actual weapons-work, she’d surprised more than one sparring partner by offering a deliberate gap in her defense, only to fill it the moment they swung their wooden blade with the curve of her rump. Within months, teaching her had come to be known as ‘spanking the princess,’ and one of the points rumors met truth at was that, perhaps once every week or two, a sparring session proved stimulating enough for her and her partner that they both discarded their weapons and grappled in another manner entirely.
\t“As ready as I’ll ever be, Captain,” she replied with a grin as she untied the sash of her robe, “though you should know by now that just who spanks whom is never certain. How’s your leg?”
\tThe burly unicorn winced at her reminder, then shrugged, “I can walk on it again, or I wouldn’t be here... I still don’t know how you got enough leverage to hit that hard. The healer said I was lucky to get off with a torn hamstring; if your sword hadn’t been made of wood, I’d have lost the whole leg.”
\tShrugging out of her robe and folding it loosely to set on the low bench beside the practice gear, the nude vixen smiled and picked up her blade, “I simply took full advantage of this design... Short as it is, this kind of sword is meant to be used equally well with one hand or two, but that can apply to more than just strikes. After I’d darted between your legs, I held it with one hand at full extension to tap the ground and draw your attention the wrong way, then got both arms behind the swing that took you down, from the other side.”
\tThe captain’s memory of the pain of that strike faded in immediacy as he thought her described motions through, then nodded, “I understand, now... and should I ever feel the breeze of you passing my codpiece again, I’ll do my damnedest to get the hell out of your range rather than listen for your landing.”
\tElaria smirked, “What codpiece? I think you were looking forward to one of the ‘bonuses’ I occasionally hand out, and had skipped that; I distinctly remember getting a very pleasant view as I passed.” She shared a chuckle with the other two unicorns at his blush, then stepped away from the bench to take her place in the middle of the yard. The sword she held a wooden replica of was of no design she’d ever seen in use before in any of her travels, but had instead been drawn from a truly ancient tome which a long-dead unicorn scholar had been in the middle of translating at the particular moment when Malia magically gathered his entire race together to form the Vale. It sported roughly two feet of actual blade, just a bit shorter than a more typical longsword, but unlike the local standard it had only one edge, and was slightly curved as well. The guard beneath was simple and round, and its hilt was longer than any one-handed sword’s, wrapped in knotted strips of cotton rather than leather, wire, or textured wood, over a rawhide base that offered enough roughness to keep the cloth from sliding around while still managing a bit of give to conform to a grip.
\tThose assisting her training had searched long and hard before finding that design, but it seemed to be paying off. With a more average sword, as soon as she’d grown strong enough for her father to take a hand in her lessons she’d just as quickly started to develop some... less than optimal habits. No matter how he restrained himself, Earl Gatuque’s sheer strength called for a somewhat more braced defense than usual for swordplay. Though such let her hold her own, at least when Ferrl was holding back, the way she’d get her sword into position just a fraction of a second too early, allowing her to prepare for a coming impact, gave lesser fighters an opportunity to adjust mid-swing and avoid her block entirely. Now, though, the rounded spine of her sword let her brace it with her free hand, and judicious use of the weapon’s curve let her throw some uncertainty into the exact moment of a block’s impact. Those who’d thought to use the time it took for her to prepare for each block against her, thus, just as often found the tables turned, as either the base of her blade intercepted theirs an instant earlier than expected or its back-curved tip being missed entirely as she twisted a ‘block’ into an unexpected strike of her own.
\t“So, how shall we practice today?” Elaria asked as she finally stepped away from the bench and into the yard proper, her sword held easily despite its weight. It had taken some magic to accomplish without cost to the practice weapon’s durability, but the already-heavy hardwood was actually hollow, its center filled with enough lead to add up to nearly a third again the weight of the real, folded steel version that was still being forged. She hardly noticed that anymore, though, and probably didn’t realize herself the cause behind the habitual, frowning glance she directed for the briefest moment at her tense-muscled arm.
\tThe leader of the unicorns following her, however, did spot that grimace, and he hid one of his own, if of sympathy, as he looked her over once more... In the years since the Vale had opened to carefully-screened visitors, he’d seen his share of vulpines, and had watched as Ela, as a slim and undeniably attractive cub, had grown into her current, less than optimal self. To be certain, he liked how she looked, but he could understand why she might not share his point of view, grounded as it was in the martial ardor that had brought him to his current rank among his homeland’s elite. Others, he knew, would take one look at her bulky, hard-muscled body and distinctly small, if pert, breasts and immediately dismiss her as ‘unvixenish.’
\tBefore the captain could voice his own choice for the morning’s rules of engagement, a new and deeper voice interrupted firmly, “Three on one, to debilitating pain. It’s time for a test.” Standing at the bottom of the stairs was the earl himself, and his gaze was serious as he addressed his daughter, “The tome from which your sword’s design came had more to say about it than just its shape... It was also a symbol of an elite warrior caste in the land it came from, the physical representation of a fighter’s personal honor, and such swords had to be earned. Yours is ready... if you prove worthy of it.”
\tEla swallowed visibly, nodding, “I shall try my best, Father,” and stepped toward the center of the courtyard. Two on one, she could win a bit more than half the time unless both of her foes were of captain rank or higher... but even three corporals could prove beyond her on a bad day, the Vale elite’s ranks based rigidly on actual combat ability. She was judged a sergeant, herself, the rank being honorary even if the tests had been identical to a real militiaman’s, and she thought she could pass the lieutenant’s exam if she tried... Thinking about the past, though, was eroding her confidence, and she knew it. ‘There is only the now,’ she thought firmly to herself, emptying her mind of those distracting memories. ‘No odds are impossible; the only thing separating the victor from the fallen is the focus they bring to the fight.’
\t“Don’t hold back,” Ferrl cautioned the soldiers as they spread out, limbering their own weapons as they took up positions around his daughter. “I ask that you do not kill her... but any hesitation or held blows to make the fight more ‘fair’ will only mean that she has to go through it again. Fight with all of your valor and honor, for only that can let hers fully shine through.”
\tThe soldiers nodded as they took their final positions, spread out in an arc about fifteen feet from their opponent and each other, but the vixen herself showed no reaction at all, her eyes focused on nothing in particular to better watch them all, her sword held low with both hands, one wrapped around the other... That wasn’t the ‘right’ grip to fight with, but, like her unfocused gaze, it offered no hint as to which direction she might be thinking of moving in; which hand was above the other in a two-pawed grip did much to define her options where strikes and blocks were concerned, and she clearly had no intention of offering any sort of clue in advance of action itself.
\tThe captain was in the middle, facing her directly, and began a cautious advance, even as his comrades, a lieutenant and a sergeant, stepped up more quickly from either side. Elaria crouched, still facing her central foe, then leapt to the side the lieutenant was coming from, half-spinning through the air. One hand released her practice sword to sweep in the opposite direction, doing much to halt her twist even before her leading foot had touched the ground again, and her blade itself came in just above the unicorn’s sword. He wasn’t quite as ambidextrous as she, fighting sword-and-dagger, and his failed block had been with his longer weapon out of sheer reflex. The princess’ sudden assault, though, obviously had more thought behind it than he had the luxury for, and the edge of her sword struck his left forearm hard enough to knock the dagger from its grasp. The impact stung, of course, but wasn’t quite enough to count as ‘debilitating pain,’ and his own rigorous training led him to instinctively twist his remaining weapon, turning his failed block into a torso-strike since it was already well within her guard.
\tEla had aimed to avoid his sword, but certainly hadn’t forgotten it; her empty hand came back around to bash the flat of the blade down hard enough to wrench the wrist that held it and completely ruin its attack of opportunity, incidentally drawing both of her own arms away from her body’s center to leave a gap for her trailing leg, which caught up with and passed the rest of her in a lashing kick to the soldier’s belly, his leather armor doing nothing to keep him from doubling over and allowing her to follow up with a second kick directly to his chin. Dust billowed as he was knocked over flat on his back, his wooden sword clattering as it bounced away from him, and what little breath he had left to him whooshed out an instant later as she brought her own sword down, hard, against his ribs then spun away to face her remaining foes.
\tFerrl nodded to himself as he watched. Strong as she was, his daughter was still quite small compared to her opponents; he’d taught her to show compassion and mercy when such was warranted, but he was equally satisfied to see that she knew when being ‘nice’ was an unaffordable luxury. In such an imbalanced contest such as this, anything less than her ruthless best would do her enemies’ job for them.
\tHer initial seizure of the aggressor's role had let her plan the take-down she’d just executed, but her other two foes were nearly upon her now, and all Ela could do was react. The sergeant and the captain were taking turns, the officer with his two-handed sword and his subordinate sporting a longsword and small shield, and they moved with the coordination that only long practice together could grant, their strikes alternating even as they maneuvered to sandwich the vixen between them. The first hints of sweat were already dampening her fur, the fight barely a minute old, as she blocked, spun, and blocked again before jumping backwards to keep them both in view, and she thought she saw the larger unicorn’s eyes narrow slightly as she did so... A fleeting surge of amusement rippled the calmness of her battle trance, and she blocked one more blow from each of the burly equines before they flanked her evenly again, half-crouching in the clear suggestion of another backwards leap. It was the captain’s ‘turn’ to strike, and strike he did, but his long blade, slower than most despite the speed his massive muscles could impart, found only air where he’d been expecting to catch the midpoint of her next leap back. Rather than leap at all, she’d lunged forward and away, one long stride seeing well away from him and at his compatriot’s shield-side, and a second, shorter step setting up for a full three-quarter circle spin to bring her sword, gripped tight in both hands, around to slash from his front. The sergeant raised sword and shield to block, the former a bit awkwardly as he’d been focused on his own next strike, but between the spin and both her arms’ strength, they did little to mute her blow, his practice blade shattering in a burst of splinters and his shield cracked in twain along with the bones beneath it.
\tHer spin had also offered the chance for a quick glance at what her chief opponent was up to, and he wasn’t standing idle; one step in her direction closed half the distance between them, and he’d let his sword lag a bit behind to sweep forward and up in a two-handed blow nearly as unstoppable as her own, so she didn’t even try to block. Releasing her lower hand’s grip from her own weapon, she flung herself backwards, spine arched as the fur of her belly fluttered with the wind of the near-miss’ passage. She followed through, kicking into a handspring then back to her feet, and some part of her marveled at how very like her father the last standing unicorn was. Halting and recovering from his own swing would have taken any lesser fighter long enough for her to be the first back into position, but as she was just getting upright again he was already recovered and starting the second of his strides to close the distance... not that he would, at least not completely. Another swipe of his five-foot blade was already on the way, and a second flicker of admiration crossed her consciousness as she noted the spacing involved, too close to leap away from but too far to rush past, even though she was still clearly off-balance and couldn’t do either. All she could do, and did, was grab the spine of her sword with her free hand and bring it up hard with both, intercepting and lifting his weapon out of line with her body... or almost. She managed a quick half-step backwards to lean out of its way, but it still caught the awkwardly-raised elbow of the arm currently holding her sword, pain blossoming intensely enough that she was sure the bone was chipped, if not broken.
\tBlinking away tears even as she bit her lip to keep from yelping, Elaria thrust off with the foot behind her, lunging to the side the strike had come from even as she let go of her weapon’s hilt, unable to trust the strength of her hand after that blow. Dull as its ‘edge’ was, she knew she had to pretend the sword in her hands was sharp, so she kept her other hand’s grip on its spine and flat as she tossed the weapon just a bit ahead of her by that grasp. Still better than half-blind from pain and tears, she grabbed at where she hoped the hilt would be... and smiled despite her agony as her fingers closed around the familiar knots of cotton. The maneuver hadn’t been perfect, her grip sideways and her vision still not clear enough to know which way to shift it to put the edge in ‘front,’ but that didn’t matter. One foot lashed out in front of her, abruptly halting her lunge, and she turned her inertia into a spin led by her sword’s point; it was primarily a slashing weapon, but that didn’t mean its tip was dull, and she rammed it into the captain’s side hard enough to penetrate his leathers and bury two or three inches of the wood itself in his abdomen.
\t“Medic!” the unicorn yelped, and she immediately let go of her weapon, reaching up to wipe her eyes and finally take a look around. The pair of healers who were always in attendance when the yard was to be used were already there, one with each of her previous foes, and the man attending the lieutenant, who’d only suffered a bit of dazing and a broken rib, rushed to aid the captain while his partner worked to set the sergeant’s arm bones.
\tElaria staggered another step or two back from the scene of the battle, only now starting to pant hard. In combat, her breathing tended to remain deep and steady, if faster than usual, and she always seemed to feel the true extent of her exertions only after the fact. A brush of her elbows against her own sides brought renewed awareness of the injury she’d taken, and she stifled a yelp as she grabbed that arm with her other hand, eyes tearing again as she carefully felt around... Sure enough, one spot was extremely sensitive to the touch, and a short scream escaped unchecked as she pushed on it and felt the scrape of a sliver against the bone it had come off of. Shaking her head to clear it, she glanced to the healers and managed in strained tones, “His guts and that arm have priority, but I’ll need a bit of your help too...”
\tThe two white-robed unicorns, both notably smaller than the fighters they were attending, nodded without looking up from their patients, even as Ferrl padded over from where he’d been watching and took up a position between them, one arm stretched toward each as he channeled magical energy to help their own mystical talents. His smile and voice both held a clear pride as he addressed his adopted daughter, “You did well... Three foes, the lowest of which held rank equal to your own, and none weighing less than twice what you do, but you are indisputably the victor. Your sword itself is ready, and is a thing of beauty, but the last coat of lacquer was still drying on its scabbard when I checked with the smith; he should be bringing it by just after lunch, I’d hazard.”
\tEla nodded, her muzzle still taut with pain, and her ragged voice was a far cry from its usual smoothly seductive tones as she replied, “I’m rather proud of how I managed them, myself, and I fully realize that my victory was as much mental, and before the fight ever started, as it was physical. I haven’t always been able to take your more philosophical advice to heart, I’ll admit, but I did this time, and ignored the ‘impossibility’ of my task completely. Had I dwelt upon it, I certainly wouldn’t be standing here in any condition to speak, right this moment.”
\tThe earl nodded his own acknowledgment with a soft chuckle, “Indeed... I was paying as much attention to the look on your face as the rest of your performance, and what I saw there was... quite satisfactory. You say you don’t want to rule, and you don’t believe you’re attractive enough to whore, but as far as careers go, you could immediately start making a living as an extremely well-paid bodyguard if you wished.” He glanced to one side as the medic tending the sergeant rose, and gestured the man toward his daughter, “Here, let’s get that elbow of yours fixed; I can see just how much it must hurt, and you’ve more than earned some relief.”
* * *
\tBreakfast had been a few rolls with berries baked into them, washed down with water, so the princess was more than ready to join the rest of her family for a more substantial lunch. In keeping with her father’s policies of efficiency and frugality, the dining room was the largest chamber in the embassy, with several medium-sized tables that could be moved easily out of the way, letting it double as a reception hall and, occasionally, a ballroom for formal dances when there was need to properly entertain important guests. Two of the tables were slightly grander than the rest, oval-shaped and trimmed with decorative carvings. Her immediate family sat at one, while the other, flanking it at the ‘upper’ end of the room, hosted two envoys from nearby kingdoms and the heads of three merchant houses.
\tElaria herself, her parents, her two siblings, and her grandmother, together, didn’t quite fill ‘their’ table, and she smiled in pleased surprise when, as the only unicorn slave in the world transferred dishes from the cart to personally serve their meals, the chair to her left was pulled out and filled by the captain she’d sparred with that very morning. “Captain Lindren!” she greeted him with a broad smile. “I’m glad to see you... You seem to be moving comfortably enough, which means the healers did their jobs right, and I’d really like to apologize for that wound. It was a bit more than you had any reason to expect, in mere practice, but once we go beyond scoring by simple touches, it’s almost impossible to hold back without effectively throwing the fight.”
\tThe unicorn nodded with a smile that showed he held no resentment, “And I’m certainly pleased to join you for a meal... which I wouldn’t be if the medic hadn’t realized that you’d shoved a bit of my intestine inward enough to dent and crimp it. He reached in with a hook and straightened it out; if he hadn’t, eating anything would have led to an... unpleasant experience.”
\tHis dining companion nodded back, then took a moment to smile at the naked filly setting a pair of dishes before them, the platter of sliced fowl obviously intended for her while the large bowl of beans, rice, and steamed vegetables was far more suited to the captain’s herbivorous physiology. “Thank you, Ria,” she murmured.
\t“A pleasure to serve, Mistress,” the filly replied, her voice husky enough to prove the stated sentiment quite literal, without pause or break to her work.
\tA flicker of wry amusement passed over the stallion’s features as he watched the slave move on to set out smaller meat-heavy dishes before the seven-year-old prince and his twin sister, a more positive, or at least resigned, reaction than most unicorns had upon meeting Ria. Shrugging, then, he spoke quietly to Ela again, “I had a chance, between my healing and this meal, to describe our little bout to Colonel Julara... and she agrees that no lieutenant in our entire corps could have managed what you did. As happy as I am about you earning that special sword we all know you’ve lusted after for so long, it gives me, personally, far more pleasure to inform you that you’re now my equal, Captain Elaria.”
\tThe princess blinked, feeling her face and loins both heat in a pleased blush at the totally unexpected news. “That,” she murmured softly once enough of her surprise had worn off that she could speak, “is quite possibly the most satisfying accomplishment of my entire life... My reputation in bed is really just a combination of careful breeding and the expertise of the trainers at Owned Elegance. The potential authority of my rank of princess and, possibly, eventually countess are the purest luck, though I still offer the occasional prayer of thanks that it was Ferrl who bought me those years ago. This, though... it’s a rank that any good and decent person would respect, and I’ve earned it, through my own hard work. My trainers deserve some credit too, of course, but it’s not like the education I received at the slave house. I’m not an infant any more, and it was up to me to make use of that training to get the most out of it.”
\tLindren nodded solemnly, “I know, and so does Julara. The best training in the world—which, admittedly, just might describe us—isn’t much of an improvement over any other if you just learn it by rote and rely on just one set of responses to any given situation. The ferocity and intelligence with which you apply your lessons are entirely your own, and your promotion is meant to acknowledge that. A less flexible fighter would have looked at the odds in our last match and just surrendered; if anyone like that managed to get into the Elite in the first place, they’d never make it past corporal.”
\tOne corner of the vixen’s muzzle twitched up wryly, “I’ve seen your maneuvers at the platoon and company level, though, and even that sort has a use. Occasionally one does simply need to hold a static battle-line against roughly-equal numbers.” She picked up her fork and reached to skewer a few slices of game hen from the platter; they’d stopped steaming, and she figured she’d better eat while they were still at least warm.
\tHer companion just chuckled with a rueful half-shake of his head, “I guess... If we ever have a war, there will be casualties, so it can’t hurt to have the occasional soldier you wouldn’t mind seeing become one,” then focused on his own meal.
* * *
\tElaria took one more loving look at the gleaming, flawless black finish of her new sword’s scabbard, resting on a stand positioned to catch the full sun at this time of mid-afternoon, the only time of day her room’s window admitted the light unshaded, then glanced back to the corner she’d always, out of religious respect, kept in at least token shadow. The dagger resting on its own stand, there, seemed to suck in and dim the light about it regardless of the time of day, to her, but few others who’d ever been in here, outside of her own family, could see the effect. The fact that she still could, however, was its own form of comfort, and she held onto that as she settled her knees into the slight hollows for them her praying-pad had developed from long use.
\t*You’re troubled,* a voice whispered to her soul the moment she’d cleared her mind, her intended prayer still just a nebulous mass of feelings, rather than words. *I’ve sensed the growing unrest in your mind, these last weeks, and I’ve taken some guesses as to its cause... but you must still find the words to express your needs, if you wish My aid.*
\tThis fetched a faint smile from the princess, “Not Your aid, my Goddess... but I’ve been meaning to ask You something, and I feared that You might not like the question, or that I may be profoundly disappointed by the answer.”
\tHer soul thrummed with the amusement conveyed by the spiritual chuckle that fetched, *Oh, you needn’t worry too much... The worst I’ve ever done to anyone for asking Me a particularly inane question was to remove them from those I consider My favorites, but they still counted as devout Kathallics. They could still pray to Me at need, though they tended to do so a little less often once I’d conveyed My own... disappointment.*
\tEla nodded, “I can live with that consequence should it come to pass, though I don’t think my question’s precisely stupid...” Taking a deep breath, she focused her gaze anew on the dagger that was a physical representation of her very Goddess, and dove in, “My question is this: where do you draw the line between ecumenicism and apostasy?”
\tA distinct sensation of surprise rippled through the bond between the immortal and Her devotee, *That... is neither inane nor stupid, but far wiser a question than even My priests are prone to ask... but, then again, few of them have had your casual experiences with other religions, much less to the point of sleeping with two other Goddesses. It is not, however, completely without precedent. Admittedly, all of the followers I’ve shared with the other Gods have been cases where one of Sliisthar’s assassins liked to play with their victims, or one of Karnaal’s thieves enjoyed spending their stolen wealth on the sort of vices My children prefer, but I sense that it’s your affection for My light-side sisters that led you to ask this of Me.*
\tThe vixen nodded again, “I hold a high rank in an organization that could be termed Maliite fairly accurately, and more than once have I heard visitors whispering about a suspected link between the rumors of my habits and Roxanarra. I wouldn’t mind... formalizing those relationships, but I still love You, and wish to follow You as I have since I was six. Is that even possible, though?”
\t*It wouldn’t have been, a mere decade ago,* came the reply, *but I think you could become a devotee, possibly even a low-rank priestess, of Malia and Roxanarra without losing your relationship to Me. The other Goddesses know you, from Their own experiences. Their mortal followers may be shocked at the notion, but you’ve earned personal exceptions to a great many of the usual guidelines. I strongly doubt that your own enjoyment of a good sacrifice will ever fade, so in that way you’ll always be Mine... but, so long as you learn to be discreet enough not to draw attention to such acts, and keep your thoughts and prayers on the appropriate deity regardless of what you’re doing at a given moment, I believe that My sisters and I would, indeed, be willing to... share you. I had you first, and I’ll be making sure They know that, so it will be My heaven that welcomes your soul after death, but... yes, you have My permission to show faith to more than just Me. Much like your childhood journeys and adventures with your father, this can only improve My relationship to the light, and that is worth more to Me than being the sole recipient of your prayers.*
\tA broad smile spread over Elaria’s muzzle as she got the answer she’d been hoping for, tension she hadn’t realized she’d borne fading from her body, “Thank you, Kathalla. As much as I love what I’ve done in Your service, and as much as I love You, I’m... looking forward to broadening my experiences just a bit more... officially.”
Chapter 2
\tDanara opened the door at her daughter’s knock, offering a nod of greeting and a smile as the vixen stepped into the main room of the ambassador’s private quarters.
\tAlmost immediately, Ela’s combat reflexes were required to dodge the tumbling ball of clothes, fur, and tails that happened to be her younger siblings. A glance to Danara and the wolfess’ grimace were all the cue she needed, and the two ladies moved as one to pry apart the tussling twins.
\tOnly after they were safely separated did Ela even bother to check which one she held, “So, Gerial, was there any particular reason you and your sister were fighting this time?”
\tThe young wolf’s head tilted to one side as he thought, then he shrugged, “Nah, not really... We was mostly jus’ playin’, but I had’ta show ‘er boys’re better’n girls at fightin’ again anyways.”
\tA few feet away, his sister shot an entreating glance over her shoulder, and Danara nodded, letting go of her. “I keeps tellin’ ‘im he should stop goin’ all google-eyed at you practicin’ nekkid, big sis, an’ look at what yer doin’! That’d shut ‘is yap right quick ‘bout boys an’ girls...”
\tElaria shook her head with an indulgent smile, “You know how I don’t like to take sides between you and your brother, Pria... but you’re entirely right this time.” Since he wasn’t trying to escape, she let go of her little brother and moved around to meet his gaze, “You should have watched this morning... Three boys, all a lot bigger and older than me, ended up scattered around the practice yard, moaning over three broken bones, a bumped head, and a hole in one’s belly... and that’s when I was using a wooden sword.” She reached up to touch the hilt peeking over her shoulder, Gerial’s eyes widening as he noticed that she was wearing her new sword on a customized baldric, as she mused, “If I’d been using this... two of those boys would be dead now, and the third would be missing an arm, while I’d just be wearing a smallish bandage on my elbow. It wouldn’t even have taken a real healer to fix the one ‘ouch’ I got... and, remember, I’m ‘just a girl.’”
\tThe cub shook his head, “Yer ‘just a girl’ like that bunny gal in th’village, th’kind that could pick up most boys an’ break ‘em in half. I was talkin’ ‘bout more... y’know, generally, ‘bout boys and girls and stuff.”
\tFerrl shook his own head from where he’d been watching his family indulgently, “I’ve been trying to teach you better than that, Ger... You make allowances for generalities, meaning you keep them in mind, but don’t let that stop you from assessing each individual on their own merits. If you’re serious about wanting to head south and rule Gatuque in my name someday, you’ll need to work on that, as it’s the special ways in which people aren’t normal, the things they can do that no one else can, or no one else does the same way, that make certain people better or worse for some jobs. Now, ‘generally speaking,’ wolves tend to be good leaders, instinctively forming a pack and keeping its best interests in mind... At the moment, though, you certainly don’t seem very wolflike in that regard.”
\tThe cub frowned at that criticism, then outright scowled as his twin folded her arms over her chest and stuck her tongue out. He returned the gesture, of course, but looked back to his father quickly enough, “I’ll try that, Daddy... lookin’ fer what’s special in every’un, I mean.”
\t“Good,” his father, mother, and big sister declared in unison, eliciting a merry giggle from Pria.
\t“You two go play in your room,” Danara instructed, smoothing out her somewhat cub-rumpled dress. “I think your sister’s here to talk about something serious, but I’m sure she’ll show you her new sword soon enough.”
\tGerial looked indifferent as he started trudging down the hall, but Pria’s ears perked high at the notion, and she nodded enthusiastically before scampering after her brother.
\tThe earl could only shake his head and chuckle, “It looks like both of my daughters will end up warrior maids... At least they’ll have good teaching, and that’s the best a father can really hope for.”
\tEla smirked as she settled into a chair opposite his own, vaguely throne-like seat, then took a moment to adjust the sword she was still getting used to wearing, slipping its scabbard’s tip through the hole under the chair’s arm as she quipped, “In Pria’s case, maybe, but you know full well I haven’t physically qualified as a ‘maid’ since I was two!”
\tBoth of her adoptive parents chuckled at that, her mother commenting, “As much as I love you, dear, I must admit that I’m glad you’re the only vixen in the family... Those two are trouble enough without adding sex to the mix! They can wait another seven or eight years before getting into that, which may be enough time for me to actually feel recovered from trying to keep twins breastfed and diapered!”
\tHer husband shook his head with a chuckle, “Five years, six if you’re lucky... Remember how sheltered your own upbringing was, my love... Here we have Ria and her usual bare-furred ‘costume,’ Ela and her similar practice attire, and quite a number of very good-looking young stallions hanging around in form-fitting leathers. The twins will probably start getting actively curious about that sort of thing around the same time I did, and my own ‘deflowering’ was three months before I turned thirteen. I was starting to get big enough to seem ‘interesting’ at that point, and one of the local whores who worked my mother’s tavern was bored enough with her clients to want a change of pace...”
\tDanara frowned briefly, then relented with a shrug, “Five years or eight, I guess we’ll just deal with it as it comes.”
\tFurther agreement was clearly at hand from the earl, but Ela interrupted with a shake of her head, “I may not be providing those, ah, educational shows during my practice here for much longer, though...”
\tFerrl nodded, “I suspected as much. Shortly before your knock at the door, I had something of a spiritual ‘twinge’ that I’ve learned is Kathalla’s wordless way of warning the devout to hang onto their proverbial hats.”
\tHis adoptive daughter smiled, “I’m not surprised that She warned you, given that She and I had a relatively lengthy conversation on the subject this afternoon. To put things bluntly, I’ve gotten Her permission to seek a closer spiritual relationship with Roxy and Malia. For the latter, of course, I could just visit the temple in town here, but it’s still the only church in the Vale. The other faiths have no representation beyond the occasional priest who’s retired here, and if they manage to talk a unicorn into joining their religions they tend to send the new converts to Wheathaven or Rajai. At a minimum, I’d have to go as far as Chraf in Wheathaven myself, as that’s the nearest Roxanite enclave to us, and I’d prefer to go at least that far to learn more of Malia, as both the local high priest and the commander of the militant aspects of the faith know me too well. In this case, I’d honestly prefer to deal with a complete stranger, as fewer assumptions would be made on both sides that way.”
\tThis fetched another nod from the burly wolf, “So you’ve well considered just what you need to do... Good. The only questions, then, would be those of ways and means.” His wife’s eyes widened and she opened her muzzle, then just as quickly bit her lip. “Your mother seems surprised that I’m so readily agreeing to what amounts to your moving out and finding a place of your own,” the earl mused with a chuckle and an affectionate gaze toward his bitch, “but I think that was just a mother’s instinct kicking in. Now that she’s thinking about it, I’d wager that she’s coming to understand what I already know, that you have every right to find your own path in this life, taking only as much guidance from us as you’re willing to accept.”
\tDanara shook her head with a rueful half-smile, “Understanding, yes, but I still can’t get my emotions to wholeheartedly agree. My mind knows that she’ll be of an age to legally tell us and our parental guidance to go take a hike in just shy of two more months, and that she was able to live on her own with our consent the day she turned fourteen, but that has little impact on the opinions of my heart.” She turned a gentler smile on the vixen, “That heart thinks of you as my daughter, and my occasional lover as well, ignoring completely your own strength and mettle. I must remind it of the cub, just turned seven, who evaded capture by trained militiamen, tracked me unseen to an inn, then volunteered to be captured in the hopes of rescuing her father and reuniting our family...”
\tEla smiled back, her eyes distant as she recalled the episode, “That was, actually, a very simple choice for me... If I’d been caught with that sliver by someone who recognized what it was... I almost certainly would have been executed, but that was the same price as not trying at all. Without you and Father, and the love of a family which I’d only just started to know and share, what point would there have been to living? Keeping that love was worth the risk of my life, I knew even then, because I needed it to make that life worthwhile.”
\tThe bitch wiped her eyes with the back of one paw, leaving it a bit damp, then sighed, “I’m glad to hear you say that, dear. If I’d had this conversation with my own mother at your age, I could only guess that she’d try to make me think I was actively trying to abandon her... but, for myself, I know that your independence and willingness to find your own path is a sign that I did something right. Between my lumpy husband and myself, we’ve managed to raise a woman of strength and spirit, not some little copy of ourselves, or a slave, or a crutch for our declining years, and even as sheltered as I was at the temple, and as protected as I’ve been here as a lady of rank, I’ve seen more parents trying to make their children one of those three than I care to think about.”
\t“I agree,” Ferrl rumbled, his fingers steepled in thought. “So... as for this desire of yours, I believe you should be allowed to pursue it with a minimum of hindrance on your family’s part, but also with a minimum of help, as any excess in that department would only serve to limit your options and the choices you make for yourself.” His gaze rose to rest on the crystal chandelier as he started ticking off on his fingers, “First, you should have an escort, but I’m thinking one person should be enough, someone who knows the local duchy well and will be more a source of information, and a deterrent to those who’d make the wrong assumptions about a female traveling alone, than an actual guard.”
\tBoth of his ladies nodded, the older replying, “Would Harlen do? He’s from a bit farther south than Ela probably intends to go, but he’s well educated in geography, politics, and economics... Also, he’s learned just about everything your seneschal sent him up to glean from Belonna in regards to picking the best candidates to staff and manage that manor house you never really wanted, so he’d need to go back soon anyway.” Her muzzle quirked into a mischievous grin, “He’s such a soft, city-bred type at heart, too... It would offend him terribly if we sent him with the armed escort we all know full well he needs, but if he’s under the impression that he’s keeping our daughter safe, when in actuality she’d save him if it came to blows...”
\tHis daughter giggling merrily at the irony, the wolf nodded with a broad grin of his own, “That should work out for all involved,” and held up another finger. “Second, we’ll supply you with funds for the trip, but not a fortune; a generous enough stipend by middle-class standards, but I suggest you act with more frugality than your finances strictly require, saving most of it for emergencies should they arise.”
\tDanara nodded toward Elaria, her expression grim, “It never pays to look too prosperous... either to potential thieves looking for a fat victim, or to the temples you seek to approach. The former would waste a lot of time as you explained their dismembered bodies to the local constables, and the latter tend to encourage a minimal attachment to material goods, and you wouldn’t want to get off on the wrong foot by showing up in silks and gold.”
\tEla rolled her eyes, “I’m no clotheshorse... though ‘horse’ is exactly what people might think, getting a good look at me. The only fancy outfit I’ve got is that gown I only drag out for balls, and I will not be taking it with me.”
\tWolf and bitch exchanged a glance at that, brows arched high, then shrugged, the earl ticking off on another finger, “If your inquiries with the Maliites bear any fruit, you’ll probably end up with a knighthood, and thus you’d need a good horse... Take Wind Dancer; he’s old enough to have lost a bit of his coltish impulsiveness, but would make a good medium warhorse when you need one. Fourth and last on my mental list, for now, would be to visit Julara and see if she’ll make your rank official and documented, as it could probably smooth things considerably under the right conditions, such as a priest of Malia too stunned by your soul and your intentions to bother asking Her about it.”
\tThe vixen nodded, grinning slightly, “I understand; even here in the Vale, where folks might rightly be held to a higher standard, I’ve noticed the priests occasionally forgetting that they are merely mortal, and reacting just like anyone else when confronted by the unexpected.”
\t“Agreed,” her mother nodded as well. “A sergeant’s badge and enlistment papers from the Vale militia should carry quite a bit of weight with those ‘mere mortals.’”
\tEla blinked, realizing that the news of her promotion hadn’t reached her own family yet... Shifting a bit uncomfortably in her seat, as she’d never much cared for anything that smacked of boasting, she cleared her throat quietly then corrected, “Captain, mother, not sergeant, and that’d make it a warrant of commission. I... did rather well in the match that won me my sword; I received word of that other, completely unexpected reward at lunch today.”
\tShe had to smile, then, at her father’s surprised blink, given that the earl tended to know enough about local events that it was most often safe to assume his awareness of any secret or tidbit of news. “Well now,” he rumbled around a grin, “this is news to me, and just as impressive as that sword! I’d been looking forward to watching you take the usual test for lieutenant, but this is even better... Ria!” Just the tip of a horn was visible, poking around the corner from the hallway, but he continued, “Fetch one of the better bottles of wine from the cellar, or our best if we’re out of the medium-good stuff... We’ve got an officer in the family, and that’s worth celebrating!”
* * *
\tPrincess Elaria cast one last glance around her room, her eyes coming to rest on the empty spot on her altar where her dagger had lived, and she decided just one memento wouldn’t hurt. There were several to choose from, starting with the deerskin vest from her first ‘real’ sacrifice, new tidbits having been added each time she’d participated in a particularly memorable religious event. Mentally calculating the bulk and weight of what she’d already packed into her bags, she decided to take the glass cube with its rounded edges and the odd-looking mass within. Despite preserving fluids supplied by a taxidermist and a last-second attempt at magical protection when her father realized that the molten glass was doing damage, one had to know exactly what they were looking at to identify the scrotum and testicles of the mink slave who’d kept her satisfied the first time she’d come into season.
\tShe was just packing it when a quiet knock came at her door, and she called over her shoulder as she refastened the saddlebag’s buckle, “Come in!”
\tThe door opened just enough for Pria’s nose to poke in, nostrils flaring briefly, then she opened it the rest of the way with a wry grin, “Thought y’might have some boy in here, still sayin’ ‘goodbye’ in that weird way you grownups seem t’like...”
\tEla shook her head with a fond smile, “No... I did that in the stables yesterday, once my headache from too much wine the night before had faded. Well, mostly faded; that sort of pleasure can do more than willowbark tea for a sore head.” Her smile broadened to a grin at the cub’s conscientious nod, “And then I had a couple of girls, too! Ask me when you’re at least twelve, and I might show you how that works... We ‘grownups,’ though I’d question the term’s fitness to describe me, have far more ways of doing ‘it’ than the horses you’ve seen bred!”
\tFlushing faintly, the little bitch just shrugged, “You keep telling me I’ll understand when I’m older, so I’ll jus’ keep waitin’. I jus’ wanted to see your new sword! With all th’packin’ and such, you never did get around to showin’ me like you promised...”
\tThe vixen took another glance around the room, thinking over the things she wasn’t taking, then nodded to herself as she slipped out of her baldric and passed the sheathed weapon over, “Here... you may draw it to look at, but don’t so much as touch the edge! You’ll see why in a moment...”
\tPria nodded again, struggling to keep her expression serious even as her ears perked and her tail wagged up a tiny storm behind her. Almost reverently, she wrapped a hand each around the hilt and the scabbard, eyes widening when it was released into her grasp, the weapon evidently heavier than she’d anticipated. Slowly, then, she pulled her hands apart, a faint ‘Ooh!’ escaping as the morning’s indirect light caught the damascene patterns in the metal. “It... it glitters!” she exclaimed as she slanted the sword to a better angle in the light.
\tEla nodded from where she worked, sandwiching the long iron staff she’d used for strength training between her bed’s mattress and frame, “That’s from the tempering... Good folded steel uses iron ores from several places, each with a different trace element, an ‘impurity’ that actually tends to make it stronger, not weaker. That’s what gives it its patterning, the layers of steel being different shades, but it’s the heating for tempering that really brings out the beauty of those other elements. They really searched far and wide for the materials, if that rainbow’s the result...” Standing, she took two steps over to her dresser and started fishing around in the top drawer, “Now, draw it the rest of the way and hold it straight out with the edge up.”
\tThe seven-year-old wolf didn’t have arms long enough to draw the blade while maintaining her grip on the scabbard, but did get it most of the way out, shifting both hands to the hilt and letting gravity do the rest. Taking a deep breath, then, she steeled herself and lifted the sword, muscles protesting the moment she had it and her arms both at full extension.
\tEla shook her head and chuckled to her sister, “That’s a good stance for getting stronger, holding it like that a little longer each time, but you don’t have to stretch out like that right now. Hold it closer, so the pommel touches your chest, and your arms will last longer.” The cub’s look was one of pure gratitude as she complied, though it shifted to wonder again as she eyed the translucent silk scarf in her sibling’s grasp. “Now I’ll show you why I didn’t want you to touch the edge,” the vixen explained, spreading the scarf out in the air a few inches above the blade... then simply letting go.
\t“Holy shit that’s sharp!” Pria exclaimed as the silk puddled to the floor in a clean-cut piece on either side. She marveled for a moment, then blinked and looked abashed, “Um, please don’t tell Mom I said that...”
\tHer big sister just grinned, reaching out to relieve her of the sword with one hand while the other ruffled her headfur affectionately, “Don’t worry... if it does come up in conversation, I’ll give her the same demonstration with the silk, and I’d bet you money that she’d say something even worse. This is an amazing edge... but not just for being sharp! Take just a step back and I’ll show you...”
\tThe cub readily complied, harboring no desire for proximity to the sort of cutting edge she’d just seen, but her eyes were wide again as they took in the solid iron shaft poking out from the bed. “You’re gonna cut that? Wouldn’t that dull things, like, a lot?”
\tAlmost casually, Elaria raised the blade over her head one-handed, then brought it down in a firm, controlled arc, restrained just before the blade could cut into the wooden floor, and a quiet ting! marking its meeting with the staff a foot and a half higher, followed shortly by the louder clunk of the rod’s last foot hitting the carpet. “Tempering, sis. This blade’s some of the hardest metal that’s ever been forged. Even it can wear down, but right this moment it’d still be able to do ‘the silk trick’ even after cutting through iron. I’ll give it a good sharpening once every month or two if I’m using it often; the smith gave me an eight-page booklet on how to sharpen this thing right, and at first glance it looks like quite a chore.”
\tPria nodded, “I bet! Lotta grindin’ and even more makin’ sure not t’cut yer fingers off, I’m thinkin’...”
\tRetrieving the scabbard from the floor, Ela sheathed her sword and set it aside for a moment, judging it far more important just then to pull her little sister into a tight hug and murmur, “I’ll miss you... but I won’t be gone forever. I’m just going to learn, and once I have I’ll probably come back, but even if I find somewhere to stay for a long time I’ll make sure it’s close enough for you to come visit, or me to take vacations back here. I want a life of my own, but I still want my family to be part of it...”
\tThe cub stifled a sniff as she nodded, cheek to cheek with her sibling, “I understand... I’ll miss ya too, but I’m still decidin’ what to do with my life, an’ I like the example yer settin’. Jus’ th’fact that Mom an’ Dad are lettin’ ya go, that means they’ll probably help with whatever I decide, too.”
\tLetting go to hold her at arms’ length, the older girl nodded, a smile on her muzzle and a tear at the corner of one eye, “I know... we have wonderful parents. Try not to fight so much with your brother, if you can... Behaving is one way we can show our parents that we appreciate how good they are.” At the wolf’s teary, smiling nod, she let go and stood to pick up her well-stuffed saddlebags and sling her sword over one shoulder, “Speaking of our parents, and your brother, they’re probably down at the stables wondering where we are. C’mon, grab my knapsack there and we’ll go share a few more hugs so I can be on my way.”
\t“If they didn’t know jus’ which horse you’re takin’, I’d say sneak out the back to make ‘em wonder,” Pria giggled mischievously. “Too much plannin’ ruins a perfectly good prank...”
* * *
\tAfter eight years and change of living in Unicorn Vale, it came as an odd sort of shock to be handling money stamped with the crowned raccoons of Drachath again, but that’s what the earl had provided, on the perfectly logical basis that she was going to Drachath, where the Vale’s currency might be suspect just because it was ‘foreign,’ as well as the detail that if she did shop anywhere in the Vale, she’d almost certainly be recognized as his daughter and given whatever she wished for free. These thoughts flicked through her mind, eliciting another faint smile at the irony, as she passed the stableboy three farthings to watch her and her companion’s horses for just long enough to get a late lunch at the inn set up within sight of Malia’s Wall on the Drachathian side.
\tThe common room of the Rainbow Bastion was just over half full, the opening of the Vale having given tourists a new interest in coming to see the spiritual barrier protecting the border. Most of the patrons, clearly enough, were either there to sight-see or merchants stopping for a meal while transporting the coveted unicorn-made goods to ever more distant markets. Those who’d simply come to gawk had something to stare at right there in the inn, as seven feet and thirty-five stone of unicorn warrior was permanently stationed in that taproom, serving as both the inn’s peacekeeper and a watchman for signs of trouble among potential visitors, trouble of the sort the priest at the border itself might not be looking for. Both of the Vale’s militia organizations used the same uniform, but Ela stifled a sigh as she spotted the discreet gemstone pinned to the man’s leathers just under his right arm’s sergeant’s insignia, mere seconds before he spotted her. Sure enough, as one of the Elite he recognized her and beckoned her over enthusiastically. “Princess Ela!” he boomed, and she did her best not to wince as the gazes of merchant and tourist alike instantly locked on her.
\t“Sergeant... Justeren, wasn’t it?” she murred graciously enough, lightly gripping her companion’s arm to pull him along toward the two chairs her ‘friend’ was already pulling out.
\tThe unicorn nodded enthusiastically enough that she had to shy away from the tip of his horn, “You remember me! I didn’t think you would, as it’s been nearly two years since you left my ass bruised in the dirt of the practice yard...”
\t“You were just a private then, but smart enough to wear a steel codpiece under your leathers; of course I remember the way it made my foot ache for three days!” Reaching over to pat the shoulder of the gray-furred cat beside her, she made the necessary introduction, “This is Harlen, son of my father’s seneschal down in Gatuque. Since I also have some business to the south, it was decided that we should accompany one another, for appearances and mutual protection.”
\tJusteren frowned, “I don’t remember seeing him in any of the practice fields... Has he had enough training to serve as your escort?”
\tThe cat arched a brow, “My learning has not, for the most part, been of the militant sort, but my father saw to it that all of his sons were given the basics by Duke Gatuque’s own armsmaster. I hold the hope that we can make this simple, peaceful journey without conflict, but should that wish be in vain, I will do what I must.”
\tEven as he spoke, Ela grimaced and, on her far side where he couldn’t see, extracted her shiny new captain’s badge from her belt pouch, holding it cupped in her hand so only the sergeant could make it out. The unicorn’s eyes widened, a question visible in them, and she replied similarly, tilting her head and lowering one ear to touch the hilt of her own sword, then darting her eyes toward her feline friend before adding a quick wink.
\tJusteren dipped a subtle nod, instantly catching on, and feigned more respect for Harlen than he obviously felt, “Many in your situation would actively court conflict, seeking to impress the lovely princess they rode beside, but the true warrior knows that violence is ever the final resort, to be embraced only when all diplomatic solutions have been exhausted. You show uncommon wisdom for your youth, son.” Ignoring the teen’s stammered demurral, the sergeant turned in his seat to bellow across the gossiping crowd, “Grestin! Lunch for my two friends here, on my tab! They look like toothy sorts, too, so I suppose you’d better make it something with meat.”
\t“It’s a failing,” Ela bantered with a half-teasing smile. “You unicorns can live on grass and berries, but we less-pure types must resort to the barbaric consumption of our fellow creatures.”
\tThe sergeant snorted, grinning, “If you want ‘barbaric,’ walk into the trainee barracks of the standard Vale militia, when a new batch of recruits are building up muscle mass... A good source of the nutrients we grass-eaters need for that, that we can’t get from meat... is beans. Any notion of our ‘purity’ would be dashed in an instant by the sounds coming from one of those bunkhouses, to say nothing of the smell!”
\tElaria giggled, but Harlen rolled his eyes with a groan, “Please, not just before we eat! I can only hope that, whatever we’re served, there are no beans involved, now...”
\tVixen and unicorn shared another glance, a faint upward flick of their eyes substituting for a more blatant roll, as they agreed in the silent speech of warriors, ‘He’ll never understand.’
Chapter 3
\tEla lifted a hand to call a halt, then beckoned Harlen closer, his slender palfrey seeming a bit undersized next to her young stallion, the offspring of her father’s famous Cherrah and the none-too-petite mare Red. “The gates are still open,” she murmured just loud enough to be heard over the bustle of other passers-by, “so I was thinking of continuing onward, just to the little village a mile or so down the road. You, though, may wish to take a room at an inn here in town, and meet me there in the morning to continue our journey.”
\tThe cat blinked, clearly confused, “What sort of village are you talking about? I don’t remember seeing any small towns on the maps, this close to the seat of the earldom...”
\tHis companion shrugged, “It’s a Roxanite enclave, and I need to talk with their priests, and get laid while I’m at it. Tell me, do you prefer your fellow males? Because you’ve hardly looked at me twice, and we’ve been riding hard enough sometimes today to make even my nearly-flat chest bounce.” Red was clearly visible through the gray fur of his cheeks and inner ears as he simply stared at her. “Surely you’ve heard... rumors about me, living at the embassy as you did,” she went on, her tone still casually conversational. “Most of the gossip is pretty much true, and I’m not about to spend this trip celibate. If you like boys as much as I do, I’m sure we can find you someone compatible at the temple, but if you have problems with the concept in general, you’d probably be better off staying in town.”
\tHis blush had only worsened in the meantime, and his gaze was downcast as he mumbled his reply, the vixen’s ears straining to catch his words, “You’re... right about me, but please, don’t tell my father! I... I can sleep with a woman, and even enjoy it, but it’s a muscular, manly body that sets fire to my thoughts and makes my breeches suddenly too tight...”
\tElaria chuckled comfortingly, reaching out to pat his arm, “Let’s both continue on to the temple, then... Neither they nor I will ever breathe a word of your preferences to your family, and... well, on future nights I’d certainly like you to at least consider me. I don’t think you’ve ever seen me up close but out of my traveling cloak; I’m probably at least as muscular as most studs our age, so perhaps that might help you enjoy a woman just a little more... and I know I’d love being filled by a well-spined feline.”
\tHarlen blushed again, if not as intensely, at her tacit proposition as they nudged their mounts into a walk, outward from Chraf’s eastern square, “Th... thank you for your... discretion. I suppose I’ll have to at least try to perform with you, now. You’re right that I can’t see much of you in that cloak... but, now that I bother to look, you really are almost manly of chest. This just might work...”
\tThe vixen shot him a toothy grin, “Hey, if you want to enhance that illusion... just stick it up my ass. Other than my tone of moans, so long as you don’t go groping for a shaft that isn’t there I’ll be one of the guys where you’re concerned.”
\tHer ‘escort’ could only shake his head and laugh, “You, Princess, are nothing like the ‘nice girls’ my mother keeps introducing me to. Of them, there was only one who I could trust enough to tell of my... preference, since I knew enough of her own secrets to make mutual silence a workable proposition, but even she said, and I quote, ‘Ew, you like it up your butt?!?’”
\tElaria shook her head with a chuckling sigh of her own, “Poor, repressed lass... I’ve been having, and enjoying, anal sex since I was four.” She turned her most charming smile on his renewed case of uncontrollable blinks, “What, didn’t you know? I was born a pleasure slave, and that’s exactly what I was, happily, for Ferrl back before he was an earl. He’d only owned me for a few months before freeing and adopting me, but we both blithely ignored the legalities of our new relationship and still slept together.”
\tThis fetched a second head-shake, accompanied by a grimace, “You’re speaking remarkably calmly for what most girls would term ‘child abuse...’”
\tThe princess grinned again, “Oh, I was a child alright... but if there was any abuse going on, it was from my end. I was bought when I was six, not fully trained but they were going to throw me away ‘til Sir Ferrl came looking for a house-slave... He never laid a finger on me, that first night, much less in me as I’d have preferred, so I obviously had to take matters into my own hands if I were to have any fun at all. I sucked off his morning wood to wake him up, then kneaded it back to life in the bath to fill my little rear with. He’s... big, about as much as I could take at that age, but I think I remember... seven. Yes, my pleasure peaked seven times that first morning, though his fingers between my legs helped. I’ve gotten better, since, so I can manage four to six with just an average manhood back there, but with a feline’s spines added to the mix... who knows? The sky’s the limit.”
\tLuckily for the gray cat’s sensibilities, they’d passed the gate guards and were alone on the sunset-lit road by the time she got to the explicit details. Still a bit red around the eartips, he murmured back, “That’s... a bit better than we boys can do, I’ll admit. The best I ever had was no feline but a stag, long and reasonably thick but pointy at the end so things went in easily... It was his endurance I loved; he lasted long enough in my ass that I was able to get off once, get hard again, then shoot a second time before he finally blew.”
\t“Ooh,” Ela all but cooed, “I wouldn’t mind being his doe for a night...”
\tThe look he gave her was finally that of a friend as they grinned over this unexpected discovery of what they had in common, rather than the relationship of strangers coincidentally sharing a journey that he’d ‘felt’ like before. Casting his gaze into the distance, Harlen’s ears perked up, “Giant breasts half a mile down the road... that’d be the Roxanite enclave?”
\tThe vixen nodded happily, “Yup! Let’s hurry while we’ve still got just a little light, and see if we can find someone like that stag of yours for you to spend the night with. Myself, I hope to end up sandwiched between the high priest and priestess... They’re dragons, at this temple, and I haven’t seen them in years but they live practically forever and keep looking good ‘til the very end.” With a nudge of heels against Wind Dancer’s ribs, she urged him into a loping trot.
\tHarlen kneed his own steed into a slow gallop to match, and was wincing when he drew near enough to speak once more, “While I’ve never had the courage to try them, I’ve heard that these temples charge based on the ecclesiastic rank of who you bed. Just how much money did your dad send you off with, to be courting their best?”
\tEla shrugged, “About seven gold crowns in total, mostly in silver... which would barely be enough for one lick of a dragoness’ clit, normally, but I’m exempt from their... donations. You see... well, this may be difficult to believe, but I’ve slept with Roxanarra. They never charge Her lovers a clipped farthing. My father already had, before he met his eventual wife... and about four years ago, She showed up in mortal form just to sleep with mom, having waited ‘til the twins were out of diapers so we’d have all night, uninterrupted. Now, the countess isn’t all that experienced with women... so we ganged up on that poor Goddess, taking turns until She was exhausted, but, oh, you should have seen the smile on Her sleeping muzzle!”
\tThe cat scratched thoughtfully behind one ear for a moment, then glanced back over at his companion, “Your father slept with a Goddess, then was willing to share his wife with one, and his daughter’s a former high-end pleasure slave... is your family Roxanite?”
\tThe princess shook her head, her expression serious, “I might become one... in fact I hope to, but both of my parents are devout followers of their own chosen deity. Mine, too, for the moment, but I’ve gotten permission to... share, without being branded a heretic. If you ask specifically, I’ll tell you our current religion, but you might not like the answer, so I’d rather you didn’t.”
\tHarlen thought for another moment, then shrugged, “You’re a potential Roxanite, with a firm and direct indication from the Goddess Herself that you’ll probably be accepted... and you wouldn’t be, if you weren’t basically a good person. I’ll do as you suggest, and not ask, but from those details alone I can draw plenty of conclusions, all of them to the good.”
\tThey reined their horses in to a walk as they reached the outskirts of the small village surrounding the temple, Ela leading the way toward the guest stables, but she couldn’t resist a parting shot over her shoulder, “Oh, you won’t know how good I can be until the first night we’re alone together... My only recent lovers may have been unicorn stallions and one very well-hung wolf, but there were certain... exercises I was drilled in as a cub, that didn’t really apply ‘til I hit puberty, but I remembered them, and I guarantee you’ll be surprised at how tight I still am.”
\tWhether from renewed embarrassment, an excess of food for thought, or even because she’d managed to offend him, Elaria didn’t know, but for whatever reason he remained silent as he followed her up the path to the temple’s vulva-shaped doorway. It opened before they’d quite reached the knocker, and the vixen heard a surprised mew behind her as she returned the greeting smiles of the two dragons in see-through robes. In a similar garment just a shade more opaque, a smallish equine stood behind them, his gold-chain necklace sporting a silver pendant in the shape of a rampant erection. This jarred with his short, slim stature, because no adolescent could have reached the rank of senior priest at that age, ‘til she noticed the well-developed feathering around the ankles peeking out from beneath his robe. He was mature, she realized, just a pony rather than a horse.
\t“Threstoral! Ramarath!” the princess called as she sprinted the last few steps, leaping to catch the two dragons with a hug around each of their necks.
\t“Oh, dear Ela,” the male of the couple replied, he and his mate both holding her close, their hands roaming her back and rump. “I couldn’t believe the aura I found attached when, for the second time in my life, I investigated the approach of a dark-souled Blessed One... but I was right! It’s you! So that wolf did get another visit from our mortal lady...”
\tThe vixen shook her head as she finally let go of her old friends, “Nah... he was out of town on business that night. Roxy showed up to meet his wife, as she’d obviously found him impressive enough to guess that whoever he finally joined with might be equally worth knowing. Mom and I took turns...”
\t“I know,” the dragoness chuckled. “There’s a faint pink tinge to the scrap of your aura Roxy signs; you managed to out-fuck the Goddess of Fucking!”
\tElaria actually blushed, “I had help... Like I said, we took turns, each catching a quick nap while the other steadily licked, fingered, or, at least in my case, fisted, then traded places when we got tired.”
\tThrestoral tilted his head to one side for a moment, then shook it, “Not that much help... I’ve just been informed that you, personally, accounted for just over two thirds of the time she shared with you and your mother, and that her Blessed One mark isn’t blushing like yours.”
\tThis fetched a self-deprecatory shrug, “I’ve had far more practice than my mother, and hadn’t been only a few weeks past the ‘potty breakthrough,’ still recovering from twins in diapers screaming at all times of night.” Leaning to one side, she smiled at the patiently-waiting pony, “You’ve also read my companion at a distance, and accurately... I take it the priest here is meant to be Harlen’s ‘friend’ tonight?”
\tThe equine answered for himself, chuckling softly, “If he’ll have me... though, by the drool on his chin and the bulge in his breeches, I don’t think there’s much question of that...”
\tElaria giggled, nodding, “Have fun, but don’t wear him out too much, as I want my share of his charms for the rest of our journey.”
\tHarlen was blushing again, staring shyly down at his shoes, so Threstoral gently turned the vixen toward one of the halls, his wife leading the way as he rumbled, “Let’s just let the two of them work things out privately between them, hmm?”
\tComfortably ensconced in the dragons’ office deep in the temple, their guest stated her case simply and bluntly. “You know, by my soul, that I follow Kathalla... but I had an interesting conversation with Her a couple days back, involving a question that probably would have gotten the asker crisped by a divine lightning bolt had one of Tarragh’s Warkin asked it of Him... I asked Her where She draws the line between ecumenicism and apostasy because, if it was at all possible, I earnestly desire to serve Her, Roxanarra, and Malia, just about equally all around.”
\tRamarath raised one blue-scaled brow ridge, “You still have Kathalla’s taint on your soul, so your question didn’t offend Her enough to reject you... and, just as obviously, you’re here as a result of asking it, so I can only assume that you got a positive response.”
\tEla smiled as she nodded, “I won’t disgust you by going into detail of just what I do well for Kathalla... but I’m equally adept at the physical aspects of Roxanarra’s religion, and I’ve earned a captain’s rank in the elite branch of a Maliite militant organization. I’m good at what all three Goddesses represent... so I’d very much like to know Them better, spiritually, rather than limit myself to just the acts and behaviors that They enjoy.”
\tThe dragoness returned her nod, still looking thoughtful, “Your training as a pleasure slave would be enough in this temple to bypass your novitiate entirely, granting you the rank of acolyte contingent only on the minor formality of reading the Roxanite Bible and passing a simple verbal quiz on its content...”
\tBeside her, Threstoral shook his head, “She’s also a Blessed One of the Pink! That alone would qualify her as priestess if she passed the sterner version of the same test, ferreting out our holy book’s subtler suggestions on technique as well as the philosophical hints dropped by the conversational portions of the text...”
\t“This holy book sounds... interesting,” Ela mused. “The philosophy is all to the good, as it would teach me a goodly portion of exactly what I set out on this journey to learn, but you seem to be hinting that it also contains some good suggestions for loveplay, of a sort that might even teach me a new trick or two. I find myself very much looking forward to reading it...”
\tThe green-scaled dragon half-smirked to her from across the desk, “Many cities have banned our bible as the vilest of pornography, as it’s essentially a collection of explicit stories of our Goddess’ earlier sexual exploits among the mortals... but there are deeper meanings within the words for those with the wit and faith to look for them. I think...” He turned to address his wife, “How does this sound, dear? We’ll see if our Lady accepts her, then give her the book, a robe, and a priestess’ necklace, and let Her administer the test whenever Ela’s ready, so she’ll have the appropriate accessories once she’s worthy to wear them.”
\tRamarath nodded, “That should probably work, and would certainly do the least to slow her present journey.” Turning back to the vixen, the dragoness instructed, “If all goes well, you’ll have a few bedtime stories to read over the next week or two, with morals to meditate upon throughout the days, but for now... pray to Roxanarra. Don’t worry about your phrasing; She’s never been much for formality... but we must see if She deigns to hear you, which would tacitly confirm the rest of our little plan.”
\tThe princess nodded, swallowing a hint of nervousness surrounding her first prayer to any Goddess other than the one she’d known since childhood, then closed her eyes and bowed her head. Recalling the times when she’d felt the closest to Kathalla while praying, by focusing her mind on the acts of worship she’d enjoyed, she deliberately called up a memory of Roxy, mentally savoring the scent, taste, and slick puffiness of the labia her tongue had slipped between those years ago. Holding the lingering hint of that moment’s lusty haze in her thoughts, she murmured, “Roxanarra... would You have me? May I share myself with You and Your sister?”
\tThe memories she’d been clinging to suddenly intensified, a warmth suffusing her groin and a salty-sweet flavor teasing her tongue, even as her nostrils flared at the sudden, tangible scent of a vixen’s lust. *Gladly will I have you, My dear,* she heard in her soul, the ‘tone’ of the voice profoundly different from Kathalla’s. *You are all I could wish for in a follower, and My sister told Me true when She said She’d found one all three of Us could share. Do as My fine dragons suggest; study My book, be entertained by its stories, and meditate upon the deeper meanings within. When you are ready, pray to Me again, and should I judge your understanding sufficient, you will have earned the right to wear the robes and pendants of My priesthood.*
\tElaria was panting softly as the intensified memories and sensations gradually faded, and opened her eyes to slits to see the dragons giving her very knowing looks.
\t“No need to tell us,” Ramarath half-chuckled. “She said yes... Even if your soul hadn’t been glowing white for the duration of your little chat, She tends to have an... effect on people, particularly the first time they speak with Her, and we can smell just how positive your contact with Her was.”
\tHer husband simply rumbled beside her, “Mmm... vixen. No other scent quite like it.”
\tThe princess giggled, then started untying her travel cloak’s fastenings and, beneath it, those holding on her clothes, her voice a bit husky as she noted, “I’d hoped to talk you two into the Blessed One bedchamber tonight no matter the results of my... inquiry, but our Lady’s little chat has left me too worked up to wait. So, do I get to satisfy my curiosity as to just how intense it’d be to be trapped between two lustful dragons, or should I just sit here and find out whether my sword’s scabbard makes a good phallus substitute?”
\tThe couple across the desk from her shared only an instant’s glance before each reached for the other’s neck, a simple flick of a finger apiece unfastening their robes’ lone clasps, and those robes were left behind as they stood and padded around the furniture to help their newest sister in faith out of her garb.
* * *
\t“How was your night?” Elaria asked her companion as she reorganized her saddlebags a little to accommodate the carefully-wrapped package she’d been given, making sure the translucent silk within wouldn’t be crumpled too badly, nor its accompanying necklace crushed. The cloth-bound book she’d also been given, she’d stashed in an outer pocket of her knapsack for easy access, as she fully intended to study it at every free moment.
\tHarlen’s eartips reddened, the cat obviously still unused to discussing his ‘secrets,’ but he replied amiably enough, “It was... satisfying. I’m a little sore, but it’s the good sort of sore, the kind that brings back fond memories.”
\tEla nodded, smiling, “I know exactly what you’re talking about... I was, before last night, completely clueless as to what would emerge from a male dragon’s genital slit, but I’ve... learned, now. It was impressive enough in size, but also did ‘tricks’ no other penis I’ve ever met could match! I’ve only felt its like once before, when a fruit bat I met had a tongue long enough to carefully lick my cervix...”
\tThe feline blinked, “Oh, my... I may have to look up a good diet for staying clean inside and see if I can find a man of that species; we guys have something that deep, too, that feels good when something’s long enough to hit it!”
\tThis fetched a soft chuckle, “They’re not too common around here, so don’t limit yourself to just the guys... You’re probably twice as likely to find a bat girl who’s perverse enough to like doing that to a boy, than you are a male with the same proclivities. For some acts, gender really doesn’t matter, and as a very wise man once said, in the dark it’s hard to tell who’s sucking on you.”
\tHarlen’s only response was to chuckle as he led his gelding out of the stable and mounted, but then he asked, “And the... matters of faith you came here to discuss? How did those go?”
\tThe princess followed his example before replying, giving her saddlebag a pat once she was up, “They went... well. I have some studying to do, and a quiz to pass, before everything’s official, but the high priest and priestess, and our Goddess, are confident I’ll manage that in short order. While I can’t wear them until those little formalities are out of the way, I will be a Roxanite priestess, and I’ve got the robes and necklace right here, with pendants indicating equal love between the genders.”
\t“The same rank as my friend last night held,” the cat mused thoughtfully. “He was... remarkably good, really; I’d have happily paid full price, though this time it was halved for my being in your company, and halved again because there hadn’t been enough visitors of my preference lately for him to keep up with his religious obligations adequately. If they judge you just as good... well, with that example to work from, I’m very much looking forward to your proposed, ah, ‘sleeping arrangements’ on the rest of this journey.” He kept his expression serious for just another moment, then winked, “Particularly if you’re not really a priestess yet, so you wouldn’t be charging me donations every night.”
\tThis fetched a smirk and a snorted laugh, a moment before Ela reined in to a halt where the enclave’s track met the main road and noted, “Actually, in all honesty your lover last night was a senior priest, a step up from my potential rank. His necklace-chain was gold, while mine’s silver... Which way should your journey go, though? I was planning to stop next at Rajai, but the quickest way to get there is to head west, back through or around Chraf, then south. You can also get to Gatuque that way, but it’d add three or four days compared to going straight south from here.”
\tHarlen frowned slightly, “My father was informed of our departure by a mage-message, and he’s really expecting me back as soon as possible... I shouldn’t add any time to that if I can avoid it, but I wouldn’t want to fail your father’s trust by abandoning you this soon, when you’ve still got far to go.”
\tThe princess thought for a long moment, trying to see a way to make things work without outright telling the poor boy that she was his guard, not the other way around... “I know just as many temples and priests in Gatuque, now that I think about it,” she finally mused, “if not Malia’s, there. Perhaps that’d be for the best, as Malia above all other Goddesses wants Her followers to meet and overcome challenges, and approaching as a complete stranger might be the best way to honor Her in that. Since I’m not on any real timetable, why don’t I just follow you all the way to the duchy seat?”
\tThis fetched a more agreeable nod, “That really would be for the best, as this is the route I took north, under the guidance of a retired guard who was visiting his family. I took notes, during that trip, so I should know just how many towns, cities, or villages to try for each day so we’ll still have an inn’s bed to sleep in at night, and even one or two out of the way hostels in the woods. There are just a couple of places where we’ll only be traveling ‘til noon, because the next stop’s too far to make in a day, but that sort of delay is in keeping with my father’s expectations of my arrival, and is more than worth it if it avoids spending the night on lumpy, insect-ridden ground in the wilderness.”
\t‘Soft and city-bred...’ Danara’s off-hand comment echoed in Ela’s thoughts as she tried to keep her expression neutral. She was, herself, more literally ‘bred’ for a pampered life in some rich gentleman’s harem, but even as a child she’d ridden the whole breadth of the kingdom, easily twice as far as this man’s trip from Gatuque to the Vale, and had camped two nights out of three without even the thought of ‘hardships.’ Bugs? They sang, and only really bothered someone too stupid to make sure their sleeproll wasn’t laid out on a nest. Hard ground? Well, she decided, he did have something of a point there, but once again a little effort and foresight could do much to ease things, and what discomfort remained paled next to the majesty of the night sky, the scented rustle of the breeze through green and growing things, and the distant chirps of birds and crickets. ‘Spines or no... somehow, I don’t think he’s going to be an amazing enough lover to make traveling with him anything but a chore,’ she regretfully concluded. Shaking off her reverie, she gestured to the south, “Alright, then; let’s get going. Keep those notes of yours in mind; if any of the inns were... less than pleasant experiences on your last trip, we can try finding something else in the same town.”
\tHarlen nodded, smiling, “I shall endeavor to do just that, when we stop tonight. You said you had some reading to do, so I’ll do the same. Come to think of it, I should have studied my old notes before we even left for this trip; I don’t know why I didn’t think of it...”
\tElaria was pretty sure she could guess that ‘why’ fairly accurately, but kept her muzzle shut as Wind Dancer carried her smoothly southwards.
Interlude 1
\tThe shadows of trees and bushes gradually lengthened as the sun set, the creeping shapes of darkness falling across a faintly raised mound in the middle of an unremarkable pile of dead leaves. The day’s heat faded quickly from those leaves as they lost the warming sunlight, and a few moments later the bulge shifted slightly at one end. ‘Two more days,’ Ronnel thought to himself as he forced his body to remain still after that one accidental twinge upon waking. ‘Two more days of hiding, in the heat sleeping, and through pitch blackness sneaking with naught but scents and stars to guide me.’
\tHe grimaced at his incidental, mental reminder of scents, as his own was a prime concern during his stealthy travels. He’d need to hunt for another stream or pond to bathe in tonight, but he’d be able to drink damnably little of it. He could not, after all, risk sweating enough to stink during his too-hot daytime naps, which only made it even harder to get any rest due to the severe headache that accompanied moderate dehydration. Closing his eyes with a grumbled sigh, he relaxed back into the leaves and let his mind work, visualizing the pain of his strained muscles and aching head as pressure from without, then mustering his own strength to drive it away. The pain itself made this sort of meditation difficult, so progress was slow, but he knew and accepted that, knowing as well that he couldn’t get moving for the two or three hours it’d be ‘til full dark.
\tNothing could be done, when he did finally move, to further soften the quiet rustle of leaves falling from his body, but those faint sounds were the only indication of his presence he allowed. Orienting himself with the shapes of branches against the sky’s stars, Ronnel gathered his strength and leapt, crossing four feet of potential crunches to land in the small circle he’d cleared of leaves in the glow of the day’s false dawn. Still moving swiftly and as silently as possible, he brushed twigs, dirt, and the occasional bug or worm out of his filthy traveling cloak, then jumped to the next clean spot near the edge of the road. All the while, his nose and ears probed the night for evidence that anyone else was near, but no sound or scent was to be found. Every sense alert, then, he settled into a steady lope with a silent thought of gratitude for his heritage. Being one quarter wolf had somewhat muted the normally-bright red of his vulpine fur, a potentially decisive edge when he needed to sneak past well-lit towns or guard posts, but he was even more grateful for the hint of lupine endurance his grandmother’s blood gave him, wolves always having been far better distance-runners than foxes.
\tIn his near-trance state, alertness and movement took very little of his mind’s attention, and it wandered back to the maps he’d glimpsed in his citizen’s study... The small, heavily fortified town of Eastlook was still far enough that he wouldn’t be reaching it tonight, but there should be some less heavily-guarded farms before it. The holding proper guarded the supposedly neutral, but often disputed, border between Dengar and Drachath, and as a matter of military prudence its source of food was kept well out of easy striking distance, but that not-so-incidentally meant that he might be able to steal a meal, his first in days, without running into a platoon of bored soldiers looking for an exciting chase. He’d heard his share of stories about Drachath... even more than the citizens and nobles would like, and he’d actually thought about them, too. Yes, Drachathians kept slaves; that single fact was harped on to ridiculous degrees in the ‘official’ tales of that wicked, evil kingdom. Yes, too, their ruling family and quite a few of their nobles served the Fanged Goddess, a tacit endorsement of rape, torture, and murder. If Ronnel were captured and given any chance to explain himself, rather than being summarily executed, with any luck the fact that he was running to Drachath might be parleyed into a defense of sorts, suggesting that he was outright insane, which might lessen the punishments for his other crimes.
\tIt was the unofficial tales, though, the ones merely whispered, that he’d paid more attention to... There were no serfs in Drachath! Any free man born there was automatically a citizen! Sure, there were ‘peasants’ and ‘merchants’ beneath the nobility, but that distinction seemed more social than legal in nature. The Dengarian citizens’ repeated tales on the evils of slavery, he’d concluded, were meant to enhance and draw attention to the differences, very small really, between a serf and a slave. True, no one ‘owned’ him, but that didn’t make being legally bound to a piece of land, obligated to follow the orders of whichever citizen owned it, any less a form of control. Also worth noting, he knew that those ‘wicked slavemongers’ of Drachath had never crossed the borders of other kingdoms in search of new slaves; the exact specifics were a matter of some debate, in the whispered conferences of discontented serfs, but there were evidently rules, strictly enforced, regarding who could be enslaved, and how. And as for the kingdom’s Kathallicism, once the tales’ exaggerations had been pared away it seemed no worse than Dengar, where the more prominent landowners would ‘sell’ a few square feet of land, along with a selection of serfs who couldn’t all stand on it at once, to the dark temples, only to buy it back a month or two later for far less than they’d been paid for it, the serfs never heard from again.
\tA light gleamed, far ahead of him, for a moment before his progress cut off the line of gaps through the trees it had shown through, and he crossed the road in that direction, his lope slowing to a fast walk as he strained to make out shapes amidst the grass and brush by starlight. The dark shape of the road ahead appeared to bend in the direction the light had come from, so just what it might be was an uncomfortable mystery; a guard post, a town, a farm, even the person of a traveler or soldier carrying a lamp. The sure path and steady pace of the road, then, had to be abandoned in favor of slowly, carefully picking his way through the barely-tamed wilderness between him and the light he’d glimpsed, taking no chance of revealing his presence until more clues surfaced to identify whatever it was that he’d seen.
\tScent and sound, more than vision, described his find as he crept gradually nearer... It was a clearing, around which a camp had been pitched. He smelled bodies, ones that had been exerting themselves but not to any great degree, and within the last few days at least one of them had had a bath with floral-perfumed soap. Two of those bodies, according to his ears, were snoring, and he leaned against a tree and slowed his own breathing to listen for another long moment... three! Three more people were there and asleep, their individual rhythms of breathing difficult to make out beneath the louder snores. The night’s faint breeze shifted, then, and Ronnel tensed involuntarily; the scents it brought to him spoke of beans, salt pork, and oiled steel... and despite the clear implication that he was mere yards from a squad of armed soldiers, he knew he had to get closer, as one very important question needed answering.
\tHis eyes strained for a hint of green among the shades of black in the night, firelight reflected from leaves, and he made his cautious way forward until he caught the first hint of color. He took one more moment to test the breeze, then dropped to all fours, fingers probing the ground ahead of him for dry leaves, twigs, or anything else that might give him away, crawling carefully around and closer to the edge of the camp, perpendicular to the wind, as any sentry would probably be in line with it to better use their nose. Finally, a gap in the brush let him get a clear look at the cleared circle and the fire in its middle, and he relaxed. There were the five forms he’d heard, bundled in their cloaks, but the army-issue one-man officer’s tent he’d feared was absent. Dengarian platoons consisted of two five-man squads and a junior lieutenant to command them, each squad led in turn by a sergeant. If their officer had accompanied this detachment, they’d almost certainly have posted a sentry, and probably have put out the fire immediately after preparing supper, but such was not, thankfully, the case tonight.
\tEasing forward until he could make out each slumbering figure in the bright firelight, Ronnel studied them one by one, then smiled wickedly to himself as he melted back into the shadows to pick his way a bit further around. From downwind of the camp, he snuck up on them anew, listening carefully for any sound of someone turning over... but these men had clearly been traveling all day and needed their sleep. It was pure serendipity, he knew, unable to be blamed even on the laxness that came with a lack of officer supervision, but the men curled on their sides were all facing away from the line he was approaching along. Pausing only to tie his traveling cloak to his legs with a couple scraps of thong, he gathered his strength and concentration then made his rush, jogging nigh-silently straight through the camp and out the other side. There wasn’t even any noticeable sound when he lifted the iron pot from its resting place to one side of the fire, its beans and pork kept warm for breakfast there.
\tIt was time, he decided, to abandon the road entirely... and he was already heading in the right direction to do so. He’d heard that it was somewhat easier to cross the border to the south of the inter-kingdom highway, and the other half of this platoon, including their officer, was probably camped similarly on the other, north side of the road. The platoon as a whole, he knew, was probably after him specifically; constables were the norm for tracking down serfs in cases of petty theft or mere flight, but he’d killed a citizen. Not ‘his,’ perhaps, but still... Unless there was an actual war to distract them, the army was more than happy to help chase such heinous criminals as himself, though this time they’d only managed to practically guarantee his escape. One good meal for five lazy soldiers would last him for days, freeing him to avoid the towns and farms he’d have had to steal from out of sheer necessity, and he could probably trade a good iron pot for a more respectable set of clothes once he was safely in Drachath. If his longer-term goal, that of attaining citizenship and a stable life in that benighted country, was ever met, he’d have to send the local garrison a letter of thanks for making his arduous journey just a little bit easier.
Chapter 4
\tEla coughed quietly to get Harlen’s attention as they crested a shallow rise and the walls of a new town came into view, then asked, “That’d be... Winter Wreath coming up, now, and on seeing it I can understand the name a bit better. They must have had very good builders to get the palisade so perfectly circular, and I can well imagine how it might look, draped in evergreen bushes for the winter solstice festivals as you’d described. Is there anything else your notes have to say about it, though?”
\tThe cat considered for a moment, then shrugged, “Not much... It’s a fairly small town, and I don’t remember anything noteworthy about my night at the better of its two inns. It’s got a few more temples than its size would normally suggest, probably because of the fervor with which the locals celebrate holidays here, but they’re each only the size of a small or medium shop.” He frowned for a moment, scratching his chin as he thought, then brightened, “Oh! While I know She prefers enclaves where Her followers can pursue a simpler life, a shrine to Roxanarra is among the religious structures here. That, I suppose, is uncommon enough to be worth mentioning... My guess, though, is that each church has no more than half a dozen actual clerics, with seating for perhaps ten or twelve regular worshipers for services.”
\tElaria gave him a wistful smile, her hand straying to touch her knapsack where it held the book she’d been reading for the last week, “It is noteworthy, yes, but not actually uncommon... These small in-town churches exist wherever the local authorities allow them, actually, and are maintained by priests and acolytes who just can’t tolerate the ‘simple life’ of a true Roxanite, though in every other sense of faith and doctrine they’re still quite able.” Her smile broadened a bit, “That’s one of the little details I’ve been gleaning from my reading, that Our Bounteous Lady is very forgiving of minor flaws. She knows that nobody can be perfect, and as long as they make an earnest effort to do their best in other ways, She allows for those things they simply cannot do. It’s a simple extension, when you think about it, of Her tolerance for an individual’s preference in sexual partners. The pony you slept with likes boys, and simply cannot function with a woman, but he’s a senior priest nonetheless. Only the very highest rank is barred to him, and that’s not really hypocrisy on Roxanarra’s part... Rather, it’s a matter of propriety; a high priest must be able to give advice from their own experience, and someone who’s never slept with a woman, or has an inherent bias against them, cannot give truly balanced counsel on all subjects.”
\tHer companion shook his head, “That’s... far beyond me, really. I’ve got the feeling you summarized a more complex philosophical point, but I’m no philosopher. I prefer my life... focused. I have my skills, and I’ve been trained and educated in support of them; I just can’t understand much that’s beyond those simple interests, and I must confess that I have little desire to.”
\tThe vixen nodded as she reined in Wind Dancer and dismounted, proceeding on foot then commenting to the lone guard at the open gate in the palisade, “We’re travelers, sir. One night at the inn, then we’ll be passing through.” The soldier grunted with an affable enough nod, so she continued to her escort as they led the horses inside, “By the tenets I’m studying, that’s perfectly alright... even good. You know yourself, your strengths and abilities. Rather than seek to do more than you’re truly able, you’ve found what you’re best at and, most likely, you’ll do very well at it.”
\tHarlen could only chuckle softly with another shake of his head, “You, dear princess, will make an excellent priestess. Here you are, supporting and encouraging me in my stated life’s goals, where just about every other authority figure I’ve discussed them with has done their best to make me feel like shit for limiting myself. Focus is not necessarily a bad thing, but some seem to hold the opinion that you must reach for and grab as much as you can, even if you know full well you won’t be able to hold onto it!”
\t“Nothin’ wrong with realism or a sense of proportion,” Ela grinned back. “And you’re right... this sort of support is a priestly duty, even for a Roxanite. A moment’s physical pleasure can rarely hurt, but I’m supposed to go beyond that, to have an impact on the lives of those around me beyond that one moment. If there were anything really negative about your goals and dreams, I’d point it out to you and try to come up with some alternatives... but since your desires work for you, regardless of what other, greedier souls may suggest, it’s my simple obligation to offer encouragement and affirmation, doing my best to see to it that you remember and accept your goals as positive ones, to strengthen you the next time the nay-sayers start harping on you to change.” She clucked to her horse to warn him, then paused in the street to point, “Is that the good inn?”
\tThe feline took a moment to dig a scrap of paper out of his palfrey’s saddlebag, glanced between it and the sign, then nodded, “It is. The stable’s around the corner on its far side, so let’s go. And... thank you. You may see it as your duty, but I really do appreciate your moral support... as well as the, ah, immoral things we’ve been doing each night along the way.”
\tHis companion snickered wickedly as she glanced around the corner before leading him and the horses that way, “As much as others may think that term applies, I don’t. Even before I started studying my new faith, I always thought of that sort of thing as just good, innocent fun, two or more people making each other feel good just because they can. On that subject, though... any soreness? I was trying a few tricks I picked up from the bible, and I need to know how well I did...”
\tHarlen blushed faintly, glancing quickly around, but the stableboy rising to greet them didn’t look like he’d heard anything curiosity-rousing. He fumbled for just a moment before fishing a copper penny from his purse, and handed it over, “Here... My companion and I will be staying for the night; please add a measure of the grain in my left saddlebag to the hay for my gelding, and two for the stallion.”
\t“Aye, sir, an’ I’ll have ‘em saddled again fer ya come mornin’,” the young equine nodded, accepting both sets of reins and whistling a jaunty tune to himself as he got to work.
\t“To answer your question,” the cat continued in a murmur as they entered the dimly-lit side door of the inn, “no, I woke without the slightest twinge... which, I’ll admit, surprised me. All four fingers, and in deep; you hit that spot right on!”
\tEla chuckled, replying just as softly, “Thanks... I won’t go into the technical details of just how I did what I did, but there was more than the obvious going on, and I’m very glad it worked.” She glanced around the common room for a moment, then nodded and handed him her knapsack, pointing out in turn, “That table looks free, so you grab it... and there’s the registration desk. I’ll secure our room then join you; feel free to order supper if you get a server’s attention before I’m back.”
\tHarlen was frowning slightly as he glanced around, “Alright... just be careful. This place seems a bit... rougher than it did the last time I was here.”
\tElaria raised one brow, but he was already turning away, so she just shrugged to herself and cast her gaze discreetly about as she made her way to the desk by the stairs. The patrons she observed did, actually, tend toward the burlier sort, and while their clothes weren’t fancy they weren’t exactly rags either. She’d seen far worse those years ago when she’d been stalking her new mother to the Broken Bucket in Foxwood; the folks here seemed to be common laborers of the sort that’d work as field hands and carters at and between the local farms.
\t“One room with a bed big enough for two, for the night,” she told the bear at the desk, a girl about her own age with dress and grooming only marginally finer than her customers’. “We’re passing through, and I’ve already made arrangements with the stableboy to journey onwards in the morning.”
\tThe ursine gave her a hard look up and down, her eyes lighting somewhat, “That’ll be a silver half-crown, and you’ll have to leave your sword in the room before you dine. We don’t mind the occasional friendly brawl, but blood’s hard to get out of the floor planks.”
\tThat price was about three times what a night at a far better inn than this one should cost; the girl was, Ela suspected, inflating things somewhat because her customers looked to be middle-class or perhaps a hair above. “I’ll give you eight coppers,” she counter-offered, her tone firm, “and stick the sword in my knapsack hilt-first so it’s not convenient to draw. I went through too much to earn this blade to let it out of my sight; it’s probably worth more than this entire inn is, so I take no chances, but please be assured that I mean no insult when I trust no security but my own.”
\tShe could almost see the gears turning in the staff member’s mind, her muzzle pursed as she gave her prospective patron another look... Quite deliberately, in response to that gaze, the vixen folded her arms across her chest, incidentally brushing the sleeves of her cloak back to show her well-muscled forearms. What could almost have been a sigh escaped as the choice between more than twice the room’s fair value and a confrontation with a strong fighter was made, and the bear nodded, “That’ll do, but if you do cut anyone, you’ll be out on the street regardless of the hour. You’ve got room four if you still need it when the evening’s done.”
\tThe princess simply nodded and counted out the promised coins, then shrugged out of her baldric as she threaded her way back through the sparsely-populated tables and benches. “You were right about the changes here,” she murmured as she packed up her weapon. “The staff here seems to be keeping an eye on main chance, and they don’t seem too picky about what we get up to so long as it doesn’t bring the watch down on them. We should both keep an eye out for trouble from our fellow diners.”
\tHarlen didn’t look happy about that, but nodded anyway, replying just as quietly, “I’ll be happy to see the last of this place, come morning... The food’s taken a downturn from my last trip, too; we’ll be getting brown bread, brown ale, and a meat stew I didn’t inquire too closely about the origins of. That’s all they serve unless you want distilled spirits; they don’t even carry wine anymore.”
\tTucking her knapsack securely against the wall and planting one foot on it, the vixen nodded, then blinked at an unexpected scent. Glancing around and sniffing a few more times, she realized that it wasn’t a physical scent at all; a hint of a vixen’s musk seemed to pervade the air she breathed no matter which way she faced, and a sudden spot of whiteness in the room’s dim light made her look up. A man had entered, a white mink in a translucent robe, though there were a few differences between him and most Roxanites she’d met... Through his robe she could clearly see a simple loincloth, and the silver shapes of his pendants were stylized; she probably wouldn’t have recognized them as depictions of genitals if she hadn’t specifically been expecting to see just that, the anomalies adding up to the realization that those following the Goddess of Love had to be just a bit more... subtle, in the middle of a town.
\tShe didn’t realize just how broadly she was smiling at the stranger until she caught Harlen’s confused glance, and she turned her grin briefly on him to murr, “We have an... honored guest.”
\tThe priest stopped at their table with a gentler smile on his own face, and immediately dipped down to kiss Ela full on the muzzle. She welcomed his touch, tilting her head to one side at a half-sensed suggestion from his own angle, her lips parting to grant his tongue entry even as hers slid warmly and wetly along his teeth in return.
\tHarlen blinked at the casual intimacy before him, glancing briefly around at the others in the room. Most were just ignoring the newcomer, though a couple were giving him hard stares. Muffled by the sounds of eating and drinking, some of the patrons were grumbling, and he was just able to make out a couple of phrases. ‘Fey bastard’ and ‘man-whore’ weren’t exactly encouraging, given his own justified paranoia about sex...
\t“I come with a message,” the newcomer mused conversationally. “It is for you, young vixen, and it consists of only three words... You’ve earned them.”
\tElaria blinked, still wiping her chin, then her ears shot up and she blinked again as confusion faded to understanding. He wasn’t telling her that she’d earned words, a concept which had made no sense at all; that was the message! “I suppose I’m luckier than most,” she mused, “in that I’m rather used to having a Goddess occasionally peeking in on my thoughts... Anyone else would be rather surprised, but I am, instead, pleased that my efforts to actively practice what I’ve learned were enough to draw positive attention. Thank you, priest, for relaying this piece of very welcome news.”
\tThe clergyman nodded, giving a comic little half-bow in place, “Our Lady was, at least, merciful enough to explain your situation to me... I’d have been hopelessly confused by the message alone, or just upon seeing your curiously-mixed soul. On my own, then, I have a suggestion, and that’s to stop by my temple if you have time, or any other along your journey, and let someone explain just what is and isn’t expected of a traveling Roxanite priestess. In one sense, you see, you’re always ‘on duty,’ so to speak, but there are degrees of duty that are entirely up to you. Your newness to your role will, I assure you, grant you a certain amount of leeway, and none will take you to task for failing in your duties while you remain ignorant of their specifics... but, please, find some time to learn those specifics fairly soon.”
\tThis fetched a solemn nod from the vixen, “Once I’ve eaten, I’ll stop by your temple. I’d been planning to spend an hour or two reading, tonight, just going over one or two portions of our bible where I wasn’t quite certain I’d grasped the specific message the passage was meant to convey. I’ll still be re-reading and meditating upon those parts, but the... urgency of doing so is somewhat lessened, now.”
\t“Perfectly understandable,” the priest agreed, “and I look forward to talking to you later this evening. For now... this really isn’t a comfortable place for one such as myself to linger, so I’ll be on my way.” He’d glanced to either side to subtly indicate the scowling patrons as he spoke, and exchanged shallow nods with both travelers as they understood and agreed. Lingering just long enough to give each of them a one-armed hug and a kiss on the cheek, then, he made his way out.
\tHarlen had been caught off-guard by the sudden affection, left blinking and faintly flushed, his half-smile replaced by a look of dread as the glares from the crowd shifted from the mink to him. “Aw, shit...” he muttered.
\t“That’s it,” Ela murmured back. “From now on, I’m carrying my practice sword too. In this sort of situation, it’d really help to have some sort of weapon that probably won’t kill anyone; my hand-to-hand is adequate for sparring, but no good against an angry mob...”
\tHarlen’s eyes and ears were flickering as he bounced between visible near-panic and an equally-visible attempt not to show such, “I don’t think we have a mob, really... but three or four of those guys look seriously pissed, and they’re all a lot bigger than me. I don’t think I can protect you from them...”
\tThe vixen barked a bitter laugh, “This probably isn’t the best way or time to break it to you, but I don’t have the luxury to be subtle... I’m here to guard you. That manly physique of mine you like so much in bed was gained on the practice field, learning to fight, and... shit, here they come. I’ll try to make an opening for you; when you see me duck down, run over my back and get your ass to the nearest guard!”
\tThe roughly-dressed wolf nearest the table, followed by several other patrons, cast a glance at the bear leaning against the wall near the front door, probably the bouncer of the establishment. “Eh, go to it,” the ursine rumbled, “just don’t break anything belongin’ to us. That kid liked the kiss that pervert of a so-called priest gave ‘im, and we don’t need that sort ‘round here.”
\tElaria had used the time taken by that little exchange to get out of her seat and position herself between her companion and the wolf. The latter was as burly as she’d expect from someone who earned their living through hard, physical labor, but that didn’t particularly concern her, given that he still only weighed about half of what her father did and showed very little of the earl’s sheer muscle tone. “We’re willing to leave peacefully,” she grated, glaring seemingly straight at him though, in truth, she was paying more attention to his friends, moving up from behind, “but, somehow, I don’t expect you to go along with that idea. My friend here is the son of an earl’s seneschal, and it’s my job to see him get home in one piece. If you object so strongly to the fact that some boys like other boys, you and your boyfriends will have to go through me to do anything about it.”
\tTwo lines from Malia’s teachings on combat psychology were flitting through the vixen’s mind as she issued her ultimatum, ‘Anger is a weapon only to one’s opponent,’ and ‘No organized force is ever outnumbered by a disorganized force.’ It took a great deal of self-control not to smirk at the rage she saw blossoming on her foes’ faces, as self-indulgent amusement would work against her internal organization, her focus instead on a combination of observing those she faced and summoning up the inner calm that had served her so well on the practice grounds. Nothing could be allowed to breach that quasi-trance, not fear, not humor, and most certainly not the knowledge that this time it wasn’t just practice and that, other than the time she’d taken down a mercenary ambusher with a darkly-blessed dagger, which hardly counted anyway with the advantage that knife had offered, this was the first time in her life she’d faced true combat.
\t“You bitch!” the wolf rumbled, cocking back his arm, his expression one of hate and fury as he launched his fist at the face that had so casually maligned his manhood. Very little of what was going through his mind at that moment could be termed actual thought, his seething outrage pushing all else from his mind, but in the space of one heartbeat anger flashed through surprise and blossomed into agony as the vixen took action. One hand flashed up to catch his wrist in an iron grip, pushing it up out of line with her head, her other arm launching an uppercut almost simultaneously, aimed for his elbow. She’d barely have bruised him had his arm been unrestrained; captured as it was, though, there was nowhere for it to go, and her blow landed with the sickening crunch of a shattered joint. Fingers out and stiff, then, her punching hand returned an instant later in a hard jab at his chest, just below the juncture of his ribs, a quick yank at his broken arm only adding to that arm’s damage and the force of her second strike.
\tThe princess’ arms were back at her sides, both fists clenched, as she calmly watched her attacker crumple into a whimpering heap, and she turned her serene gaze on the four shocked men behind him. “Who’s next?” she asked conversationally.
\tA second wolf shook his head to clear it, still wondering just how his friend had been taken down so easily, and he glanced over to make sure the otter and two panthers were still with him before growling, “Get ‘er!”
\tEla half-crouched as the group rushed as one, her size relative to their bulk working in her favor for once; as she leaned quickly to one side then the other, feinting that she was about to dash somewhere, those reaching arms tangled with each other, and from there it was simply a matter of picking the best targets. The pair of attackers on her left were tallest, and had crouched slightly to reach her, so she feinted once more toward them then lunged for real. Her strong grip served her well once again as she gave a pair of arms a hard yank each, bringing their owners’ heads within reach, and she wasted no time in grabbing both and slamming them together. “Harlen! Side door!” she barked and ducked, incidentally dodging another grab but mainly in preface to charging forward, splitting her dazed foes apart with her own body. A hint of relief impinged on her trance as she felt feet striking her spine; she’d been worried that her friend might be too frightened or confused to follow her instructions, but that fear, at least, had been groundless. Hopping backwards onto the short bench her companion had just abandoned, she returned her remaining foes’ glares from their own eye level, watching from the corner of her eye until Harlen’s gray tail vanished through the side exit.
\tThe wolf and panther she’d stunned were clearly still a bit unsteady on their feet, so she focused on the panther and otter on the far side from the door she’d sent her friend through. Those two foes seemed to have calmed down, watching her with a wary shrewdness, and that very caution brought the memory of a practice bout to mind, translated in turn into action a moment later. Almost as one motion, Ela’s hands dipped down to tear open her travel cloak’s ties, one leg sweeping up in a kick the instant it was free. The pair she was focusing on flinched back, even though she couldn’t have reached them anyway, but that slight hesitation had been her goal from the outset; she let her kick’s inertia turn her completely around, then launched her entire body the next second in a backward arc. She kept her gaze down and forward relative to herself, arms poised like rearing snakes, and the instant her foes’ heads came into view, her body in mid-air over their shoulders, she struck, fingers digging painfully into their scalps as her claws arrested her flight, followed by her legs, both free of her cloak now, lashing into the splits. A familiar sensation on one side greeted her, that of her kneecap slamming into someone’s windpipe with crushing force, a feeling she knew only because of her father’s insistence upon healers attending every practice session. The unicorn she’d been sparring with wouldn’t have survived without immediate aid, after all, the healers’ presence freeing her to indulge a sheer ferocity that no other sort of ‘practice’ would have allowed. On the other side, though, the panther’s cat-like reflexes had already been sending his hands instinctively toward his suddenly-gouged head, incidentally saving him from the otter’s fate, her shin impacting his wrist hard enough to bruise but leaving him otherwise unharmed.
\tPulling herself half-upright by her claws’ grips, the vixen immediately lunged back and down once more; each of these men weighed far more than she did, but her angle of attack conspired with their own reactions to the painful laceration of their scalps, letting her yank them into a backwards tumble. She was ready for it, easily rolling backwards to come up in a crouch, prepared once more for action; they weren’t, and they landed hard, the feline of the pair yowling and the mustelid’s breath forced past his crushed throat to emerge with a sound most often associated with the other end of a digestive tract and too many beans. The pair of skulls she’d knocked together a few moments earlier seemed to be focusing again, but now she had some space to work with, so she simply watched, considering her options and waiting for them to give her something to react to...
\t“I’ve had enough of this shit,” a voice muttered behind her. She’d been tuning out the gasps and comments of the watching non-combatants in the room, but this new contribution intruded on her trance for the simple fact that it was drawing nearer as it spoke. Its tone spoke of... irritated resolve, she realized, and the next instant she flung up both arms, her first reflex against an unexpected attack from behind, but it was too late. Sparks flared in her vision as the ursine bouncer’s cudgel descended on her skull, her body hitting the floorboards a moment later as her strength seemed to flow away like water from a broken cup. Groaning, she forced herself to turn over, barely getting an arm up in time to meet the second blow that was already descending, and she yelped as both bones in her forearm audibly snapped. “There,” the bear rumbled with a nod, then looked up to the wolf and panther stepping toward him. “I think I’ve taken most of the fight outta this’un, so you two have your fun, and your pals too if they get up.”
* * *
\t“Elaria? Princess Elaria?”
\tEla started awake at the sound of her name, trying to open her eyes and look around for the source of the voice, but something was wrong. Her eyes didn’t want to open, and sound itself seemed to be muffled behind an all-pervading shroud of pure pain, more than she’d ever experienced in her life; in fact, she couldn’t seem to find a single place on her body that didn’t hurt. The call was repeated, and she tried to reply, but all she heard of her own voice was a low, agonized groan.
\t“Princess?” a new voice intruded. “You’re telling me that a princess got into a bar fight? Two of the guys who jumped her are dead, and I’ve never heard’a no princess as could do that!”
\tA whimper escaped as a hand pawed around her waist, and the first voice returned, her pain-fogged mind finally identifying it as Harlen’s, “Here... I’ve been traveling with her for over a week, and I’ve seen her open every pouch and bag we’ve got except this one. If she’s carrying identification, it’s in here.”
\t“We’ll just see about... holy shit, that’s a signet! And this badge... I’ve never seen one like this; do you know what it means?”
\t“Let me see that... oh. Just before the fight she said she’d been assigned to protect me, but I didn’t believe it. I do now... I just spent about half a year in Unicorn Vale, and this is a captain’s badge in their elite forces. I know she looks too young to be an officer, but... well, the elite isn’t like other military units I’ve heard about. They promote strictly based on fighting prowess, so age doesn’t mean shit. Skill does.”
\t“I can believe that... Five big men against a little girl, and it looks like she was holding her own well enough. Might’a taken ‘em all if that bear hadn’t brought a club to a fistfight.”
\t“She’s still breathing, and we’ve got most of the bleeding stopped... but I don’t know what to do about broken bones, and she’s probably torn up inside, too. As fast as we got her out, it may have been too late.” Harlen’s voice broke off with a choked sob, and came back, quieter, “I’m not a fighter... and she took them all on, alone, for me. I don’t want the one real friend I’ve had lately to... to die.”
\t“The town healer’s on his way, son, so don’t you worry... It may take a while, but he’ll get her put back together. The only wizard in town died two months ago, or she’d be fixed in a day or two. Workin’ with just his own magic, the doctor’ll fix a little each day, probably for a few weeks.”
\tElaria whimpered again as she tried once more to open her eyes, then gave that up as a bad cause and focused on her voice, appalled inside at how much sheer effort it was taking just to move her jaw an inch and force her tongue to work, “Har... Harlen...”
\tThere was an immediate rush of air as a body deposited itself beside her, and she struggled not to yelp as a hand touched her unbroken, but bruised and battered arm, “Elaria? I’m... I’m here. We got you out, and help is on the way.”
\tThe vixen took two more slow breaths, gathering her strength, then tried again, “Left... saddle... bag.” That exhausted her for the moment, and she heard someone rummaging with something large and made of leather. By the time her ears reported the hiss of a strap passing through a steel buckle, she felt up to one last try, and struggled to form two more words, “Bot... bottom... crystal.”
\tThe stranger’s voice came to her, “Here it is... it looks like a big hunk of quartz, but it’s glowing a little, and there’s a vine painted on it. Healers often mark their shops just like that...”
\t“Magic!” Harlen exclaimed. “Her father, the earl... he’s a wizard, too! He must have given this to her...”
\t“Is that so? Huh... Well, son, I can tell you that one of two things is happening here, based on the glow. I’ve seen my share of magic, y’know... and if this thing is what you think it is, it shouldn’t be glowing. Either her daddy’s pure crap as wizards go and charged the crystal so badly that it’s leaking, losing a bit of power every day, or he’s very, very good and loaded it up with so much that nothing could hold it all. I hope for her sake that it’s the latter.”
\tDarkness was beckoning, and Ela knew she’d be unconscious again within seconds, but managed one final word, surprising herself with how emphatic her weakened voice managed to sound, “Good.”
\tThere was a quiet thud as the stranger put the crystal down, and he chuckled gently, “Let’s hope so... Princess.”
Chapter 5
\tThe second return to consciousness was far easier for Elaria. She still hurt in several places but, to her surprise, wasn’t in actual agony anywhere, and her mind was much clearer this time. It even managed, given a few seconds to look around, to put the details of the comfortable bed beneath her and the panting badger in white robes, a green vine embroidered on one breast, together to guess that she’d been kept unconscious, deliberately, while the evident healer worked. Given the pain associated with magical healing of her minor practice injuries, she decided to be nothing but grateful for having been kept asleep while the ravages of the beating she’d taken were repaired. The doctor was obviously still recovering from his exertions on her behalf, so she took another glance around the room, blinking in honest surprise at the mink seated at the foot of her bed.
\tThe priest’s penchant for ironic humor showed again in his smile as he mused airily, “Call it serendipity, or coincidence, and given the benefit to you you’d be right... but it was actually pragmatism, originally. One of the things we offered to sweeten the deal to let us build this temple was to provide free quarters for the town healer, and beds for any of his patients.”
\tEla surprised herself with a faint chuckle, given that she hadn’t expected to be able to laugh any time soon, the last time she’d been awake, “I’ll take what I can get... I passed out after the first few kicks, back at the inn, but what I felt like the first time I woke up tells me they weren’t nearly the last. Whether he’d treated me in your comfortable bed or a muddy ditch, I’m very grateful for this healer’s fine services, as I was probably doing a good job of dying from internal bleeding when he got to me.”
\tThe badger opened his eyes, a hint of humor dancing within them as he spoke solemnly enough, “Along with a minor skull fracture, six broken ribs that had already started cutting into your lungs, and enough fractured limbs that any attempt to crawl away would have resulted in probably-fatal tears in skin and muscle. You, young lady, are lucky to be alive, and I should add that you wouldn’t be if it weren’t for your superb physical condition. Well-toned muscle can do much to reduce the injuries garnered from a particular blow, and you possess such in plenty.”
\tHis patient nodded, her own gaze serious, “I gather, though, from the splints I can feel and the aches that remain, that I’m still far from recovered... I’ve always made a point of adhering to the professional advice of any healer, so, please, tell me just how bad I still am and what I need to do to help you, or at least to keep from hindering your treatment any further.”
\tOne gray-furred brow rose in surprise, “Now that’s the sort of attitude I can only wish all of my patients displayed! Well, to answer your question, then, I haven’t used up all of the energy in the remarkable crystal your father sent you with, but I am currently at the end of my own strength. It’s about an hour before dawn, right now, and I’ll need to eat and get the full night’s sleep I missed out on while I treated you. I’ve healed everything that was actually life-threatening, but your bones are only half-set at best, and I did very little to address the muscular damage you suffered. Please move as little as possible, and get help if you need to sit up. Neither your arms nor your legs can reliably support your weight right now, so you’ll need to be gently carried to and from the privy. I dealt with your concussion well enough to avoid nausea, so you should eat while I’m resting... Meat and milk, my dear; those will provide your body with the nutrients I’ll be making use of, once I’ve recovered enough for another session. Oh, and speaking of the privy, there will be blood in your stool and urine, but don’t be alarmed; I’ve fixed the hemorrhaging that had you bleeding in the first place, but what leaked out will still need to be excreted.”
\tThe princess nodded, then smiled, “No worries there, good healer... I earned my ‘superb physical condition’ in intensive combat training, so I’m quite familiar with the sight of blood, even my own. The mink over there already said he wanted a chance to talk to me, so we’ll do just that while you rest.”
\tThe healer snorted as he hauled himself to his feet, “Just talk, mind you... That man is a true Roxanite, and will ‘share love’ with just about anything with a pulse. If you wish to keep a pulse, young lady, remember that you’re in no condition for that particular sort of conviviality!”
\t“I’ll have to plead guilty to that charge,” the priest admitted with a cheerful smile, “but don’t count out my sense of propriety! The love I wish to share with you right now, good doctor, is available in the room just across the hall, where a hot, healthy meal awaits, followed by the bed, sans any partner unless you want my young lady acolyte, the cougar lass you keep trying not to be caught ogling, to help you relax enough to sleep. She noticed your look, and I can assure you the attraction is mutual; she seems to have this thing for mustelids of all sorts.”
\tThe badger blinked, shaking his head, then paused... “I was going to decline your final offer,” he admitted, “but... for some reason, an obscure text I read during my own years of study is springing to mind, about how sex, where one partner does most of the work, can be used as an effective treatment for overexertion in the other, something about the release of substances that serve as an aid to the body’s recovery. I have no idea why I remembered that tidbit at this particular time... but it was a well-reputed source, as I recall.” Straightening, he nodded as he padded toward the door, “Let me get that meal into me, first, but... yes, please send her in to, ah, ease me into slumber.”
\tElaria grinned as the latch clicked closed, miming a glance heavenwards, “In this particular temple, I think I know why ‘that tidbit’ surfaced here and now.” She let her gaze fall and her eyes sink half-closed as she continued, “Thank you, Roxanarra, for this favor gifted to the man who saved my life that I might serve You with it.”
\tNo quasi-verbal reply was forthcoming, but a flash of warmth awoke in her groin, briefly drowning out the surrounding aches, and she knew her prayer had been heard.
\t“Roxanarra moves in mysterious ways,” the priest agreed, “though She wasn’t as blatant, in this case, as one might first assume. You and I, as members of Her clergy, have an advantage in that we’re prone to look for this sort of subtle nudge... which brings me, ever so conveniently, to the topic I wished to discuss with you.”
\tEla nodded and perked her ears, doing her best to convey attentive expectation while unable to sit up.
\tMoving to the chair the healer had vacated, the mink leaned back in it, lacing his fingers behind his head as he began his instruction, though it took the vixen another moment to start paying true attention, as the move had called to her attention to the fact that, inside the temple, he did not wear that loincloth under his translucent robe... “When you’re traveling, however casually or urgently, you must remain open to such hints as the good doctor received, though they tend not to manifest in that specific form. Most often, you will be the one so nudged, usually by an unexpected feeling of arousal when you first see someone, one that cannot be explained wholly by their appearance and its possible relationship to your tastes. If they’re someone you’re already prone to court, that flash of lust will be stronger than what you’d ordinarily feel, or perhaps some other clue will call itself to your attention, but rest assured there will always be some sign that you’ll come to recognize after it’s happened a few times. The meaning of these signs, invariably, is that the person you’re being guided to needs love of some kind. Sex, of course, is the most common sort of love they need, but remember that sex itself is but a means to an end in some cases. Comfort, support, encouragement; they may need one of those, and making love to them is the best way to fulfill that need, be it directly with the act itself or accomplished as a sideline, the act simply rendering them more comfortable with your presence and attentive to your words.”
\tThe vixen nodded again, “In the one instance of such comfort I’ve administered so far, I don’t think it was absolutely vital that I was also Harlen’s lover... but it certainly didn’t hurt. The fact that I’m a girl, and I know his secret desire for his own sex, and was willing and able to make physical accommodations to that bias regardless, undoubtedly had some effect on how he considered my words of support the next day.” She paused while the mink nodded, then tilted her head against the pillow, “Where is Harlen, anyway? I remember hearing his voice when I regained consciousness shortly after the fight, so he’s probably okay... but he’s my friend, and I’d rather be sure.”
\tThe priest chuckled, “Oh, he’s more than okay... He’s probably getting some sleep at this moment, cuddled up with the commander of the watch’s night shift, who put his senior sergeant in charge so he could knock off early. The exact reasons for the fight came out after I showed up, when you’d already lapsed back into unconsciousness, resulting in said commander sharing his own little secret, the one that had occasionally brought him to me for a... discreet liaison.” He paused, then continued with a frown, “It seems I need to apologize... I’d seen your companion’s nature, but didn’t give enough thought to the locale and audience. Your being beaten nearly to death is, I’m starting to realize, my fault for not restraining my own impulses. I really shouldn’t have kissed him like that...”
\tEla shook her head, “The problem was already here... You and I simply drew attention to it. With a senior member of the watch predisposed toward people such as yourself and Harlen, coupled with a rather public battle that will surely grow in the telling, I can see several opportunities for increased tolerance arising from my little misadventure. Two of those willing to use violence to enforce their bigotry are now dead, or so I overheard, and there certainly won’t be any legal repercussions from their demise. Even if the chief of the watch shares my attackers’ view, I’m not the simple traveler I try to appear as; I’m Princess Gatuque! Eldest child of the first ambassador of Drachath to Unicorn Vale! And Harlen’s my father’s seneschal’s son. Any attempt to arrest or try us for those deaths would encounter severe political resistance and possibly kingdom-wide diplomatic repercussions. The bottom line is that I acted in self-defense, and even if there’s some resistance to the notion at first, that’s what the official record will eventually confirm. One successful act of defense against bigotry, where only the bigots suffer lasting damage, will do much for the morale of others whom they might try to oppress. Simply knowing that you can defend against that sort of intolerant hatred is enough to put a little courage into nervous hearts, or uncertainty into hating ones.”
\tThe mink looked thoughtful throughout her little speech, and finally nodded, “I had no idea of your actual rank, but there is much truth to what you’ve just said, once it’s factored in... Had it been anyone else those bullies had attacked, even with identical results from the fight itself, the reaction of our guard force might have led to a different outcome, but... You may not look it, or flaunt it, but you are an important personage in your own right, and they can’t just sweep you under the proverbial rug.” He smiled, then, the corners of his eyes damp with unshed tears, “This is starting to feel like another divine ‘nudge,’ but it doesn’t feel like the sort our Lady issues... Still, thank you, Princess. Who and what you are are the reason lasting, positive change may come of tonight’s sad events, but you as a person were the one who took a stand for justice. From what I’m told you didn’t plead, didn’t even hesitate, when faced with a fight that clearly could have, and very nearly did, result in your death, so any good that comes from this can be traced back to one source alone: your personal courage.”
\tThe bedridden princess chuckled softly, “Oh, I think you’re right about the nudge tonight... and that it wasn’t Roxanarra. This feels very much like something Malia would arrange, given Her love of justice, and, in case Roxanarra neglected to mention it while explaining why a Kathallic was being granted the rank of Roxanite priestess, I also seek a similar position among the Maliites, as the vast majority of those who trained me are of that faith. Fighting the good fight for what I know is right, on my way to the temple I plan to apply to, certainly couldn’t hurt my chances! Besides,” and she sobered visibly, “another detail that you probably weren’t told is that I was born a slave. I certainly haven’t always had diplomatic or political clout, and I know what it’s like to have your life completely constrained by the will of others. In some ways, a man who’s afraid to confess his love due to threats of physical harm is as powerless as any slave ever born...”
\tThis fetched a few more blinks from her host, who nodded again as he mused, “I hadn’t realized that you had such... humble beginnings, or broad aspirations; both only serve to enhance the courage you showed and your reasons for showing it, last night. Still... I guess I should finish teaching you what I must about the one goal you have achieved, Priestess...” Giving his eyes a wipe on his robe’s sleeve, he leaned back again and continued, “As you probably won’t join a temple on any permanent basis, you’ll be part of our itinerant priesthood... You should obtain a few sets of undergarments, varying in how revealing they are to suit the local prejudices of any given locale, over which you’ll wear your robe and pendants whenever you feel like trading a bit of love for coin... This is unrelated to those you feel a divine call to aid; those, you usually won’t charge, unless you feel, specifically, that your advice and support must seem incidental; where, in your considered judgment, your efforts will have a greater effect if they’re not directly associated, in the mind of the one you seek to benefit, with the problem you seek to address. Once money changes hands, you see, the mind tends to dismiss the entire encounter as a simple exchange of coin for sex, pushing anything else that you may have discussed into the subconscious, which is sometimes the perfect place for it to do its work. For less therapeutic romps in bed, though, I’ll be providing you with a list of basic acts and the standard donations for such based on our various ranks. You are, of course, free to go without your necklace and pretend to be of a lower rank than your true one, if you have some reason to, perhaps in the case of ‘forgotten therapy’ as I’d just covered but for a beneficiary who cannot afford a full priestess. In any case, an itinerant always has some leeway in how much they charge; they don’t have the benefit of a large temple where it’s easy to match ranks and tastes to a petitioner’s budget. One quarter, no more, of what you make... you keep, allowing you to fund your travels by donations alone if you must. The rest, you should give to the very next Roxanite temple you encounter, be it an enclave or an in-town church, save of course for emergencies. If the only way to save your life or livelihood is to pay for something out of your saved donations, by all means do so, as you can’t exactly maintain our reputation as worthwhile bedmates if you’re starving! Also, no matter what any official might tell you, only the portion you keep is taxable, and then strictly as income; you aren’t subject to any sort of licensing fees or tariffs that might be directed at freelance or organized whores in a particular region.”
\tElaria nodded firmly, “That, taken as a whole, is quite an interesting definition of ‘duty.’ There are subtleties therein, services within services, that I’d never considered possible, but it all ties logically together, once I fully grasp just how much more than a simple prostitute I’m expected to be in our Lady’s service. I probably won’t be doing much in the way of... freelance solicitation, unless I’m tied to a spot for a while and just need to keep myself entertained, but I will keep an eye out for those who truly need my help, and do my best to give it to them.”
\t“Good,” her senior nodded back, “and quite acceptable. Though never exceptionally rich, the church as a whole has been getting along more than adequately in recent decades, so don’t go thinking you need to sell yourself to support us. One more or less lover-for-hire bringing in her tithe doesn’t matter; being a priestess in the spiritual sense, however, does. I know you have a good heart... Follow it, and that will be enough.”
\tEla nodded one last time, but her verbal reply was interrupted by a loud rumble from her belly, her ears splaying as she grimaced, “That fight last night... was right before dinner, and it’s almost breakfast time, judging by the light seeping through those curtains. Could you get me a meal of the sort the healer suggested, and someone to help me eat it without re-breaking my arm? And then, come to think of it, you should get some sleep... You’ve been up all night, helping me in more ways than I care to count, and you deserve some relief too...”
\tLeaning back in his seat, the mink stretched his sinuous body for a long moment, then yawned. “Sound propositions, both of those,” he mused, some hint of his usual, whimsical manner returning. “I’ll go have a word with the cooks, then seek my chambers... my lonely chambers. I do hope you can do something to warm them before moving on, once you’ve recovered.”
\tThe priestess’ most vixenish grin spread across her muzzle, “Why wait? Once you’ve gotten some rest, if you get here before the healer’s ready, I’ve still got a perfectly functional muzzle and tongue, and what I see through that robe looks... tasty. Still, food for me and sleep for you, first!”
\t“Yes, ma’am!” the Roxanite mock-saluted, then padded out.
* * *
\tThe sound of her name being called and the warm clasp of a hand around hers woke Ela from her second healer-induced nap, and she blinked a few times before smiling up into the gray-furred feline face hovering over her bed, “Harlen... It’s good to see you again. Thank you for following my orders, the other night; if you’d balked, you wouldn’t have gotten to the watch in time to rescue me, assuming you’d escaped at all in such a case.”
\tThe cat gave her hand a gentle squeeze as he returned her smile, his own expression seeming unsure whether he was about to laugh or cry, “I’m... just glad you’re alive. I’m going to have nightmares, I know, about the memory of those three bastards, kicking and stomping and smiling as they beat on an already-unconscious, teenaged girl... What happened to you... was a price no one should have to pay just because their companion got a kiss that others didn’t approve of. I’m... I’m in your debt, Princess, in a way I could never hope to repay.”
\tHis companion simply smiled a little wider and gave his paw a stronger squeeze back, “Don’t try... What happened here happened for a reason that reached beyond our brief visit or any one kiss. I discussed things in depth with the senior priest here... and we agree that I was acting as an unknowing agent of divine guidance, helping to correct an unjust situation while it was still minor enough to fix, and thus preventing worse in the future. I’m alive, and I feel very nearly as good as new, so no lasting harm came of my... unfortunate encounter with all those boots, and I’ll not have you beating yourself up inside over a bit of temporary discomfort on my part!” She snorted, then, “Hell, I don’t even mind the eight coppers I’m out for that room I rented but didn’t get to use, and given the other signs of ‘quality’ at that place, the bed I’m in is probably better, anyway.”
\tFrom his chair nearby, the healer leaned closer and tapped her shoulder for attention, then corrected one of her earlier comments, “You’re almost as good as new, physically... but several aspects of your body’s reserves are severely depleted, not the least of which is the blood you lost and my gifts cannot magically replace. I want you to take it relatively easy for at least two weeks. Rest any time you feel even a little fatigued, try to avoid any other fights, and see to it that your diet includes more milk, cheese, and vegetables, the darker green the better, than you usually eat. You need the minerals, young lady, that meat and grains just can’t provide in sufficient quantity.”
\tGiving Harlen another glance, a smile, and a final squeeze of his hand, she turned her attention back to the badger and nodded, “Am I recovered, though, otherwise? Can I get these itchy splints off and, judiciously of course, continue on my journey? This fellow’s father’s expecting him within a specific time-frame, and he’s got pull with a major city’s militia if he cares to exert it; I’d rather not run into an army looking for me, halfway there.”
\tThe badger gave a wry half-grimace, “Normally, with a new patient, I’d say no just to be on the safe side... but I’ve been told a bit more about your background since initially treating you. I’m confident that the concepts of self-discipline and adherence to orders are well-rooted in your psyche, so I’ll say yes, you can go, but order you to keep what I said in mind. You don’t have your usual endurance and should expect to tire easily, and if you sustain another injury before your mineral deficiencies are corrected, you’ll be much longer in recovering.”
\tElaria nodded once, “Understood,” then flipped aside the sheet covering her, neither surprised nor concerned to find herself naked beneath it. “Come on, kitty,” she told Harlen, “help me get these splints off, then show me where the temple’s bathing facility is... Tight on space or not, I’m sure they have one, given how messy ‘worship’ can be in a place like this. After a bath, we’ll find something to eat; I’m sure your new friend on the watch can recommend a place where the meals don’t come with a complimentary beat-down...”
\tThe cat blinked away the last hints of his poignant self-pity, unable to maintain the mood with his companion so much like her old, energetic self. Smiling, finally, he nodded and reached for the nearest strip of cloth tying wooden slats to muscular limbs, “Good ideas, all of those. Let’s.”
* * *
\tHalfway between Winter Wreath’s other inn’s common room, where they’d enjoyed a good meal, and its corresponding stable where their horses waited, the pair was intercepted by the captain of the night watch, looking a bit tired to be up so late (it was nearly noon) but pleased to see them nonetheless. “Good, I caught up with you before you left,” the coyote rumbled.
\tCat and vixen shared a glance between them, then Harlen spoke for them, “If this were a bad play, the obvious line would be, ‘Is there a problem, officer?’ You wouldn’t be looking so upbeat, despite the hour, if there were, though.”
\tThe guard grinned at his lover of recent days, and winked, “It’s odd to be so energetic... but I seem to have been having the most amazing sleep, lately. Far more satisfying and rejuvenating than usual...” His grin only widened as the feline blushed, then schooled itself back to a more serious expression, “Anyway... I just wanted to let you know how the legal wrangling worked out.” Both travelers nodded, looking curious. “There was a bit of plea bargaining done, since the workers who attacked you don’t have much money and were happy to trade conviction on a lesser charge for trial on one they couldn’t afford the fines for. The three ruffians that survived were convicted of disturbing the peace, and their fine was a quarter silver crown each, which has gone to cover part of the healer’s fees, roughly halving the temple’s expense for the discounted rate that’s offered whenever wizard-supplied energy is available.”
\tElaria frowned, reaching for her coinpouch, “No one mentioned fees, and I failed to think of them to inquire on my own... I really should help with the rest, since I’m the one who benefited from his labors.”
\tThe captain shook his head, “Don’t worry about that... I hear he dropped the temple’s half right back into their donation box, muttering something about the deepest purr he’d ever heard.”
\tThis fetched a blink, then a barked laugh, “Good for that girl! I’d have thanked her more personally, since she indirectly helped my healing the same way Harlen’s been assisting your energy levels, but the vulva on her necklace was practically nonexistent. A pity, that... She’s cute, and reminds me a lot of a lioness I knew, physically.”
\t“You’re a Roxanite, alright,” the ‘yote mused with a snicker, then continued, “The two you killed were posthumously charged with assault, necessary to bring self-defense into the issue to defuse potential repercussions from their families. This charge was also, along with battery and professional negligence, applied to the bouncer at the inn, and his entire family of staff there were given the hint that they’d better help pay his fine if they didn’t want to be branded accessories to the crime. They paid a gold half-crown, half of which in turn is due to you as the victim,” and he fished a small handful of silver out of his pocket and held it out.
\tThe vixen nodded solemnly as she accepted the coins and dropped them into her own purse, “I defended Harlen because he’s my friend, and because it was right, not for the money, but I’m not enough a fool to turn my nose up at it. If anything similar happens in a town whose officials share the attackers’ bias, I might need it to pay fines myself, after all, though I plan not to let anyone catch me unarmed like that in the future.”
\tThis earned another serious nod from the guard, “A sensible precaution... That sort of bigotry isn’t fair, or right, or just, but no one ever guaranteed that life is any of those. All we can do is apply a bit of caution and common sense and make our way as best we can...” Looking over to the cat, he smiled, “If you ever come this way again, my young friend, look me up... but, for now, I bid you both a safe journey.”
\tHarlen offered his hand, which the coyote grasped warmly and shook with another smile, before leaving them to continue onward to the stables.
Interlude 2
\t“I’m not, generally speaking, in the habit of hiring complete strangers for something as sensitive as guard duty... Rollen, you said your name was?”
\t“Ronnel, sir,” the fox corrected, banishing the trace of irritation that was threatening to make him tense up. He was no scholar, of course; no serf ever was, but he could spell his own name, and the letters used in this kingdom were closer to those he’d been used to than the spoken language, full of different inflections, frequently twisted in syntax, and using terms he’d thought were mere slang, back home. He focused on his speech, doing his best to mimic the local accent to keep from sounding like a total foreigner, as much to distract himself from the more nervous aspects of this interview as to be understood, “I said that I can guard, at need. I offer myself for general labor, doing whatever needs to be done. Clearing land to camp, cooking food; those I know I can do. Finding herbs to make travel rations less onerous, that I think I can do, if plants here are little strange compared to my home kingdom. Guarding, I can do if I must; my rank in Dengar was low, so the teaching of weapons was prohibited, but it is with my body and my mind that I fight. Observation, too; I can watch for those in hiding, or those who are not what they seem. Though minor, this skill already I have shown; I watched many men with your house crest converging here, the preparation of wagons and beasts, so I know you are preparing to travel, and it is at the east gate you gather.” He spread his hands entreatingly, “I have... reason to wish to be far from the border. Across it, they will tell you I am a criminal, but my crime is that of defending myself. He who attacked me was... of higher rank. More, I’d rather not say, but if it will help me travel with you, I will tell all.”
\tThe merchant nodded, to himself as much as his guest, and observed the man for another moment across his desk... “You strike me as a desperate man, Ronnel,” he finally admitted. “That alone makes me nervous... but it also presents an opportunity that appeals to my business sense. You realize, of course, that my first impulse is to take unfair advantage of your situation?”
\tThe vulpine nodded with a grim smile, “Of course. Every advantage is yours. You have guards, with swords; your hand holds the prospect of my next meal; your word could see me dragged back to the border to be thrown upon the scant justice to be found there. You say ‘business,’ and what you mean I think I know. If you take me, you will give me jobs, ones no one else wants. Digging privy trench, emptying officer’s chamberpot, making best food for higher-rank before my own meal of boiled barley. Some things, you might have to pay someone else more to accept; but I, I will do them for no coin, but for the ‘pay’ of safety and distance from those who hunt me. At any town, any stop, your word could see me jailed, but if that word comes on the far side of the next duchy border, I will welcome it and bear you no malice for its giving. I will have already been saved, then, and any fate that takes not my life will be victory.”
\tThis earned a chuckle from the overweight bear, “Oh, I doubt I’d consign you to gaol when your usefulness was at an end... I’m more inclined to simply send you on your way once we reach Gatuque. You may not ask for pay, but if you last that far with us you’d get some regardless, if not in coin. Simply being seen in the company of House Cranlith as we enter the city would likely garner you the offer of a job or two, jobs that would pay.” Leaning forward, he planted his elbows on the desk and rested his chin in one hand as he thought for another moment... then nodded. “I think I can use you, but I’ll need to verify your claim of being able to fight. I try to avoid taking on even a simple servant who can’t defend themselves, and the bandits know it, which is one reason my caravans are almost never attacked in the first place. So, step outside and look for an unusually tall marten wearing a helm with three red feathers. That would be the master of my guard, Sir Yavine. Be respectful; he’s a knight, and therefor a noble. He doesn’t care what station in life you come from, though, so long as you can live up to any claim of prowess you make.”
\tPressing his palms together in front of him, Ronnel bowed respectfully, “My thanks, honored merchant, and my pledge of good work upon the road,” before stepping past the on-duty bodyguard and out of the office.
\tMost of the space between the merchant house proper and its low outer wall was occupied by wagons being loaded and the beasts that would pull them, but the ring of steel against steel and wood led him easily to the corner where the guards were going through their last drills before the journey. One aspect in which Ronnel’s lupine ancestry did not show was his height, his five and a half feet being strictly average for a fox, but the armored marten he saw supervising the other guards, normally an even shorter species, had him beat by at least two inches. He padded up to wait nearby, unfastening the traveling cloak he’d gotten in trade for that pot several days ago, then repeated his bow when the knight turned toward him with an inquiringly raised brow. “Sir Yavine, your employer, whom I hope shall soon be our employer, asks that you test me.”
\tThe mustelid nodded, “Respectful, to the point, and not too flowery... I like your demeanor already, young man. Tell me your name and what arms you’ve trained in, and to what degree, and we’ll see just what sort of test I can come up with.”
\tSpreading his hands again, the fox shrugged, still doing his best to mentally reverse his sentences to comply with the local dialect, “I am called Ronnel, a former serf from Dengar, and such as I are not permitted the use of weapons. Citizens may use staves, short swords, and hunting bows, but true weapons of war are for the nobility and the military. I have... trained myself, though. My self is my weapon...” Grimacing, he shook his head, “My apologies, noble knight, but I’m still accustoming myself to the speech of this realm. I use no blade or cudgel, but I assure you, I can fight. A man of perverse intent sought pleasure at my expense; he had knives and the knowledge of their use. Now he is dead, and his death is what brings me to your kingdom seeking sanctuary.”
\tBoth red-gold brows rose in the shadow of the knight’s helm, and he nodded, “I can understand how you might... object to that sort of treatment. Shrug out of that cloak and I’ll find you a partner to prove your claims upon, but please don’t kill this foe. Hmm...” Glancing over his troop, he called, “Corporal Hojin, front and center!”
\tA tall lion looked up at the call, sharing a nod with the wolf he’d been practicing against before padding over and snapping to attention, “Sir! Reporting as ordered, sir!”
\tYavine rolled his eyes, “I keep telling you, son, that you’re not in the army any more... Anyway, swap out your sword for a practice blade then see what this fox is made of. He tells me he fights unarmed, but the bandits won’t, and you’re a bit better than the average raider, so if he can hold out against you we’ll all know he’s worth having around in a fight. Even if it turns out he’s overestimated his skills, though, try to leave him breathing.”
\tDropping his cloak to one side, Ronnel waited until the ex-soldier had exchanged his usual sword for one of dull pot-metal, then gave him a shallow bow, his hands held loosely near his sides, “I am ready, good corporal. It is in my defense that I have taught myself, so attack at your whim; of the starting of a fight, I know nothing, wishing only to end them.”
\tLooking somewhat bemused, the lion cast one glance at his commander, who was watching without expression, then shrugged to himself and paced slowly forward. He suspected some kind of trickery, of course, but that was best dealt with by a trick of his own. About three paces from his foe, his slow walk turned into a fast rush, a hard overhand blow already on its way, but he kept his eyes on the fox’s hands, keeping enough strength in reserve to dodge them with his sword or simply thrust his way past a sudden grab.
\tRonnel’s hands didn’t move, but his body did, half-turning out of the arc of the sword’s sweep. The lack of resistance made his foe stumble, seemingly about to plow straight into the unarmed man, but the fox was already half-crouching, catching the center of the lion’s chest on one shoulder then combining a thrust and a turn.
\tChainmail jingled as the larger fighter tumbled into the dust, his sword skittering away, and he blinked in confusion, “How did you do that? You barely touched me...” Dusting himself off, he straightened up and reached for his sword again.
\tHis foe shrugged, answering calmly enough, “The strength which felled you was yours; no great touch is needed to simply change its direction to one unhelpful to you. You rushed without balance; strive to keep that, and you’ll stand longer.”
\tHojin nodded as he straightened the tabard over his mail tunic, “Balance... Right, I can do that,” then approached again, a bit more cautiously this time. Once more keeping a close watch on his seemingly-passive opponent, he was nonetheless surprised to be allowed all the way within arm’s reach, and from there he struck, a straight thrust at the man’s midsection.
\tRonnel dropped to the splits as the dull blade neared, leaning back as he fell to catch himself on one hand and further angle himself away from the attack. That blade twisted above him, clearly in preparation for a downward slash, only to be knocked aside by his free hand. The lion’s expression hardened, and he brought the sword back into line for another slash, but even that brief an interruption in his attack was time enough for his nimble foe to bring more limbs into play, a foot striking his arm and knocking it aside again, and a third blow landing from Ronnel’s other foot as he practically pivoted through the air, supported by one hand in the dirt.
\tMore irritated than anything else by the stinging blows, the corporal firmed his grip and tried yet again to slash at the crouching figure before him, only to see it duck again, a hand darting up to grab his wrist even as a foot planted itself against his knee. “Shit,” he managed to mutter, having a good idea what was coming, and, sure enough, the next moment he was tumbling in the dust again.
\tThat fox he couldn’t seem to hit was standing again when he looked up, his expression still respectful as he instructed in that damnably-calm voice of his, “Balance is not simply to be had, it must be kept, for it can be taken from you by your foe.”
\t“I’ve seen enough,” Yavine interrupted, his objective neutrality cracking enough to give both men a wry grin. “It seems that our ex-serf here spoke truly... and I suspect we haven’t seen a tenth of the tricks he’s picked up, to defend himself without weapons. I’ll tell Cranlith you’re competent, Ronnel. Welcome to our caravan.”
\tRetrieving his cloak to drape over one arm, the fox pressed his hands together and bowed one last time, deeply, “My thanks, noble knight. I worked out this means of defense myself, and have never tried to teach it to another... but, if you wish, I will attempt to do so. Many of the things I do can help even an armed man avoid his foe’s blade, and that is always a worthy goal.”
\tThe marten nodded, “We’ll certainly have time for you to try... Depending on weather, this trip takes two to three weeks, assuming no outright disasters delay us even more.”
Chapter 6
\tEla had been eight the last time she’d visited Gatuque, the first chance her father had had to get away after finalizing the plans of the embassy and seeing its construction well-started. Thus he and his family had taken that opportunity to visit his holding, mainly because he wanted to adjust ‘his’ city’s tax code a bit, along the lines of Fariach, to stimulate local commerce and ease the burden of those living there. Still, it had been a long time since she’d been to Gatuque House, while her friend had grown up there, so she let him lead the way through the streets’ afternoon traffic to the ring of upper-class residences just east of the ducal palace.
\tThe cat that greeted them at the door of the opulent, if minimally-staffed, manor house much resembled Harlen in build, but his fur was a mottled black and white, matching his son’s only where the onset of middle age was turning the first few furs gray. Before either traveler could offer a word of greeting, though, the seneschal gave them one stern glance and commented, “You’re late. Come in, and tell me of your journey; I’d like to hear just why it took nearly a week longer than expected.”
\tEla and Harlen exchanged a glance, the princess rolling her eyes slightly and her companion simply grimacing, but they followed the older cat in readily enough. Taking one of the chairs in the sitting room they were led to, the gray feline began, “I did my utmost to make the date I knew you’d expect me home, Helarron, the notes from my journey north helping to plan for identical speed, but about halfway here we... ran into some difficulty. Recovering from injuries delayed us for a couple days, after which we were further slowed in complying with the orders of a healer, meant to ensure that no lasting damage would result.”
\t“You and your companion look well enough,” the elder noted, “so I’ll assume that said recovery was accomplished. Who is this young man with you, though, and which of you were injured, and how?”
\tEla chuckled, that sound alone feminine enough to widen the seneschal’s eyes, but she cut him off before he could voice the hasty apology that was obviously forthcoming, “I am Elaria, Princess Gatuque, first child of your earl, a captain in the New Vale Militia Elite, and Priestess of Roxanarra. To answer your question, a group of toughs took exception to your son through no fault of his own, and I had to... deal with them.”
\tHarlen was looking down as he spoke, quietly, “She saved my life, Father... and very nearly died, herself. She made a gap for me to escape through, but there were five of them, then a sixth joined in with a club, and she was unarmed...”
\tGrimacing, the vixen reached over her left shoulder to touch the wooden hilt sticking up behind it, “The inn we were at had changed management since your son’s last visit, to a less friendly proprietor and his family. It was their official bouncer who stepped in with a cudgel when it seemed I might win the fight, and they’d already made me pack up my steel... That’s why I’m wearing this, too, now. I will bend to the lawful will of any property owner in regard to lethal weapons, but never again do I want to face ten times my weight in fighters without even a stick to my name.”
\tHelarron could only shake his head in wonder, “Milady, you have my and my family’s eternal gratitude... Simply for being your father’s daughter, you have a fair claim on me and this house, and you are welcome here. More, though, you show an aspect of your family that I’ve always suspected, that of nobles who view the obligations of their vassals to them as something to be reciprocated equally, but had not before seen proven. Any service I or mine can provide, whether it falls within the conventional bounds of duty or not, is yours for the asking.”
\tEla smiled gently, “I thank you for that offer, but it was not for any reward that I defended your son... It was right to do so, and, even before I became a priestess, I always tried to do what was right.”
\tThe seneschal’s head tilted curiously, “In general I can understand that... but doesn’t the clergy of Roxanarra have, ah, other interests? Never before have I known one to take a warrior’s path, but you claim military rank, my son’s very life attesting to your prowess...”
\t“The explanation of my seeming oddity,” the princess mused, “is also, unfortunately, the reason I cannot take you up on your offer of a place here, in this house. I have... permission, very nearly a divine mandate, to serve more than one Goddess, and in this town I seek to join the temple of Malia. It would ill behoove a new supplicant to dwell in a luxurious mansion rather than the presumably spartan quarters normally assigned to novices, and despite my titles I have nowhere near enough hubris to demand an exception to those standards.” She smiled, then, and addressed the subject of ‘other interests,’ “Related to the priesthood I already have, I should note that, on our journey, I was your son’s frequent lover as well, but that was just a matter of convenience and mutual pleasure, though it also happened to let me practice several things that contributed to my earning that priesthood. We both knew that the relationship could only be transitory, however, and we part friends.”
\tThe older cat’s brows rose at that, and he chided mildly, “I sent you north to learn from our earl’s mother, son, not to screw his daughter... but, given her religious vocation, I can’t take any real umbrage to things turning out that way.” Turning back to his guest, he offered, “Even if you can’t live here, it’s late enough in the afternoon to make joining the temple today... inconvenient. I don’t know the exact standards by which they judge one’s fitness for admittance, but it’s probably a fair guess that they can take a few hours, and adding the physical preparation of those novice’s quarters you’re looking forward to to the mix... no, going in the morning would be far better. Thus, I offer you this manor’s hospitality for tonight, a good supper and breakfast of my wife’s cooking, and, when you journey onwards tomorrow, I’d like you to carry a donation in my name for the temple, as it was clearly Malia’s path you were following when you fought off those intent on doing my kin harm.”
\tElaria smiled, “This will be the first time the Gatuque House has hosted a member of its current family since my father’s brief visit those years ago... It would be my honor to stay, even for the night.”
\t“Good!” Helarron nodded, then looked to his son, “Harlen, you know which room we keep at the highest readiness for guests; show our lady to it, and open the windows to air it out a bit while she’s settling in.”
* * *
\tHer saddlebags and knapsack just a heap of deflated leather and cloth in one corner, Ela finished stowing her clothes and supplies, then turned to the most important item, saved for last. The three pieces of the knife-stand were easy to assemble, and she set it on a table to one side of the window, her glass-encased souvenir scrotum placed before it, then slowly, reverently set the dagger itself into the stand’s brackets.
\t“Kathalla,” she murmured, bowing her head toward the knife, “I hope it doesn’t seem as if I’ve been ignoring You, but I’ve had... other things to think about. I still love You, my Goddess.”
\t*All is forgiven, My child,* the bone-rattling ‘voice’ she hadn’t heard in so long immediately replied. *My sisters and I are all pleased with your progress, though Malia was a little miffed, briefly, that you spotted Her part in bringing the situation in Winter Wreath to a head so quickly. She’ll live, and I didn’t even give Her the well-earned ‘I told You so’ Her underestimation of your fine mind and soul warranted.*
\tElaria chuckled, “It wasn’t Her fault that I’d just been lectured on the importance of watching for the subtle signs of a Goddess’ machinations in the world... Anyway, I wanted to ask You a question or two. First, would it be possible to get... Akani, I think her name was? Yes, could Akani open the playclub tonight? I was thinking of visiting after dinner, just to get ‘back to my roots,’ so to speak, before immersing myself in Malia’s world tomorrow.”
\t*The delay in getting here caused by your injuries,* the Goddess replied, *coincidentally brought you into town on one of the nights the club is open anyway. Allow Me to refresh your memory of the route, as you were young and distracted the last time you visited,* and the vixen could feel fresh knowledge seeping into her mind, the sights of that long-ago trip on Ferrl’s shoulders coming through much more distinctly than they had any mundane reason to, *and you may join those there at your whim. Akani is co-priestess, these days, as her ursine acolyte, Krebic, has since been promoted, and the local congregation is too small to really need a high priestess. That title was hers by default, simply because there was no one else close enough to make distinctions meaningful.*
\t“Thank you, Goddess, and I shall indeed visit them once I’ve joined my hosts for supper. I’d rather eat at the club, of course, but I don’t wish to be rude to Helarron and his family. Your mention of promotions, though, brings me to my second question... just how does one go about qualifying for formal priesthood in Your church? Of the three Goddesses I wish to serve, Malia places the highest emphasis on honesty, and I’d feel dishonest if my nature were visible only to those of sufficient rank to judge my soul. In the name of that honesty, and because of my love for You, of course, I’d very much like to wear Your pendant alongside those of Your sisters, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing so unless I were at least an acolyte, myself, in Your service.”
\t*My dear,* Kathalla mused as a sudden rush of warmth and affection filled Her worshiper’s consciousness, *I’ve but waited for you to ask. Related to My flock’s small size and your all being de facto clergy, My official ranks are a matter strictly between Myself and those who wish to serve. Novices and acolytes in My service, I judge simply upon the degree to which they’re adept at causing pleasure and pain; you, of course, have qualified as at least a novice since you were seven, and, had you shown an interest in My church at that time, could have claimed acolyte status at age nine, when your three-day orgy gave you a few insights you’d lacked where pleasure is concerned, as well as teaching how too much sex can be a torment of its own. As for true priests and priestesses... that’s more a matter of being able to offer spiritual counsel and guidance, as in any religion. That which you’ve been learning for fair Roxanarra is nearly identical to what you’d be called upon to do for My flock, as a priestess, with only a slight shift in emphasis, the nature of which I’m sure you can deduce with a moment’s thought.*
\tEla grinned, “That’s obvious enough... For a follower of Yours, rather than Roxy’s, I simply wouldn’t push as hard for them to be nice. Kathallics do have a bit more, hmm... flexibility in how we go about seeking what we desire. The breadth and variety of those desires, too, those working their way up through Your church might need to study, but I think my grasp there’s reasonably... firm, as I am.”
\t*Very much so... My flock’s interests are myriad, and the routes to attain them can delve deeply into depravity... save, of course, for your case, where what you seek is to become something other than a Kathallic, but I needn’t lecture you on the several standards of propriety you’ll need to learn to juggle. You’re doing perfectly well at that on your own. Now... look to your left, My priestess, and enjoy your evening.*
\tThere, neatly folded on the bed which had been unoccupied a moment before, was a hooded black robe and, curled up atop it, a small obsidian carving of a bat’s face on a silver chain. “Thank you, my Goddess,” the vixen murmured, her voice husky with emotion.
* * *
\tMore than one set of raised brows greeted Ela’s arrival in the dining room, wearing a simple dress and both of her priestess’ pendants, Harlen commenting first, “I... guess that’s why you encouraged me not to ask about your pre-Roxanite vocation, Princess...”
\tHelarron shook his head with a faint smile from where he sat at the head of the table, “Our earl is a former Agent, son. You really should have made the connection yourself, between that status and the crown’s religion, particularly if, as it seems, you were given a hint that his daughter’s spirituality might be... disconcerting.”
\tClarin, his wife, murmured as she supervised the servant bringing in the meal, “I can’t say I’m thrilled to living under the same roof as a Kathallic, myself, but you’re our sworn princess and my son’s savior. I’m... a bit ashamed to admit that, as I always thought of myself as a tolerant person, but those details do help.”
\tThe vixen shrugged as she smoothed her skirt and edged her chair back toward the table, “I can understand your discomfort, and I respect your honesty... As I was telling your menfolk, though, I won’t be living here much, but I would like to keep most of my clothes and travel-gear in the guest room I’ve been given. I don’t expect the Maliites at the temple to be any more comfortable with me than you are, so it would help to have a residence to call my own on any breaks or holidays novices are allowed.”
\tThe patriarch of the family nodded, “Sensible, and yours for the asking, as I promised.”
\tShe merely nodded back as his wife moved around the table, serving slices of the roast and steaming scoops of herb-scented potatoes, then sent a mildly-pointed glance toward the servant who’d tucked himself into an alcove to await any need for him, “Just tell the staff to be careful about the dagger in the corner of my room. Dusting it should be safe enough, but it’s been blessed by Kathalla. Like any other blessed weapon, those without a religious bond to its deity should avoid touching it.” This fetched a couple of faint frowns and a nervous cough, so the princess grinned and licked her muzzle to lighten the mood, “You all have my thanks, though, for making me welcome for this meal. It smells delicious... I’ve got an invitation to something of a party later tonight, but it can most definitely wait ‘til I’ve enjoyed myself here!”
\tHarlen looked interested, “A party?”
\tStifling a giggle, Ela shook her head, “It’s... religious. I’m virtually certain you wouldn’t like what goes on there, and it involves things that it would be unforgivably rude of me to discuss at the dinner table.” She scooped up a spoonful of potatoes and blew on them to help them cool, then glanced up, “Um, my first religion, I suppose I’d better specify. Official services may have been yesterday, but most of the dark Gods encourage things the general public would rather not see, and their followers could be stigmatized just for being seen there, depending on their rank or profession in daily life, so they all have at least one alternate venue for ‘real’ worship,” and she took the bite she’d been holding, eyes widening at the subtle interplay of seasonings that met her tongue, and she shot the uncomfortable-looking lady cat a smile as she grabbed another scoop.
\tHelarron nodded as he swallowed his own bite of roast, “That’s just another one of the many things few people ever think about, but that makes perfect sense once one does. I certainly wouldn’t put one of Sliisthar’s bunch in a position where they were privy to any secrets, nor let any follower of Karnaal within sniffing distance of my valuables, if I knew they were such to begin with, and seeing them enter the corresponding temple would be a major clue in that regard.”
\tThe princess sniffed at the bite of meat on her fork, licking her lips as its scent suggested that it’d be as delicious as the potatoes were, but paused first to note to her host, “Related to my service to Kathalla, if in a way that would take some explaining, for the last several years I’ve had the ability to identify someone as a follower of the light or dark, or whether they have no strong religious ties at all. In most cases I can do this on sight, though I have to touch one to spot a follower of the God of Lies. As a simple matter of courtesy, in return for your hospitality, I’d be happy to check the staff here for... untoward leanings, if you wish.”
\tClarin immediately stopped looking disapproving, ears perking with interest, “I wouldn’t mind that! We haven’t had any thefts or other trouble... but, in a very real sense, we represent the earl, here. I’d be much more comfortable after all this talk of dark Gods if I could be sure we didn’t have any of Their worshipers around. The risk to our image and reputation, and consequently your father’s, is worth a bit of effort in the cause of certainty.”
\tBefore he could react, Ela leaned back in her chair and reached over to plant one finger on the arm of the servant waiting nearby. He jerked in place, blinking, but she shot him a quick smile, “One down, and clean,” before looking back to the lady cat. “My check is really that simple, so if, tomorrow morning, you make sure I can ‘introduce myself’ to the rest of the staff, I’m happy to provide this little service.”
* * *
\tThe summer sun had just completely set as Ela made her way through the streets. She kept her cowl down, which minimized the odd looks cast at her black robe by guards and citizens, but there’d been little to consider in her decision to wear it. She had, after all, some distinct plans for this night, plans that didn’t include fumbling about with a change of clothes at the bottom of a dimly-lit stairwell, and, other than a comfortable pair of city shoes, her robe and Kathallic pendant were the only things she was wearing.
\tConfusion of a different sort greeted her when she stepped into the tavern and made her way to the stairs... The guard there was supposed to stop anyone whose soul showed white, or those who didn’t show at all; one as curiously mottled as hers was entirely outside of his experience, though much of his discomfort eased when she fished her necklace out of her robe and let it show. “My... apologies, Priestess,” the armored rabbit murmured, beckoning her onwards.
\t“Not your fault, my friend,” she murred, patting him on the cheek in passing. “I’m... unusual.”
\tThe scents of sex and blood greeted her nose as she opened the door at the bottom of the stairs, and she couldn’t help but smile at how much this felt like coming home. Akani was there, seated alongside a bear that was probably the Krebic she’d been told of, given that neither one was wearing anything but their pendants. A fox and, surprisingly enough given how this sort of play attracted carnivores the most, a mouse occupied the other table, both male. No slaves were in evidence, but all four patrons were clearly finishing up a meat-heavy meal, which itself explained the lack.
\t“Looks like I missed the festivities,” Elaria mused, more amused than rueful really, and padded toward the two priests’ table, untying the two knots securing the neckline of her robe as she walked. Just short of one of the unoccupied chairs, she shrugged out of the robe, letting it slide to the floor in a puddle of black satin, and toed off her shoes before taking a seat.
\tKrebic was busy ogling her, of course, but Akani’s look was more speculative. “I... think I know you,” the calico rumbled, “but I’m not sure how. All I can say is that I’ve never seen a soul quite like yours...”
\tThe vixen smiled, “Think back a little less than nine years... and consider my species and my present muscles,” then grimaced wryly as she added, “and also nearly as small of teats as I’ve got now.”
\t“Vixen... muscles...” the older priestess muttered to herself, then brightened, “Ferrl! The most muscles I’ve ever seen on one body... which means you would be little Ela!”
\tElaria’s grimace remained as she glanced at one of her arms, even as she nodded, “Not so little any more... I’d happily trade half my muscles for a bustline like yours.” She took a moment to do a little ogling of her own, licking her lips as she eyed the cat’s chest, “Early middle age seems to be agreeing with you. You look as good as I remember.”
\tThe scrape of a chair against the marble floor drew the three priests’ attention to the other table, where the fox and mouse were both rising. “Dinner was, as always, excellent,” the vulpine mused, “but you know I need to be up early. Such is a baker’s life...”
\t“No worries,” Krebic rumbled, “and we’ll have the rest of that cow delivered to you by noon, discreetly of course. Your ‘beef meatrolls’ are honest enough, really; laws about labeling don’t require you to say just how many legs it had.”
\tAkani looked to the rodent, “And I’ll try to get you another cat or two to torture for next week... I love watching you in action, oh ironic sadist.”
\tThe mouse snickered, “And I’ll have to content myself with just screwing you silly, dear Priestess, no matter how much I’d rather be cutting that cute neck of yours,” before both patrons took their leave.
\tThe feline shook her head, “That guy... he’s really good at sacrifices, and I certainly enjoy his ‘screwing me silly,’ but every once in a while he just gets... creepy. He prefers cats of all sorts, but also likes to disassemble wolves, the occasional fox... anything that eats mice in the wild, really. Half the time I have to poke him to remind him that the sacrifice needs to have some fun, too...” Shrugging away her discomfiture, she asked, “And what’s wrong with small breasts? Early middle age isn’t always agreeing with my spine; this rack is prone to causing the occasional ache...”
\tKrebic offered a protest too, “Yeah... I like small breasts.” He stuck out his broad tongue, then pulled it back in with a grin, “Ones like yours, I can lick practically all of at once. Try that with a more typical vixen and all that fluff dries out my tongue before I hit flesh.”
\tAkani rolled her eyes, “Not that you care whether they have tits so long as there’s somewhere to stick that big dick of yours, as many of our male slaves have learned to their discomfort...” Shaking off her friendly exasperation, she smiled to Ela again, “So... you’re back! And a priestess now, too... of more than one religion, I’m guessing. As unthinkable as it’d normally be, that’s the only explanation I can come up with for the state of your soul.”
\tHer co-priest raised a brow, “I hadn’t thought of that... You just might be right.”
\tEla shrugged, still smiling, “You hit the nail right on the head... I’m currently a full priestess of two of our pantheon’s Goddesses, and in the morning I’ll be joining the temple of the third. I’ve met mortal incarnations of all three, you see. Hell, I’ve slept with all three! Kathalla gave Her permission, and so far the other Goddesses seem to be accepting my quest to know Them all spiritually, rather than just personally. It’s been... interesting. Roxy’s really much more complicated than most assume, and I did nearly die in the pursuit of justice on Malia’s behalf... but I was a Kathallic first, so when I found myself with a free evening in a town where I knew there was a playclub, I naturally came here.”
\tThe bear shook his head with a smile of his own, “We’ve used up all of the slaves for the evening, though... You’re welcome to indulge in the carnal, survivable delights our Goddess favors, of course, and as a Roxanite priestess, in a strictly unofficial capacity, I’m sure you’d be... quite good. You could have those anywhere, though, so I have to assume you came here with... bloodier hopes in mind, and I’m sorry to say that it’s just too late in the evening for that.”
\tTo his surprise, the young vixen merely chuckled, “Oh, somehow I don’t think I’ll be as disappointed as you think. You see, I’ve come to understand how Goddesses operate in our world. Not perfectly, of course, but far better than I ever did before... and I can tell you honestly that I do not believe Kathalla would have encouraged my visit if the only possible results were a small priestly orgy or outright boredom. Just what, I cannot say and refuse to guess... but something will happen here, tonight.”
\t“Most perceptive of you, my dear... I’m impressed,” a new voice intruded.
\tCat and fox called in unison, “Kathy!” as all three heads turned, then blinked. The bear’s confusion was natural enough, as he’d never seen the lithely-nude bat currently sitting at the other table, but none of the three priests recognized the black-furred bunny, a look of confusion on her muzzle, who occupied the next seat.
Chapter 7
\t“Introductions are in order, I suppose,” the bat mused. She pointed first to Krebic, “You’ve never met me before, though both priestesses here have. As they said, I’m called Kathy, and I’m the most frequent mortal incarnation of your Goddess.” Her tone was light, but at the same time brooked no nonsense, and the bear could only nod in acceptance. “As for our other... companion, I’d like you all to meet Pola. You, Elaria, have seen her before, though you probably barely remember; she was the ‘winner’ at the show you watched when you first visited one of my clubs, back when you were six.”
\tThe rabbit in question, looking and sounding lost, asked, “Where am I, sir, ma’ams? The last thing I remember, I was in the temple in Fariach... I’d just asked my dear Mistress of many years to finally go all the way with me, to surpass even the intensity of our play where she had me healed just short of death, and she’d agreed...”
\tKathy smiled warmly, “Yes, she did... and, with judicious use of a hot iron to cauterize wounds, coupled with the occasional minor prayer for healing, it took you more than ten hours to die. That, though, was nearly two years ago. I... ‘memorized’ your physical body the evening of your death, and your memories were part of that. Souls work differently from physical brains, though, which is why your situation is such a surprise, and I do apologize for that, dear. That soul of yours has been in my heaven since then, killing and being killed in turn in an endless orgy of bloodlust, but the spirit world has its own drawbacks. You knew you were a soul, and couldn’t be harmed or permanently hurt those you played with, and that very knowledge blunted the sort of intensity which you sought. Thus, you asked me for a favor, one that constituted a greater miracle than I’ve ever before performed... but not for lack of desire or ability, mind you. In the past, I’ve simply sought to avoid drawing so very much attention to myself, but my current rather cordial relations with the deities of light finally make this sort of thing possible.”
\tAkani quipped, brows high, “Raising the dead is a little out of character for any deity, I’ll agree...”
\tThe bat cackled with amusement, “Oh, but that’s only the beginning!” before addressing the rabbit anew, “You see... you are, now, something of an immortal, dear Pola. If you die, and I expect that will happen fairly often, you’ll exist as a spirit only long enough to observe and appreciate what a lovely corpse you make, after which your body will reconstitute itself and you’ll live again. I can manage the integration of a spirit’s memory into your rebuilt brain easily enough over so short a period... That’s only half of my gift to you, though. Your deaths will, of course, be more intense than those your soul enjoyed, but I’m giving you to this playclub specifically as a permanent fixture, and I haven’t forgotten what you like to do to your fellow slaves! I’m sure my priests will keep you well supplied with playmates, who you’ll know actually suffer, and who really will die at your hands.”
\tThe rabbit’s eyes had been widening steadily throughout the description of her new status, followed apace by an increasing scent of aroused lapine that had all three priests grinning. “Oh,” she finally burst out, lunging from her chair to hug the bat tight, “thank you!”
\tKathy hugged her back warmly, stroking her cheek against the girl’s, and murmured, “You’re currently exactly as you were the evening you asked for your final playtime... but you have a much longer future ahead of you, now. Is there anything about yourself that you’d like me to change before I go?”
\tStill smiling through tears, Pola eased back into her seat to give the question the thought it deserved. A hint of seriousness crept into her expression as she finally nodded, “Yes... three minor changes would be very much to my liking, ma’am. First, some of the mortal healings I had left me with scars under my fur, and I’d prefer to be pristine for each new playmate. Second,” and her ears dipped in a mild blush, “I’m... not as tight as I used to be, having grown too fond of my Mistress’ hand. I think it would be more fun for everyone involved if I were fifteen again. Third and finally... well, this is a matter of sheerest vanity, but could you make my fur white? I’ve always envied white people, for how beautifully crimson their blood is as it flows. Against black, you can hardly see it...”
\tStanding up, the bat nodded as she leaned closer, “Yes to all three, my dear... Enjoy your new life; may it end frequently.” With that, she closed the last few inches and kissed the slave on the lips and, from her muzzle outward, change spread. Black fur changed to white, and the body beneath seemed to shrink ever so slightly, her breasts rising and firming on her chest until they were the perfect image of a nubile teen’s. Pola sat there, her eyes closed as she felt the old stiffness of her scars fading, and when she opened her eyes at the kiss’ end, Kathy was gone.
\t“Okay,” Krebic rumbled, “what just happened? I’m still a little confused... but all I really understand is that we’ve got a new senior slave, one that apparently wants to be killed. Repeatedly. I’m not adverse to the concept, mind you, but few of the slaves to die here actually wanted to, save for those whose previous owners had made their lives a burden they were happy to put down.”
\tGlancing from him to the other priestess, Ela mused, “Let me explain just what you’ve been given... Now, keep in mind that this was from my early childhood, but I think I remember things well enough, and I heard a few other details in passing over the years... Pola here is one of a very special sort of slave the healers and mages made, originally sold for fifty gold nobles each, though she herself was given as a gift to the temple in Fariach. Her... ‘designers,’ I guess, they rearranged her brain, and the fibers that report sensation to it, so now every time her body experiences what anyone else would call pain, it instead feeds into the part of her that feels pleasure. Killing her, as slowly and painfully as we can, would, to her, be like one incredibly long and intense orgasm. She also distinguished herself, in that show I saw, with the sheer enthusiasm with which she applied, let’s see... a dagger, a meat cleaver, and a heavy mace to her fellow slaves, I think it was. It was that very vigor that Kathy chose her for; the other three bunnies she was with thought it was a random selection, but our Goddess is not above tampering with the odds when someone as sadistic as her comes along in a batch of supposedly masochistic submissives.”
\tPola was nodding emphatically as she crossed the room to take the last seat at the occupied table, her dark blue eyes still flicking over her new fur and breasts, “I love killing people. Broken bones, lost limbs, the externalization of any internal organ you’d care to name... I just can’t get enough, and I love it just as much when those bones, limbs, or other bits are mine!” She pouted faintly, “Not that I got dismembered all that often, and I never got to savor the event... Mistress always had to pray the arm or leg back on quickly, to make sure it still worked and to keep me from bleeding to death.” Brightening again, she turned to face the vixen, laying a gentle paw on her shoulder, “Please, Mistress... You seem to know my nature best. Could you show these other fine priests?”
\tNodding, Elaria smiled as she rubbed her cheek against that hand, then stood, “Lay down on the table and spread your legs, and I’ll do just that.” Taking the two steps over to the rack of bonds, blades, and other toys, she looked over the selection carefully... then picked a smallish knife, an oval wooden hilt with a short brass guard and about four inches of very sharp-looking, leaf-shaped blade.
\tThe white bunny had complied with her instructions with all of the enthusiasm Ela remembered from that long-ago show, and had passed the rest of the time she had in exploring her rejuvenated crotch. “Ooh,” she murred as one finger slipped carefully between her lips, “I’m as snug as I remember... and Kathy even grew back my hymen! I haven’t had that since I was four! That’ll be one more way to get torn a little and bleed, even when those I serve just want to fuck!”
\t“Ah, good, you’re even facing the way I hoped,” the vixen mused as she stepped back, “and from the way Krebic there is drooling, I’m guessing he hopes that you haven’t lost interest in ‘just fucking.’”
\tThe bear, far from embarrassed, simply grinned and reached down to knead his swelling sheath, even as Pola shook her head, “Nope! I still love that, too. I may be the most sadomasochistic one you’ve ever met, but I’m still a bunny, and we love to fuck!”
\tNodding with a grin of her own, the newest priestess directed, “Keep a good eye on her sex, my ursine friend... not that you seem to need much encouragement for that, but it’s about to surprise you. Her race and mine may share a few things, in terms of reputation, but she’s still very special, and her... bunnyhood can do things that my anatomy certainly can’t!” Leaning over the table, then, she brushed the rabbit’s paw out of the way, reversed her grip on the knife, and pressed it into the shadowed fur of her navel, slowly, firmly... That belly’s hint of softness dimpled at first, but the blade was as sharp as she’d hoped, the depression it had formed filling quickly with a little pool of blood as it finally broke the skin and sank steadily into the muscle beneath.
\t“Ooh... yes...” Pola groaned, her head lolling back as she savored the penetration. Between her legs, her lips had already puffed visibly, their faint sheen graduating quickly to a visible coat of moisture, already dribbling down into the cleft between her rumpcheeks. “Yes!” she cried again, clearly trying not to squirm as the blade passed her abdominal muscles and its point nudged her intestines, a strong spurt of clear bunnyjuice leaping from her sex as it visibly spasmed, followed by an even larger gout and an outright scream of pleasure as Ela abandoned her slow thrust and simply rammed the knife the rest of the way into her guts, its brass lost in the puddle of blood that was running in bright red rivulets down her sides.
\t“Goddess...” Akani breathed, her own gaze rapt on the sight, “I’ve never seen a display of such arousal, such pleasure... and that’s just one thrust! Oh, my dear rabbit, there are dozens of things I’ll want to try on you, so many whimsical ideas I’ve had that just weren’t possible, as they needed someone’s cooperation even as I reaped brutal torments on their body...”
\tThe young bunny was panting hard as she nodded, her soft little breasts heaving on her chest, “Ooh, Mistress... whatever you want, I’ll help with. Please, now... Mistress vixen... could I have some more?”
\tSaid vixen nodded, “Of course you may, dear... Please, call me Elaria; I’ll be back here whenever I can, though that might not be for a while, and I’m sure we’ll get to know each other quite well.” Before the slave could verbalize a reply, she gave that ‘more,’ savagely twisting the knife in its wound then yanking hard down toward her mound, drawing it upwards as well to minimize additional organ damage while lengthening the stab into a gash. The suddenly-gaping wound spurted, though not nearly as much as the splayed flesh between her thighs, that clear essence of lapine lust gaining a pink tinge to match the dripping petals it came from, turning steadily more red as the cut in her uterus leaked into her passage. Setting aside the knife, then, Ela thrust her empty hand into the slit she’d carved, eyes sinking to slits as she felt around, then pulled free a length of thick, pinkish-purple colon to the sound of orgasmic squeals.
\tThe loop of intestine felt just a little... odd to Ela as she rolled and squeezed it between her fingers, and she set it aside to investigate further. One hand splaying the gash she’d carved, the other reached a single probing finger inwards, relatively low on the cut as it felt through the puddle of blood for the shapes her long experience would let her identify... That finger was lifted to her muzzle the next moment, suckled briefly as she considered, before she mused, “Curious... Pola? How good are you at conversing and remembering things in your current state?”
\tThe rabbit’s reply was interrupted by frequent gasps for breath as her body shuddered in ecstasy, “Good... remember... not-good... talk!”
\t“That’ll do,” the princess chuckled. “Anyway... I’m guessing that your body, other than this little cut, is in the exact condition it’ll be each time you come back from the dead, and it’s missing one or two things. Your bladder’s completely empty, which means my slice wasn’t as intense as it would have been if there’d been salt there to release into your wounds, something to keep in mind when deciding just when to ask to be gutted... Also, your digestive tract seems to only have enough in it to keep it running. This is actually a tactical consideration... If you haven’t been to the privy lately and someone wants to fuck you up the ass, just have them brain you with the iron-banded cudgel there on the shelf first so you’ll be clean with minimal delay.”
\tAkani and Krebic both cackled at that, the latter commenting, “I like that thought... She’ll be able to serve in here full-time, rather than our usual practice of keeping slaves in their quarters then ordering them to take a dump before coming out.”
\t“Don’t forget the rest of the week,” his co-priestess purred. “We might have to expand to opening on more nights, with her help as a pet we can abuse for no more cost than keeping her fed, but in between she can live with us in the temple.”
\tElaria nodded sagely, “And you can buy her someone to abuse on a regular basis, too, with the extra income from any nights where she’s the solo entertainment,” before turning her attention back to the bunny in question. The loop of bowel she’d pulled free was intact, being a section her knife had missed, so she kept pulling, drawing more of its glistening length into the air ‘til, on one side, a cut about halfway through came into view. Firming her grip to either side of that gash, one strong yank tore the flesh in two with a happy squeal from Pola, and she grinned to the ecstatically-twitching rabbit as she loosened just another couple feet of her large intestine on its intact end.
\t“Good,” the vixen murmured, “there’s enough... The last time I tried to do what I’m planning, it was with the thinner bowels, and they broke. The big ones are so much shorter, though, that it’s hard to get a workable length in a deep-gash situation like this one.”
\tAkani quirked a brow, commenting to her co-priest, “You weren’t here that night... but I last saw little Ela—excuse me, Elaria now—when she was seven, and she set a record for me, personally, for the most painful single act I’d ever seen inflicted on a slave. It sounds, though, like she’s had a lot more practice since then...”
\tThe princess shot her a grin as she stepped around the table to the side Pola’s head was on, “That remains one of my better nights, actually... but it’d be more deliberate than innovative, these days. My continence issues mostly faded when I hit puberty, and a bit of effort on my part has virtually eliminated them, at least as ‘accidents.’” Glancing down to the rabbit, then, she murred, “Spread your ears for me, dear, and prepare... to die.”
\tThe white bunny nodded happily, eyes all but closed as her perpetual climax sparked up and down her nerves, and flipped her ears to either side even as her hands returned to the midsection they’d been held politely away from. Two fingers slipped into her drenched sex as her other hand explored the deep wound that was held open by the strand of her own entrails her would-be killer had taken with her, broad streams of crimson flowing down her sides as the little lake of blood the gash had formed overflowed each time she exhaled or even shuddered too hard.
\tEla waited one more moment before following through with her plans, deeming it more important to touch herself with her less-bloodied hand, a single fingertip stroking over her puffed-up hood where it peeked from her equally-aroused treasures, thoroughly moistened by her enjoyment so far even if they couldn’t compare to the copious gushes of her ‘playmate.’ One more moment was spent bending down to give Pola an upside-down kiss on the lips, then she half-straightened and looped the intestine she was holding once around the rabbit’s neck. She tied a quick half-knot in the fleshy length and pulled it snug, though not yet tight, leaving about a foot of the torn end free. Finally, she gathered up the bunny’s long, drooping ears in each hand, still hanging onto the lengths of bowel, a bit sticky as they started drying out in the air... then started to pull.
\tThe princess’ muscles were stark under her fur as she exerted carefully-metered pressure, moving slowly but with a strength and deliberation that little could resist; even as the knot pulled tight enough to start making it hard to breathe, the slack in Pola’s ears ran out, her blue eyes widening as she realized the dual nature of this attack. The cartilage in those ears could stretch a little, but not much; as the slave gasped in a final half-breath before the ‘rope’ cut off her wind, the bases of her ears started to tear, just a drop each of blood flowing into her headfur at first, but quickly growing to a steady trickle as more flesh tore. Pola had been whimpering her constant pleasure until breathing had been denied to her, but her sex was still twitching entertainingly, evidenced by a lusty grunt as Krebic’s shaft, stroked as he watched, twitched and started to spurt, Akani leaning over to helpfully lick up the mess.
\tSlim shreds of flesh linked those long ears to the bloody holes amidst white fur when the tension in the knotted gut reached the point Ela had been aiming for, and she simply held on, maintaining the pressure at a constant level against the rabbit’s ecstatic shudders. Within half a minute of her air being cut off completely, Pola’s instincts kicked in and made the job even more challenging, her body starting to buck and thrash despite her best efforts to repress the deep-seated need to breathe. Those convulsions, she and her killer both knew, actually served to hasten the dimming of her vision, spangled as it was with bright, dancing spots, her involuntary jerks using up what little good air was left in her lungs even faster than the pleasure thrumming through her entire being was already doing. Even though she could barely see out of them, and knew from previous strangulations to mere unconsciousness that she’d be completely blind in a few more moments, the bunny did her best to keep her eyes focused on the vulpine features above her and a grateful smile on her muzzle, mouthing, ‘Thank you, Mistress,’ with no wind to give the words sound.
\tElaria was watching her victim’s face just as closely, and nodded back with a smile of her own and a murmured, “You’re welcome, dear,” to eardrums too drowned by blood to hear as her arms gave one last jerk to pull the knot especially tight and the ears completely from her lover’s skull. Letting the floppy lengths of white fur slip from her grasp as Pola’s convulsions eased, fading rapidly toward stillness, she tied a second half-knot in the length of bowel and tugged that tight too before staggering two steps over to sink into an empty chair, certain that brain-death for the bunny was only a matter of moments, now.
\tKrebic mimed a sniff at the air, obviously for show given how inundated every breath was with the scents of blood and arousal, then grinned to the vixen, “Well, you were right about her, and certainly worthy of your own priesthood given how much you enjoyed that. Our little temple is doubly blessed, between this miraculous bunny and your taking up residence in the same town to occasionally join us. Praise Her.”
\tEla dipped her head, murmuring, “Praise Her,” in reply, echoed by Akani. Glancing back up, the princess gave a half-rueful grin, “I’ll be trying to visit as often as I can, but I’m not sure just how frequent that’ll be. It’s almost certain that I can talk whoever ends up being my superior at Malia’s temple into letting me spend restday mornings at each of my goddess’ shrines in turn, but I can’t know yet how free my novitiate may or may not leave my evenings. I understand the timing of the playclub’s current day of operation, being one day after the services so you can take requests and find the right slaves, as well as having the latest donations fresh and available... Out of propriety, then, I’ll probably be honoring my other two Ladies before returning, so it may be nearly three weeks before you see me again.”
\tAkani nodded, her expression serious despite the two fingers still slipping in and out between her slickened labia as they’d been throughout the show she’d enjoyed, and she pulled them free to casually offer to her co-priest, who obediently licked them clean while she made use of the freedom to speak without pleasured gasps, “I’ll almost certainly be following through on my idea to run the club more than once a week, probably the fourth day after each restday to even things out, and you’ll be more than welcome here... Hell, if you get a good idea for the subject of a sermon, you’re free to borrow my temple and preach it, sister; seniority aside, I’m sure you’re just as good a priestess as I am. I guess I’m just trying to echo Krebic’s thought that we’re happy, and consider ourselves fortunate, to have you around, and any excuse you can find to join us for worship or play will find its way into our prayers of thanks.”
\tThe vixen nodded, blushing faintly, then looked up with a surprised blink, “What the...” She held up a hand to stare at, “The aftertaste of blood in my muzzle just disappeared, and my hands are clean, too, but I—” She broke off at a flare of spiritual darkness, and smiled at the blinking bunny who’d just materialized in the last empty seat of the table, her body and various spilled fluids having disappeared just an instant earlier, “Ah, that’d be why! Welcome back, Pola.”
\tPola beamed a loving grin of her own as she felt around the bases of her intact ears, “Thank you, Mistress Elaria. Kathy was right; I died, then I was sort of hanging in the air. I couldn’t hear anything, but I could see myself, my belly torn open and my face almost blue, my own guts tied around my neck... Pretty!”
\tLeaning over, the princess snugged an arm around the lapine’s shoulder to pull her close enough for a gentle kiss on the muzzle, “Quite pretty, yes... and your second return from the dead has taught us an interesting detail. It seems our Goddess uses every particle of your previous body to make your new ones, so every drip and scrap of mess we left you in is instantly cleaned on your return. While this certainly keeps things pristine and hygienic, it will rather disappoint anyone who wants to eat you. They’ll either have to take their bites raw, or leave you missing a limb but alive for long enough to cook it, and in neither case will they actually gain any benefit from their meal, nutritionally.”
\tThe other two priests snickering to themselves, Pola giggled merrily, “Oh, that won’t be too much a problem... I learned all sorts of recipes for bunny back in Fariach! I may not be able to stomach much meat at a time, given my digestion’s bias toward veggies, but my Mistress there taught me how to bake, broil, roast, and fry the leftovers from the times I got to do the killing, and I always enjoyed a few bites. Soups and stews, too! Just get me a rabbit who’ll stay dead, or anyone else with good meat, and I’ll show you!”
\tKrebic snickered again, “Our new playmate, it seems, is even more talented than we suspected... It may be an almost unheard-of combination, but this is an unheard-of bunny, and we’ll have to get her a nice, red collar indicating disposability, with the gold clasp of a senior slave. Hmm... might even want to consider platinum, to reflect her rather unique nature and standing...”
\tSaid bunny glanced at the bear’s crotch, where talk of making meals of her victims had caused enough swelling for his thick red member’s tip to be peeking out of its sheath again, and licked her lips, “I’d be honored to wear any collar you give me, Master Priest... but right now I want to give this muscular vixen my best ‘thank you’ for killing me so wonderfully, which means saying ‘thanks’ with my tongue! Could you give me a good stuffing from behind while I do that, though? Both ways, please; I’m really curious how tight I am, and what my holes’ll feel like in this new body, ‘specially with a maidenhead in one.”
\tEven as Elaria scooted her chair around, sitting on its very front edge and spreading her legs as she leaned back, the bear stood up and nodded, rumbling lustily, “I envy you, little Pola, for getting to taste that dripping flower of vixenhood before us... but I’m just as curious as you are, as to how deep and snug your more lapine charms will prove to be. Get down on your knees, my dear, and consider yourself a sandwich.”
\t“And after that,” Akani mused in a mischievous tone as she settled back to watch and masturbate, “we’ll wake up our current senior slave and take him with us when we all go back to the temple. His position... is now redundant, and I think it would be very fitting for his replacement to see to his... ‘retirement.’”
\tPola’s giggle was a bit muffled by the labia her muzzle was pressed against, and she stuck her tongue out just a little as she gave a shallow nod, eliciting a squeak and a sigh from the vixen, before she pulled back just long enough to comment, “Mistress High Priestess preferred girls pretty much exclusively, so I haven’t gotten to kill many boys. I’m lookin’ forward to it... right after this delicious snack!” then lunged back in, tongue-first.
Chapter 8
\tElaria adjusted her pendants as she paused near the back gate of the small enclave, a couple streets away from Temple Row proper. She decided, as she got the chains sorted out so her cast-silver genitals were paired together separate from her onyx bat-head, that the arrangement was only odd on the surface, but made perfect sense once she thought about it. Malia’s militant order and relatively large number of artisans, living on Her temple grounds even if they weren’t actual, practicing clergy, meant that Her temple was second from the end among the ornate fronts of the Row, flanked by Molinden’s temple of commerce at the very end and Tarragh’s warlike structure on the other side, allowing for the walled compound behind without butting up against Shattrathin’s larger single building at the other end. The War God’s militant order tended to prefer defensive keeps, which kept them out of large cities’ interiors given the premium land went for; the Goddess of the Arts, on the other hand, was happy enough with a relatively small space with three-story wooden buildings surrounding the practice yard, providing housing and workshops in little more than the same area outright fortifications would hog to themselves.
\tHer necklaces settled, the vixen made one more check of her appearance before proceeding onward. Her blouse was a light gray, and her pantaloons a dull blue, both of a fairly coarse linen, and loose in cut, but with finely-stitched seams. The impression she was striving for was of durability, and just a hint that she could afford better but preferred functionality over fashion; the colors were only a marginal step up from poverty, after all, and the tailoring was of good quality even if the fabric itself could be far better. Her luggage, if similarly-styled, had been custom-made during one additional day she’d spent at Gatuque House, a leather-handled canvas bag all of the same tan, mostly like an oversized purse such as might carry a few changes of clothes but with long, narrow extensions at the upper edge of each end that housed her swords, wood and steel alike, the latter’s hilt easily accessed through a barely-visible flap in the seam along the extension’s underside.
\tThe gate of the enclave itself was a large, wooden double door sufficient for a good-sized cart of supplies to enter, with a smaller door set into the right side and, into that, an iron-barred window. A leather thong emerged from a hole to one side of the door, ending in a misshapen piece of iron that had probably been a depiction of Malia’s face before years of use had worn away the details, and Ela gave it one brisk tug, a small bell on the other side ringing clearly.
\t“... don’t have any deliveries this morning,” a voice was grumbling as it approached a few moments later, just before a mustelid face appeared on the other side of the bars. The gray mink blinked as he looked the unexpected arrival up and down, then frowned, touching his own bronze casting of Malia’s face on its silver chain, “These are not mere decorations, young lady, and your taste in wearing the image of the worst of the Dark Ones next to the symbols of a power of the Light, if however marginally, is questionable and ignorant at best, and dangerously stupid at worst. I suggest that you remove them immediately, but insist that you tell me why you’re here, right now.”
\tElaria managed, somehow, to control the smirk that was trying to twist her muzzle throughout his little tirade, keeping her expression attentively neutral, then took his ultimatum as a chance to instead ask, one hand lifted toward the window, “I’m pleased to be greeted by an acolyte, rather than a novice, as there’s a chance you can ascertain the nature of my soul, and thus my right to wear these ‘mere decorations,’ by touch... Are you so able?” His own soul, she quite deliberately didn’t mention, was only mostly white, and none too bright at that, patches of gray swirling here and there, suggesting that he’d reached the highest rank he ever would unless he could improve it.
\tThe acolyte sighed with a hint of exasperation, “Yes, yes, I’m close enough to priesthood to manage that much; place your hand between the bars and let me concentrate...” Even Grandpa Gerian, as rock-headed a priest as he was, had only needed the slightest of touches to read a soul. This mink, however, took her paw in a firm grasp and scrunched his eyes tightly shut, his lips moving silently in some sort of mantra or perhaps even an outright prayer for divine aid in this simple clerical task. Those eyes flew open a moment later, followed by several blinks as he yanked his hand back from hers, “That can’t be right! You seem to be black and white at the same time, but not gray...”
\t“I am,” the vixen stated simply, “seeking to join your order and learn more of Malia. I have permission from both Kathalla and Roxanarra to do so. This situation is... unique, so you may wish to call it to the attention of a senior priest before making any decision. Other than my divided faith, though, I seek only to apply as any other supplicant would, asking neither special favor nor consideration.”
\tThe acolyte blinked twice more, then shook his head, “You ask the impossible... Of course, you already seem to have accomplished the impossible, in being of two faiths at once, but I’m certain that our Lady of the Arts, as I thought all Gods and Goddesses did, wishes to be served only by those devoted to Her alone. Any priest here, I’m sure, would say the same thing, senior or not; I may not have their rank but I’m confident in my knowledge of established doctrine! I must bid you a good day, as befits your position in the service of the Goddess of Love, but ask that you never return, as I would any servant of the Fanged One.”
\tAny dismay Ela may have felt at this firm, summary rejection died aborning as she sensed a buildup of power, light and dark alike, behind her, and she once again had to fight to keep a grin off her muzzle. The street behind her had been completely empty, as she’d approached the gate, but any moment now...
\t“You win, you sneaky vixen,” Kathy’s voice addressed someone behind her. “He didn’t even give her a chance, so I’ll release two thousand sacrificed souls from my heaven to yours, all reasonably adept at pleasure and at least one hundred being trained pleasure slaves.”
\tA purring laugh followed as Malia mused, “I tend not to approve of most forms of gambling, but I’ll honor our side-bet, sister. You can have the fifty souls in my heaven who most enjoyed the slaughter of the battlefield, moreso than I really approved of.”
\tRoxy’s vulpine murr chimed in, “But is not life itself a gamble, sister? Even in your own church, a fighter cannot be certain of success no matter what the odds may appear to be, nor can an artist hold any surety that his vision will be translated to canvas, stone, or clay as he first saw it in his mind.”
\tStepping past the mortal vixen, Malia reached out, a brief white glow enshrouding her hand as she easily opened the smaller door in the gate that had almost certainly been latched from the other side a moment before. The acolyte was still there, his expression warring between dumfounded and terrified as she turned a mildly-disapproving frown on him, “This young lady... deserved better than you gave her. She outranks you, by a very wide margin in some cases, religiously, socially, and militarily, yet never did a hint of these facts appear in her words or garb, save of course for her pendants which you showed a lamentable lack of faith in questioning. Are you so unsure of our ability to judge the honesty of those who wear our symbols, as we do those who speak our names? She, the daughter of an earl and a princess in her own right, was content to apply as the most humble of supplicants, to be judged fairly on her true merits, while I still remember your poor attempt at subtlety when you ‘reminded’ your own first interviewer that you’re second cousin to a count. Already she came within two minutes of dying, had that healer been even a little slower in arriving, in truly selfless pursuit of justice and the cause of right, so I also consider it a fair judgment to say that she’s done more real good than you ever have, despite being just over half your age. You may return to watching for shipments and the like; should any more applicants arrive to join my temple, you will inform your superiors immediately rather than say yea or nay yourself.”
\tThe mink visibly swallowed the protest that had been on the tip of his tongue, and trembled as he bowed in place, “Y-yes, my Goddess,” before dashing for the nearest building entrance as quickly as he could without outright running.
\tThe mostly-black feline turned and beckoned, and Elaria paused only to glance over her shoulder, finding the other Goddesses had demanifested, before following her with a smile and a murmured, “Thank you, Malia... My alternative plan was to attend the next official service and find a priest to apply through, but your... timely intervention is still something for which I can only be grateful.”
\t“Between the philosophical lessons of your companionship on our journey those years ago, your time in that park to introduce the children who are now the young adults of the current generation to the concept of other races, your own training’s furthering of that of others in my Vale’s militia, and your stand for justice in Winter Wreath, my dear, you’ve more than earned this tiny little consideration,” the incarnation mused with several pauses for breath, then chuckled at her prospective devotee’s wry smile at her short life’s impressive list of accomplishments. She led the vixen to the middle of the practice grounds, then gestured to where a flustered badger in gray robes and a senior priest’s necklace was hastily emerging from the rear of the temple proper, “Now... this good man will properly induct you into my order, but first... I wish to remind you of my phrasing of a passing comment some time ago. I suspended my whimsical requirement of combat to become my lover, and I’m ending that suspension now. All prospective novices are tested for fighting prowess, and I’ll administer that examination personally. Please prepare yourself however you see fit.”
\tEla blinked, then nodded with another half-smile, “However I see fit, hmm? Well... I don’t know if I’ll be permitted to keep doing so once my membership is formalized, but for this moment I have incontestable permission to use my normal sparing garb.” She’d already dropped her bag and toed off her simple shoes, then started undoing the ties of her blouse and pants.
\tThe approaching priest, clearly about to comment, stopped dead as she pulled off her top to drop beside her luggage, then exclaimed, “What are you doing?!?” as her pantaloons joined it, leaving her naked and barefoot, before she more carefully removed her necklaces.
\tResisting the urge to turn directly away from him and lift her tail, the vixen was as casual as she could manage as she knelt and unbuckled the straps securing her bag, putting away her pendants and retrieving both of her swords before replying, “Back in Unicorn Vale, my family had an enclosed, private practice ground. My father’s diplomatic immunity would have allayed any concerns over violation of public decency laws anyway, but even without that consideration, I was always free to practice and spar in this state. No armor, no clothes, nothing to blunt the strike of even a practice blade... provided a great deal of encouragement to learn how not to get struck.”
\tMalia shook her head with an amused chuckle, “See about getting something similar to the pants and blouse you just took off, in a lighter fabric so it won’t slow you down, for your future practices... You may have been personally responsible for a great deal of my religion’s loosening of our once rather prissy standards in that regard, but we’re not as carefree as the Roxanites yet. For this test, yes, I encourage you to fight in the manner most natural and comfortable for you, but this will be the only exception.” Drawing her short swords, she padded over to take up a stance a few yards from the dropped luggage, asking as she walked, “Will you be using both of those swords? You’re strong, but the wooden one’s deliberately overweight; I have to question your ability to match my own blades’ speed with it, one-handed.”
\tEla glanced back down at her weapons and mused, “I’d been considering it... but you raise a good point. I’d like, as part of my training here, to develop some skill at using both at once, but even more than the weight would be the concern that I’ve had no practice in wielding two of anything heavier than knives. I guess I’ll stick with the steel for this bout, as it’s what I know... sort of. I haven’t actually used it for anything but a few demonstrations to my kid sister, yet.”
\tThe priest who’d come out had a reasonable rank on the military side of the temple’s population, himself, so was immediately distracted from her nudity as she set down her practice sword and her real one’s scabbard. “Oh, my... that is one marvelous sword you have there! Simple, but elegantly functional, and some of the finest craftsmanship I’ve ever seen...”
\tThe princess held it up for his inspection as she smiled, “I’m... very honored to own this blade, yes. Full-length, full-tang folded steel, made by the unicorns’ very best smith... An arms merchant I met in passing, who noted the unusual scabbard and asked for a closer look, told me that he’d charge a minimum of a hundred nobles for its like, and quite possibly more. I hold many ranks and titles... but my ownership of this weapon, specifically, gives me more pride than any of them, both for its own virtues and the way in which I earned it.”
\tNodding, the badger glanced over to his Goddess’ incarnation, “And the mortal Malia, herself, will test your use of it... She’d not do so were you not worthy, so I very much look forward to knowing you better, once we’ve gotten these various formalities out of the way. I am Brettan, senior priest in charge of novices and acolytes... but for now, young lady, you’ve got a fight to win, if you can. Do your best, and we will speak again anon.”
\tElaria shot him a friendly grin before turning away, already liking him far better than the only other Maliite she’d met at this temple, and saw that the Goddess herself was already in a fighting stance, one blade held low and horizontal and the other high at a downward angle. Her grin only widened at that, and she gave a wordless shout of glee before discarding all semblance of decorum and simply charging. Malia pivoted as she neared, blades lashing out, and she matched the move, turning to face her in passing as she parried the upper blade mid-leap, sparks flying as edge met edge, and passed just an inch above the other that had been aimed for her mid-thigh level. The dust and occasional gravel of the cobblestoned yard ground under her tough-soled bare feet as she skidded to a halt, already turned and half-crouched to launch herself back into the fray.
\tMalia, it seemed, had been expecting something closer to Ferrl’s style in this match, knowing he’d trained his daughter, and this bouncing bundle of energy and enthusiasm was taking her by surprise. She retreated in half-steps as she parried strikes from all sides; she was fast, and her weapons were light, but the muscular teen’s two-handed grip and single blade were clearly enough to keep both of hers engaged. She timed a backwards leap of her own to coincide with one of Ela’s momentary retreats, to steal a glance at her own weapons, and fresh surprise flickered across her features... The blades she habitually manifested were of a much higher-grade steel than normally found in mortal arms, but it seemed the flying sparks were from them, numerous and deep nicks visible along their edges, and she’d gotten a good look at the blade she was fighting during a recent dodge, its edge still smooth and sharp.
\tThe Goddess discarded her earlier notion of probing and testing to determine the extent of this child’s skill, and instead launched herself back toward the vixen in a spinning leap that ended in four slashes, blurred with speed. She felt the corners of her own muzzle twitching as the feral glee on Elaria’s face proved infectious, for the brief moment the view lasted, the princess’ blade flashing between them as she parried two strokes, ducked under a third, and twisted out of the way of the fourth. Another slash was forthcoming from those paired short swords, aimed for her back, but she was already lunging forward to counterbalance the kick lashing directly out behind her. Malia managed to rob the blow of most of its force with a last-instant twist of her own, but the kick itself had come as a complete surprise, and her improvised defense left her off-balance and disoriented. Even as she straightened herself out and brought her swords up to a guard position, her vulpine foe was straightening too, and the cat’s eyes widened as she saw the sword, held in two steely hands overhead, begin its downward stroke. Her swords clattered against each other as she barely got them up in time, but they were inadequately braced in her haste, and the longer blade continued all but unchecked, right through her skull.
\tEla blinked, panting, as the rhythm of the bout she’d been enjoying was interrupted by her opponent dropping limply to the ground, blood and brains spilling over the cobblestones. “Oh,” she murmured, then shook off the last of her frenzy before padding back to her bag, knowing there had to be something in there she could use to clean her blade.
\tBrettan was looking a little shocked, too, but he relaxed, relieved, when Malia’s corpse vanished and a new incarnation appeared, immediately commenting, “Damn... I was just starting to enjoy that fight, Princess. I realized I didn’t have to hold back, as I usually do for a ‘test,’ and was just starting to give it my all when you surprised me, threw me off my focus, and rather suddenly ended the entire match.”
\tThe vixen nodded as she carefully wiped her blade down with the polishing cloth from her sharpening kit, “I was enjoying it, too... My last year or so of training and practice hasn’t really involved many one-on-one bouts, so it was a rare treat for me, only one person to keep track of and no reason to hold back, myself. My father always kept at least two healers on-hand for practice, but I wouldn’t have used that overhead strike back home. Even with my wooden blade, it would have crushed your skull too badly for any mortal to repair before death.”
\tThis earned a hearty chuckle from the feline, “Well, I guess it’s a good thing I’m not mortal, now isn’t it? Anyway... the very fact that I was able to decide not to hold back any more is a pretty clear judgment of your abilities.” She glanced over to the priest, “This one’s prowess is not subject to question. Any training she desires, such as dual-weilding long blades, is entirely at her own discretion. I’d also like her to have at least a little input into the other artistic requirements of membership, here, rather than the usual battery of tests, as I feel she knows herself well enough to judge there, too.”
\t“Other artistry...” Elaria murmured, then perked her ears up, “Ah! I’m guessing that you mean I’ll have to learn something other than just fighting?” At two nods, she interrupted the forthcoming verbal replies, “Good! I’ve tried various things in that department... One simply cannot grow up in an entire country of Maliites without getting curious about all sorts of arts! Of those I tried, I was getting fairly decent with a lute before my strength-training started costing me some of the fine dexterity in my fingers... so I’d very much like to pursue something musical, if we can find an instrument I’m physically capable of playing.”
\tBrows arched, the badger gave her another appraising look, “Lute, you say? Well... this may be our orchestra conductor’s lucky day, as there’s a stringed instrument we have no musician for, that requires a bit more in the way of basic strength than most, while using similar principles on a larger scale so your fingers will probably still do the job... Tell me, have you ever considered playing the cello?”
\tEla paused in pulling her pants back on and shook her head, blinking, but she was smiling as she answered, “I hadn’t considered it, no, but I’d certainly be willing to learn! I very much enjoy music, and there’s an extra creative thrill when I’m the one making it... Oh,” and she fished briefly around in her bag, “before I forget, I’ve got a donation here for you. I saved a friend’s life on my way here from the Vale, and the lad’s father sent a couple gold crowns along in thanks.”
\tMalia gave her newest novice one more smile, content that the situation was progressing far better now than when she’d arrived to take the wind out of that so-confident acolyte’s sails, and let her manifestation fade silently away.
* * *
\tDear Your Royal Daddyness, Ela began her letter home, something of a running joke about Ferrl’s list of titles, a new one seeming to get tacked on somehow every two or three years.
\tThe very first thing I must say is an emphatic Thank You for the crystal of healing energy you sent me with. About halfway through my trip, I had to defend Harlen against a group of bigots who’d taken an unreasoning exception to him, while circumstances had conspired to see me unarmed. One died of a crushed windpipe, another from a fatal blow to his solar plexus, but there were still three of them standing, if bruised and bleeding, when a bear who should have been there to keep the peace instead stepped in with a cudgel, on their side. Your gift saved me weeks of slow recovery from near-fatal injuries. It was my first real fight, but I’m not ashamed to have lost it, given that it wasn’t even remotely fair, and I’m satisfied to have taken a couple of the bastards with me.
\tI’ve ended up in Gatuque, which is why it’s taken me so long to write, where I spent a couple days in your too-fancy manor house before joining Malia’s temple. Before taking up what will be my residence for the foreseeable future, I got reacquainted with Akani and met the acolyte who she almost had throw Mom out those years ago, now her co-priest. Kathy dropped by, too, and gave them the most amazing present, the black bunny (now white, at her request, so blood looks prettier against her fur) who we saw at the first show you took me to at Fariach’s playclub, brought back from being two years dead, with a promise to resurrect her again whenever needed. I killed her myself, that first night, and we both enjoyed it immensely even before the night devolved into a minor orgy. She’s a bunny, after all, and I’m a vixen, so there was plenty to enjoy even when her only bleeding was from her freshly-regrown, then freshly-torn, hymen.
\tAlong the way, I stopped by our old dragon friends at the Roxanite enclave, and they set in motion the process that resulted in my first priesthood as one of Roxy’s bunch, a position that’s far more complex than either of us had previously realized. I’m to be a counselor, confidant, and comforter of bodies and minds alike, not just a whore, in my ecclesiastic role. Just before my visit to the playclub, Kathalla gave me the same rank in Her church for the effort of asking for it, since it involved very little beyond what I already know and love in Her service. Here at the temple, though, I’m starting from the bottom as a mere novice, as Malia’s church has a lot more formality, ritual, and doctrine to learn. Malia herself tested my combat prowess, ending up with her brains splattered all over the practice yard, but they don’t seem inclined to ‘pull a Julara’ with me, given that it would upset the many other novices and acolytes here to advance me too rapidly. In our favorite bunny’s case, any resentment was neatly dodged by the fact that she was being sent away, simultaneous with her promotion, so no one who might be jealous even realized that her jump in rank had occurred.
\tMaliites, it turns out, have to learn at least one art other than fighting, so I’m resuming my abandoned lute practice on a larger scale, playing a cello that’s been wanting a musician for more than a year in the temple’s stores. It’s... interesting, I’ll give it that much, and I think it’s making my fingers even stronger than combat training did. Its four strings finger on the same principle as lutes, but it’s taking a bit of effort to get used to using a bow instead of plucking the strings.
\tAs well as you trained me, though, there are still two things I’m learning here from the militant side of the order... For one, on my own whim, I’m studying two-handed combat with swords similar to my special one, though nowhere near as good, that I traded a week of sneaking into the room of an apprentice blacksmith for (less than half-paid at the time of this writing, but I’m certainly enjoying my side of the ‘bargain’). The priest in charge of novices was quite understanding about it, so it was only half ‘sneaking’ actually; such trades are fully in accord with my role as a Roxanite priestess. The other thing I’m learning is how to exercise as a woman. You taught me well, but you also taught me the only way you knew, and I hold no resentment over it, but there are some significant differences in how to build strength, between men and women. A lady knight here at the temple has been showing me different ways to exercise, and dictated some firm changes in my usual diet, with the intended goal of trading some of my muscular bulk for better tone, and finally letting me grow a decent pair of breasts. I’ve been measuring nightly, and I’m already up half an inch in bustline and down a quarter in tensed bicep-girth! The next time you see me, be prepared for a pleasant change!
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tYour princess forever,
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tElaria
P.S. This letter has a bit too much in it that would smack of boasting or outright lies to anyone who doesn’t know me, which is why I’m sending it by courier rather than mage-relay, so it’ll probably pass whatever Sweet Sixteen present you’re planning along the way. That’s one reason I made the deal with that young smith, not that it’s in any way unenjoyable in its own right; I’d have asked for a pair of unicorn-made swords if I could be sure to get word to you in time, but I’m looking forward to whatever you choose for me on your own.
Interlude 3
\tTalaya banked into a more favorable airstream then gave her wings one more, strong thrust. The border posts were just coming into view now, and she had altitude enough to glide the rest of the way; as irritated as she was with this detour, the favorable air currents at least made the flight pleasant. It was just like a serf, she mused to herself, stubborn as a mule and nearly half as smart, to cross into another kingdom an inconvenient distance from the checkpoint she was treaty-bound to announce herself at before traversing the border in pursuit.
\tWary of bored or spooked archers, the black dragoness introduced a shallow S-curve into her flight path, making sure she was well on ‘her’ side of the border as she neared the checkpoints, and showing a clear intent to land short of that dividing line. A flash of her badge while she was still settling her wing membranes into order sent the entire contingent of Dengarian guards to attention, an amused smirk only half-hidden as she returned their salutes with a casual wave.
\tOn the Drachath side, she strode directly up to the highest-ranking officer in sight and presented her badge more formally, “I’m a Grand Inquisitor of Dengar, what you would call an Agent, locally. I must formally notify you of my intention to enter your kingdom in pursuit of a fugitive, wanted for the murder of a Low Inquisitor.”
\tSwallowing hard, the guard captain nodded, “Our Stone of Validation wouldn’t work on your badge, of course... I understand that you may be in a hurry, so I won’t demand a formal description of the one you seek at this time, but I ask that you present one to a city authority at some point to be passed around; the more eyes that are watching, the better, I believe. Also, formally and to allow you unrestricted entry, I’d like to check you for spirit-magic, a simple matter of standing near the detection stone I have in my pocket, while you restate your identity and your intention to enter in the form of an oath to a named deity other than Sliisthar.”
\tThe Inquisitor nodded, “My compliments to your training and protocols; that is indeed a fast, efficient, and reliable means of verifying my identity...” This fetched a nod in return even as the captain pulled a set of enchanted stones out of his pocket and selected one. Its spell-matrix, she saw with a moment’s effort, was simplistic and, under the guise of returning her badge to its belt-pouch, her hand brushed against a seemingly-decorative stone set into her belt, its power directed to snuff out the enchantment in the officer’s hand in the time it took her to draw breath before touching another stone and stating, “I am Talaya, Grand Inquisitor of Dengar, and in Tarragh’s name I swear that I pursue one convicted in absentia of murder, testified to by multiple witnesses and with evidence left upon his victim’s body which I’m using with a magical tracker to locate the one and only person it could have come from.”
\t“That should suffice, ma’am,” the officer agreed. “In full keeping with our treaty, I inform you that I’ll be passing magical word of your hunt to the duchy seats of Rajai, Gatuque, and Crisom immediately, and it will be passed in turn from those points to lesser holdings by the first couriers to head in the right directions. You should get prompt assistance should you require it, with a minimum of formality, once the word has spread. For now, I grant you formal permission to enter the kingdom.”
\tThe dragoness nodded a final time, “I’m weeks behind the refugee, so I ask your forgiveness if I’m hasty in taking my leave. We can’t know whether he’s still afoot or whether he’s added the theft of a horse to his crimes, so only the speed of my wings and the magical tools of my profession stand any real hope of overtaking him.” Without another word to, or from, the guard contingent, she crouched, spread her wings wide and high, and leapt as they beat that first, all-important down-stroke, another half-dozen beats seeing her well airborne and still ascending.
* * *
\tHaritor blinked awake as a hand closed roughly around his muzzle, holding back his reflexive yelp as a low voice hissed in his ear, “Your wife and children are under a spell to keep them asleep, but I must ask you a few, simple questions... Answer them fully and honestly, and I’ll be on my way. Will you cooperate?”
\tThe skunk could only blink, at first, panic doing much to clear sleep’s fog from his mind, then nodded against that gripping hand, noting in passing that it was uncommonly smooth, lacking even the short fur of most palms. As it withdrew, he whispered, unsure of the proprieties of the situation and just following along with the theme set by his questioner, “I’m just a simple farmer, though... What d’ya want to know?”
\tHe could make out no shape in the dark of night, the light of stars through his bedroom window far too scant to see by, but he got the impression that the voice belonged to a woman as it hissed again, “Between ten and twenty days ago, a stranger stopped by this house, looking like a fox but with unusually dark fur. He didn’t linger long, but I need to know what he said, and what business you may have transacted with him. I already know which way he went, but not at what speed... Did you sell him a horse?”
\tHaritor shook his head, “Nah, no horses; he jus’ had a good iron cookin’ pot, an’ he traded it fer a few of mah older clothes. Hell, we used it jus’ last night; it’d still be in th’dryin’ rack if you need a gander at it. Th’clothes as he showed up in, they was a right mess, all dirty an’ stinkin’ to high heaven. Ah took ‘em out back and burned ‘em.”
\tThe stranger in the dark, evidently, considered his words for a long moment; he could hear the rhythmic tapping of claws against the wood of his bed stand to one side. “This hunt is growing... interesting,” that voice finally mused, less hissy and more melodious this time, confirming the skunk’s guess at its owner’s gender. “The condition of his clothes does much to suggest how he avoided the patrols that were hunting him, as well as clarifying the ‘missing’ breakfast one squad reported... With respectable garb in the local style, though, he could very well be anywhere, settling nearby or journeying onwards. With the most pessimistic of estimates, he could be four, even five hundred miles distant... I guess I’ll just have to keep following the trail he can’t help but leave, just by being himself, and see where it takes me.” Just as the farmer was starting to relax a bit, that voice hardened, “But as for now, and as for you... I’m afraid you’ll have to get a dose of the same ‘sleep spell’ that made sure your brats and wench wouldn’t interrupt us.” The oddly-smooth hand returned to grip his muzzle, hard enough to hurt this time, as the stranger’s voice softened again, nearly crooning, “Don’t you worry, little man... the pain is but momentary.”
\tHaritor had no idea what she could mean by that, until the coolness of a long, sharp claw touched one side of his throat, and he tried to bring his hands out from under the sheets to struggle, but it was too late. With one hard, deep slash, she cut through his jugulars and his windpipe, then let go to vanish silently into the room as he thrashed. The last sounds to be heard from the dark farmhouse were his ragged sobs as he realized just what her references to the ‘sleep spell’ and his entire family must already mean...
Chapter 9
\tThe dawn chime rang, stirring Elaria from slumber, and she had to pause mid-scramble to smile at the realization that she was finally growing used to waking at this hour. Her sudden burst of activity had, she noted, felt more of reflex than panic at the thought of being late, this time, and she hadn’t even banged a hand into one of the walls of her tiny novice’s cell while jumping out of bed. Comforting as it was, though, she couldn’t dwell on her acclimatization, knowing that she had less than ten minutes to get dressed, reasonably groomed, and down to the practice yard for morning exercises. Acolytes were given one more hour to sleep, but were still expected to be outside and working out, regardless of the weather, once the novices had cleared the yard, and the vixen had made no effort to trade on her prowess just to get a bit more rest. She was in shape, yes, but wanted to stay that way, so she was dressed in her light, barely-opaque practice wear and among the first to line up for the group calisthenics as the sun crept gradually over the horizon.
\tOne benefit to her novitiate, of course, was that her group got breakfast first too, the dining hall theirs while the acolytes were exercising. “Female muscle tone, carnivorous,” she remarked to the artisan on duty as a server, as she did every morning, and he dished up her meal, containing more veggies than she was used to, an almost greasy gravy, very few grains, and only enough meat to keep her digestive tract happy. It was all tasty enough as such foods went, but the combination was nothing she’d ever have eaten by choice before she’d come under Dame Grallia’s purview. It was just one more of those things that had surprised her before she’d had a chance to really think about it, the variety of specific diets available at this temple, but they had quite a number of specific goals the residents were working toward, be it gaining muscle mass, maintaining strength already attained, or keeping the more sedentary of artists from getting fat.
\tThe third hour after rising was filled by something between a sermon and a lecture, held in the main congregational hall, covering a rotating cycle of general topics all novices needed to learn before they were released to their specific lessons or duties for the day. A similar group session would be held immediately afterward, covering acolyte-level studies, and the general public was welcome to join either one, though few did. No classes at all were held on restdays, when the usual worshipers packed the hall, but anyone who wanted more than that one, general-audiences sermon per week was free to sit quietly in back and learn what they could.
\tElaria had no specific combat lessons beyond a brief afternoon practice of a specific routine one of the combat priests had shown her last restday, with a promise of a new one each week. Helping to prepare supper fulfilled her requisite daily chore, so the rest of her morning was normally hers for independent study in the library, which after little more than a week was already touching on subjects more suitable to acolytes than novices, until her instrumental lessons or practice, depending on whether one of the other students needed the strings-teacher more, just after lunch. Today, though, the vulpine priest who’d just given the morning lesson intercepted her on her way out, “Elaria... I’ve been asked to inquire of you, since you’ve been overheard humming, on-key and on-tempo, whether you can sing. I know you’re not good enough yet, instrumentally, to play with one of the bands, but we’ve got a tenor down with a sore throat who needs to be replaced for one of today’s Solstice Festival choirs.”
\tThe vixen blinked, pulling her thoughts away from the fascinating tomes she’d been looking forward to, then nodded, “As I told Brettan, I tried a few artistic things on my own back in the Vale, and among them were a few tricks from a book on voice support and projection I came across... I’ve never tried to use them in public, but,” and she grinned, “if you’ve ever heard of the ‘practice attire’ Malia Herself overruled, you’d know that embarrassment is hardly an issue with me. And I’ve certainly heard the songs often enough, with the choir’s practice all through my study period for my first few days here. Hmm... yes, I think I can do this.”
\tHer fellow fox nodded, “Good... Grab a light lunch a bit early, then assemble at the back gate half an hour before noon. If you ever do join one of the bands, we’ll probably use the wagon to get that cello of yours where it needs to be, but today your accompanists will be using smaller instruments that they can carry themselves, so you’ll be able to walk to the east district square in time to relieve the morning group for the noon set.”
* * *
\tSinging with a group, Ela found, was fun, but also required a degree of restraint. In the open air with no acoustic architecture to amplify them, the lutes, harps, and variety of percussion instruments played by the accompanists were only so loud, so the choir had to be sure not to drown them out. The fountain at the center of the square, at least, had been turned off so that was one less noise to compete with, and the crowd pausing to watch and listen, for the most part, restricted their applause and louder conversations to the breaks between songs.
\tEven performing only two songs at a time, with breaks nearly as long in between, Elaria found herself looking forward to relief from the evening group as mid-afternoon neared. She hadn’t cracked or blurred any notes, yet, but she was developing aches in a few places she hadn’t realized she had. Singing for any length of time was work, and of a sort none of her previous exercises had built much endurance for. A flicker of annoyance crossed her mind, then, at just how relieved she was when a nearby listener remarked, “These folks have, what, four? Five songs? I’ve been listening to the same crap over and over all day...” She knew it was wrong of her to be grateful for such, but a good argument would give her just that much more of a break before she had to tense her aching gut and project at a controlled volume again.
\tBefore any of the Maliites themselves could reply, though, the audience member next to the one who’d complained came to their defense, both of them clearly on a meal break by the plates in their laps, “You and I, we work here in this building, and thin walls it has. These people, they sing for those who pass by. Many songs they have not, but they have enough that one returning from a trip will likely hear something different. Not for just us do they sing, and they do so well, so complain we should not.”
\tMost of the others who’d paused to listen nodded to the dark-furred fox in workman’s garb who’d spoken up, along with the bulk of the choir and musicians. In the interests of peace, though, Ela stepped out of line to address his ursine companion, “These are the traditional songs of celebration for the solstice season... but, I’ll admit, this isn’t a part of town that seems too concerned with tradition,” and she smiled as she gestured at the surrounding warehouses and manufactories to soften any insult that may have been inferred. Moving on before someone could take offense anyway, she offered, “I happen to have spent most of my life in Unicorn Vale, and I’ve had a few nights out in taverns with their soldiers... Just for variety, would you like me to teach my companions some drinking songs you’ve probably never heard before? They’re fairly simple, so we could probably perform them by tomorrow.”
\tThe bear tilted his head, considering the unexpected offer, then nodded with a wry grin, “Yeah... that’s the kind of thing I just might sing along with, after I’ve heard it a time or two! You Maliites are alright folks; I know the duke’s paying your temple for these little ‘entertainment groups’ scattered all over the city, but not all neighborhoods are like the others.”
\tNodding, the vixen grinned, “I hope you like lowbrow humor, then, as drunk unicorns are excessively fond of throwing ‘horny’ jokes into their lyrics.” Raising her voice to be heard over the many snickers and occasional guffaws this fetched, she announced, “For today, though, we’ll have to stick with tradition... and it’s time for another song!”
\tSeveral members of the crowd, including the one who’d originally complained, actually cheered at that, and there seemed to be a renewed zip and vigor throughout the choir as they took their instrumental cue and launched into another old summer ballad.
* * *
\tThe same fox who’d gotten her to join the choir detained her again the next morning, noting, “I heard about your little... discussion, yesterday, and on the subject of keeping peace with a surly audience member I can only praise your tact and judgment. I also, however, heard a few verses of the songs you were practicing with your group, and I have to wonder about their... propriety.”
\tThe princess kept her expression respectful as she nodded, “I understand your concerns, sir, but in a very real sense ‘propriety’ is what this is all about. The neighborhood my group’s assigned to is, quite possibly, the roughest we have representatives in. The audience is different there; the bear had a good point about a lack of interest in the usual repertoire we follow. I honestly believe that a few rather... off-color, shall we say, pieces will be well-received by the locals there. Our purpose, after all, is as much to entertain as to celebrate the time of year, and I believe we can do both, but entertainment itself is a subjective event, and a performer who fails to adapt his repertoire to his audience cannot expect a positive reception.”
\tThe priest chuckled ruefully as he shook his head, “From the mouths of novices... I see your pendant, young lady, and keep forgetting that two other Goddesses judge you a full priestess, until you stand there and build an argument contrary to my own view, but as well-supported and logical as I’d expect from one of my own colleagues. Your point, at least, is well taken, and unless we get more complaints after today’s performance, you’re free to carry on as you’ve proposed.”
\tElaria nodded, “As I said, I do understand your concerns, and to some extent share them. I’ll be watching folks’ reactions to the new songs, and if things seem to be going badly I’ll call it off myself. Propriety... cannot always be predicted with any certainty, so I’ll be looking for signs of whether they consider it appropriate throughout my set. For now, though... tomorrow’s a restday, and it’s one I’ll be spending as another faith. Since my study period is already truncated by the choir’s schedule, I’ve gotten Brettan’s permission to run out and do some shopping this morning, for a few things I need before appearing in public as a Roxanite for the first time.”
\tThis fetched a raised brow, “Oh, my... I’m not sure I should even think about that too closely! As I recall from my own acolyte lectures on the other religions of light, you’ll probably be decent... but only barely, and arguably. Please... when you step out of your room tomorrow, wear a cloak on your way through the enclave and leave by the back gate; we need neither temptation nor rumors on a day when we’re supposed to focus on spirituality.”
\t“I was already planning to do both of those; even Roxanites know when to show off and when to cover up!” his irrepressible novice replied around a grin before flouncing off with a swish of her tail.
* * *
\tRonnel nodded his thanks to the tavern wench as she handed over his own plate and mug, loaded with his usual mid-afternoon lunch, and gave a convincing semblance of a smile in reply to the parting wink he’d seen her give every male customer. In the week he’d been coming here for a cheap meal, he’d come to see the weariness hiding behind that wink, and could only feel pity inside no matter the cheerful appreciation he did his best to outwardly project. The fountain was on again, as the choir had the restday off, and he took a seat at its edge to let the spray cool him as he ate. Inter-city travel, he knew, couldn’t be scheduled to avoid a particular day at both its outset and its arrival, so he understood why his employer discouraged taking restdays off. A cart or even caravan could still show up, in which case his services would be required. Also a factor was the small bonus the warehouse’s owner paid for those who worked the whole week through, equal to a bit better than two extra hours of wages, and he could certainly use the money. He’d arrived in the kingdom penniless, only his association with the caravan that had gotten here warranting the consideration of a bit of credit for a place to stay and a job picking up boxes, moving them, and putting them down again. Some deep-seated aspect of the fox’s personality, though, found a bitter taste in being in debt to anyone, so he wanted to get his initial lodging paid for as quickly as possible.
\tHe was about halfway through his meal of seared meat, flat bread, and small beer when a voice burst into quiet song almost directly behind him, “Drink to the barkeep and the wench with her jug, drink until early morny...”
\tSwallowing quickly, Ronnel sang back one register lower, “Drink ‘til your mane is at one with the rug, and you can’t see the wench’s horny.” Already smiling at that familiar voice, he turned in place, then froze, blinking once before averting his gaze, “Um... that singer who prevented the fight, you are, but with the Maliites I thought you were.”
\tEla giggled softly, but not teasingly, as she took a seat near him, hopefully not close enough for discomfort. He obviously hadn’t expected what she’d chosen for her ‘Roxanite look,’ a bit of coin spent at a magic shop having allowed for an outfit that pushed, but didn’t quite break, the limits of the city’s decency laws. Small motion-magic crystals, bought for a few silver each, held three scraps of red satin in place, an oval over each breast secured by a shard on either side, drawing attention to the matching bump of her nipple in the middle, and one more crystal pressed the top of a narrow band against her mound, its other side secured by a thong creeping up between her rumpcheeks to tie around the base of her tail, the trio only marginally obscured by her translucent robe. “I am a novice in the local temple to Malia, yes,” she murmured, “but I serve all three Goddess, each in Her own way. I must, as a novice, study and practice according to the rules of the temple for six days out of the week, but each restday I’ve decided to honor each of my Ladies in turn. Today, I follow the Goddess of Love, and you looked like you could use, if not outright love, at least a friendly ear. You’re not from around here, I’m guessing from your speech, and it can be a great comfort to have one friend in a strange town.”
\tKeeping his gaze respectfully high, the darker fox turned back to his unexpected companion as he chewed another bite of his meal. He had no wish to be rude by eating, but he knew he had to eat, and his break was only barely long enough to avoid indigestion even without distractions. Swallowing, he nodded, “But one God, I thought most served... Yours must be an interesting tale, one the hearing of I think I’d enjoy, had I time, but work will soon beckon anew.” Blinking, then, he glanced down for just a moment to verify what his peripheral vision had suggested, “Silver... Your pendant yesterday, bronze was; between our kingdoms, the standards of priests and their ranks the same are, so a novice I knew you were, but your necklace now of a priestess is!”
\tThe vixen gave something between a smile and a grimace, “In this faith, yes, that is my rank, but I haven’t had much of a chance to practice it... One friend only, I was able to help with advice, support, and a bit of pleasure for the both of us, just before I earned this necklace, but for the rest of my journey here I was recovering from injuries sustained in an unexpected battle. I was in no shape to go looking for love, and my Goddess knew it, so She didn’t pressure me to do anything. You, though... when I saw you, I felt the sort of nudge Roxanarra often gives Her clergy, so, if you allow, I know you have some problem or need I can help with. It really can be as simple as just being your friend, and I’d like to be at least that... No matter what you may have heard about priestesses like me, I’m not specifically out to proposition you for expensive sex.” She gave a wry half-grin, “Hell, I wouldn’t be in this neighborhood if I were! Maybe two percent of the people here could afford me, if even that.”
\tHer companion nodded as he washed the last of his lunch down with the remnants of his mug, finally calm and centered enough to think out his words before speaking, “Two weeks from now, after some debts of mine are paid, I might have eight coppers to spare, and the sort of whore that could buy, about which I don’t wish to think. Early my work starts, though, and I have no days off... I get off in two hours, but must work now. I wouldn’t mind talking more then, for hours two or three before I must rest, but I know not where we might go or what we might do.” He shrugged, then chuckled softly, “All I know of what to do with a young woman is to buy her things and hope for sex. As a serf I had money not, but that seemed to be the way all the citizen boys and girls worked, back home.”
\tEla reached over and gave him a gentle squeeze on one shoulder, “That may be the norm for most young, brainless brats... but it’s a standard that doesn’t remotely apply to either of us, I’m fairly sure. Sex... is yours for the asking, any time you see me in this robe, but all I’d hoped for tonight was to talk. Friendship and support, the caring ear of one native of this land... those are what I think will do you the most good.” Her grip turned into a light shove as she smiled, “For now... get back to work. It would hardly be the act of a friend if I lost you your job! I’ll continue my wandering, and try to be back here in two hours to see if you’d like some company.”
\tBrushing a few crumbs off his breeches as he stood, Ronnel nodded with an oddly-shy smile of his own, “You... have my thanks, Priestess. Like that, I think I would.”
* * *
\tMost of the time Elaria needed to kill was taken up with a leisurely, meandering round trip back to the temple, where she replaced her barely-there underthings with a simple shift of white satin, long enough to avoid ill-timed flashes so long as she was careful about how she sat. Even taking her time as she was, though, she still got back to the square, taking a seat on the fountain, a good quarter-hour before a group of burly men emerged from the warehouse, the relatively-slim fox she’d felt such an odd stirring for among them.
\tRonnel was obviously relieved to see her more modestly dressed this time, padding over to politely offer a hand to help her up before musing, “These evenings, I normally spend alone, meditating upon my day. I consider all I’ve seen and heard, the better to fit in here. Of where to wander with a lovely lady, I know nothing, though.”
\tNodding, the priestess gave the matter a moment’s serious thought, then brightened, “The city has many public parks... but, since it’s high summer and they’re relatively cool, they can get crowded in the evening. I know of a private garden we’d be welcome in, though, which would be good both for comfort and for privacy if either of us wishes to speak of something not meant for general knowledge.” Tucking his hand against her side under her arm, she started walking toward the merchant district bordering that of the warehouses and other large buildings that they owned or ran, and was pleased to find her companion matching his stride to hers without overt hesitation.
\tThere was, though, just the merest suggestion of nervousness in his tone as he mused, “I’ve... been careful about where I go, here. I am foreign, so I know not the subtleties of propriety, and only if a place is obviously public have I ventured there. I must ask, then, about this ‘private’ garden, and in what way of your welcome you can be certain, as evicted by guards I have no wish to be, and to keep my lodging arrested I cannot afford to be, if my job it makes me miss.”
\tEla nodded, chuckling softly, “You show an admirable wisdom, in that... but I think I can ease your worries. Unless some need arises to assert myself, I go by the simple, unadorned name of Elaria. At need, though, I’m Princess Elaria, eldest child of the Earl of Gatuque, the kingdom’s first ambassador to Unicorn Vale, knight and retired Agent of Drachath, and sundry other titles he’s earned here and there. The garden surrounds my father’s manor house; he lives in the embassy in the Vale, of course, but his seneschal maintains the house for him, and I have a room there to hold the possessions that wouldn’t fit in my little cell at the temple. I suppose I could also sleep there, though I’d have to be up before dawn to get back to the temple in time for morning exercises.”
\tRonnel swallowed visibly as she fell silent, clearly thinking hard... “I am... unaccustomed,” he finally mused, “to any contact with the nobility. The caravan I worked for on my way here, their chief guard was a knight, but his rank was the lowest among nobles, and he and I got along, to my surprise I’ll admit. You, though... in this entire city, with more people in it than I’d ever seen pass through the little village I grew up in, as I understand it only the duke and his family of rank are higher than you. I... cannot understand why me you’d single out and invite to your garden.”
\tThe vixen was thinking just as intensely, listening with heart and mind to his tone and his words, as well as her own heart and soul. More than mentally considering, she let her feelings guide her response as much as anything, lifting her other hand to pat his bicep comfortingly as she mused, “Rank had nothing to do with it... I’m a priestess, and it was in that context that I saw you and sensed your need for a friend. If you want to banter the lowness of your rank around, well, I was born a slave. My ‘father’ isn’t even the same species as I am; he freed and adopted me back when his only formal rank was his knighthood. Don’t you think for a moment that, as a child in the pens, taught by stern-faced handlers with a whip always at the ready, I even remotely dreamed that I’d someday be a princess! I was... very lucky, and I know it, but please don’t hold that luck against me.”
\tHer companion could only shake his head, “My apologies, Pr—Elaria. I strive for wisdom, but a fool I was, thinking that your noble title or former slavery mattered in the here and now. Trust I should have in the priesthood, and sadly lacking it was in me tonight. Also, rude have I been, having not given you my own name. I am called Ronnel, and in Dengar... a serf I was. Long will they preach of how slaves they keep not, but the lot of serfs little better is.” He glanced up as he noticed the early-evening air cooling several degrees, finding himself passing through a shrub-arched side entrance to an elegant, well-maintained garden, and he let himself be led toward a marble bench well lit by the sun as he continued, “There are... restrictions on the lives of serfs, and limits to justice as it applies to them. It was because of an injustice that I fled here, and novel it has been, adjusting to being treated as a man, just as good as any other man. I may be poor in possessions, but the contrast between equality and my former life has made me feel... very rich in spirit. Menial my job may be, but content with it I am.”
\tElaria chuckled as she sat down, “And then, just for a moment, my being a princess brought that inequality crashing down on you all over again... I’m sorry for the discomfort you suffered from my admission, but I make no apology for what I am, because I don’t let that affect who I am except when it can help an otherwise untenable situation. Some nobles, I know, get that ‘what’ and ‘who’ backwards, and they can be royal pains in the ass, pun intended.” Her smile brightened as she managed to surprise a barked laugh out of the fox, then continued, “I think, at your core, you’re similar... You are your own person, and the time you lived as a serf makes up a very small part of the ‘who’ you’ve made yourself to be.” Glancing over her shoulder at a half-heard rustle in the brush and a sudden tension in her friend’s bicep, she spoke up, “It’s only me, Harlen, and I’m offering some strictly-verbal comfort to someone who needs it.”
\tThe gray cat nodded, “Of course, Princess,” before turning to walk back to the manor and let the servant who’d reported the intrusion know it was alright.
\t“Now,” the vixen mused, “since my friend there will probably make sure we’re not disturbed again tonight... let’s talk. Nothing serious, though, as I think we’ve each shocked the other enough for one evening; let’s just talk of the city. Neither of us has been here long, but we both view it through our own preconceptions, and I’d like to... compare those points of view. I think we’ll both learn something useful, that way, after which I’ll tell you of the spiritual journey you expressed interest in, if you wish.”
\tRonnel nodded, relaxing again, and half-closed his eyes as he thought back, “I first saw the city wall, emerging dreamlike through the cloud of dust where I walked behind the last wagon of the caravan I arrived with... then the gatehouse, with its army of clerks. Half the population of my farming town there were, just to count taxes and search for the illegal! But of wonders that was only the first...”
Chapter 10
\tThe tenor Elaria had replaced had had three days to recover, so the day after her ‘Roxanite restday’ she asked to tag along as one voice too many, mainly so she could catch Ronnel on his break and try to arrange some other means of meeting up with him. He seemed to be benefiting, as she’d felt he would, from having one native friend, someone who wouldn’t judge him for asking a ‘stupid question’ whose answer he really did need to know.
\t“My last meditation time, I spent in your garden,” the fox mused. “Some thoughts I have... but think on them I must. Also must I—I must ask some of those I work with. You would answer, I know,” and he smiled gently, “but from your view. It is a... lower view I seek, for contrast, before I meditate upon the differences. I shall see you again, strong princess.” And with that he finished his lunch and headed back into the warehouse to pick up more boxes, move them, and put them down again.
\tElaria pondered throughout the rest of the choral session, giving just enough effort to her songs to keep from dragging down the other performers. Ronnel hadn’t rejected her, exactly, and was obviously planning something... so she finally settled on simply returning to her regular duties and waiting to see what his thoughts and plans resulted in. In the meantime, once she got back to the temple, she had another two-sword routine she’d been shown the previous evening, and the young smith she’d been sleeping with had finally finished the simple, functional swords she’d be practicing with so she could get used to the differences in weight and balance between them and the communal practice blades.
* * *
\tTwo mornings later, Ela found herself seriously considering applying for the acolyte test as she listened to her daily lecture. She’d burned through the library’s basic-level texts on combat tactics, creativity processes generic to all forms of art, and the core spiritual tenets and doctrine of the Maliite order, and neither today nor the previous day were offering her anything new in terms of knowledge in the formal lessons. ‘I’ll ask Brettan about it,’ she decided; she was confident in what she’d learned so far, but she had only been in the temple for a couple weeks, so certainly hadn’t heard every novice lecture they offered. It’d be worth inquiring, then, whether the lectures had anything the books didn’t, or whether they were simply meant as one more way to convey the same information, from a sense of fairness to those who learned better from speeches than books.
\tThe vixen blinked a bit as, just after she’d thought of him, the badger arrived for a quiet word with the lecturing priest, who finished up his current subject then surrendered the pulpit to him. “We have a new novice applying,” the man in charge of the temple’s lower ranks announced, “who says he fights with no weapon at all. Thus I ask you, and in a few minutes expect to ask the acolytes as well, if anyone here has ever been in serious unarmed combat. Wrestling with siblings or a common tavern brawl do not count; there has to have been a real risk of severe injury or death on both sides. We need someone to test him, you see, but our combat priests, knights, and weapon tutors have all admitted to having grown too used to having at least a knife around. Anyone?”
\tThere were a few murmurs between the various novices as Elaria looked around, waiting to see if anyone else would volunteer... but, as Brettan shrugged to himself, suggesting he was about to give up on this batch, none had spoken up, so the princess raised her hand.
\tQuirking a brow, the badger nodded in her direction, “Elaria? What sort of combat experience do you have in this regard?”
\tStanding with a shrug of her own, she replied, “It’s not particularly glorious... Some common tavern toughs took exception to my traveling companion on my way here, after the proprietors had objected to my sword and insisted I pack it up, so I had to defend him with hands, feet, and claws against their desire to do him real harm, not just rough him up a little. It was no mere brawl, of that I’m certain... I managed to kill two of the five and leave one other bleeding before the tavern’s bouncer joined in with a club to give me a cracked skull and a broken arm, then the other three proceeded to very nearly beat me to death in the time it took my friend, who I’d made an opening for his escape, to get the watch and drag me out. Even with wizard-supplied energy, it took a healer two days to put me back together after that.”
\tThe badger shook his head, eyes wide, “Not glorious?!? You’re a girl who’s still just about to turn sixteen, and no matter how strong you are, you shouldn’t be expected to stand against more than one grown man. To have felled two, whether they lived or not, until ambushed from a new direction... and before you fell, you still accomplished your base goal, that of saving your friend. I think, yes, that you are qualified to test our newest supplicant. Please join me in the practice yard right after my colleague here sums up his current topic.”
\tEla took an extra moment to drop the novice’s robe she was wearing over her practice gear from morning exercises, its gray linen easier to clean in case of breakfast mishaps, off at her room, then emerged into the enclosed yard only to blink, “Ronnel!”
\tHer friend blinked as well, ears perking up, then turned to the priest, “This is to be she with whom I spar?”
\tThe vixen answered for her superior with a grin, “He was just inside, asking who had ever fought a serious battle unarmed... That gray cat who saw us in the garden, well, he likes boys as much as I do, and some burly fellows with deep-set prejudices took exception to that. I killed two of them before their three friends proceeded to break almost every bone in my body.”
\tBrettan mused lightly, “And, son, if that doesn’t count as a serious battle, I don’t know what does. Yes, even though you two seem to be friends, I must ask you to fight. I suppose, the way things are working out, it at least means that neither of you will try to seriously hurt the other, but don’t hold back too much. I must see a reasonable level of effort and skill if I’m to fairly judge your ability.”
\tRonnel nodded, turning back to his friend to press his hands together and bow, “Please, then, attack at your whim. I know only defense, but you may be able to teach me the starting of a fight, when coming to the aid of another, from your own experiences.”
\tHalf-bowing back with a serious nod, Elaria considered for a moment, still several yards away, until she’d come up with a good opening move to try. Past that it’d be one improvisation after another, but she did enjoy planning attacks when she had the luxury. Crouching to gather her strength, then, she rushed, bursting into a spin halfway to her opponent, arms rising to suggest a strike, then dropped at the last moment, skidding on one foot as the other swung about in a sweep aimed at his legs.
\tThe fox had little time to react, none of his previous sparring partners or even genuine foes having ever moved this fast, and the jump that evaded her kick was pure, instinctive response the moment she dropped to the ground, a low attack obviously on its way. He caught a flash of her kicking leg bending again as he fell from his leap, guessing that she was trying to stand up, and lifted his own knee, intending to come down hard on her with it... only to be sent back into the air before he’d quite hit the ground, his breath whooshing out from the strike of her other foot, lashing up and back in a contortion he’d never quite imagined to land on his hard-muscled belly.
\tElaria kicked her other leg for the boost of reaction, flipping up into a hand-stand as she watched her friend land in a barely-controlled tumble and pause to catch his breath. “You’re going to have to do better than that, Ronnie,” she teased with an upside-down grin, then half-lowered herself to shove off and flip back upright.
\tHer foe shrugged as he started padding slowly forward, arms out and ready, smiling back, “Sneakier than my other opponents so far, you are... try something straightforward, as a robber or thug might, and see differently you will!”
\tThis fetched a wry shrug, “I suppose I should... just to see what you do about it, as this is an evaluation, not a contest. Now... I’m going to walk right up and punch you in the nose.” She restrained a smirk at how this statement immediately brought a wary caution to his expression, even as she took slow steps toward him, deceptively casual though she saw his eyes narrow with the perception that, without looking like it, she was still managing to maintain a near-perfect balance.
\tIt was the walk of a better warrior than he was, Ronnel admitted to himself as she neared, thinking hard and fast for some reaction to her basic attack that wouldn’t make him look like a complete fool... Sure enough, her left arm cocked back as she neared and, at precisely the optimum distance, launched her fist toward his face. His own hand darted up to catch her arm, even as he ducked back just an inch or two to make the miss mutual if he botched the grab, but her elbow settled comfortably into his firm grip. Continuing with the inertia of his cautionary evasion, he leaned further as he pulled, his knee rising toward her midsection... only to be brushed aside by her free hand, darting faster than he could react even though he’d been watching for just that sort of complication. One of her legs hooked around behind his standing knee, and her caught arm was suddenly pushing rather than pulling; a tumble was inevitable, and he moved with the forces at hand to minimize his impact with the ground, but also let his grip slide higher up her arm even as he brought is other one up...
\t“Point for you,” Ela rasped, her breath a bit ragged due to the elbow jabbing into her throat even as his other hand applied pressure from the back of her neck. He nodded and let go, even as she noted over to Brettan, “In a serious fight, he could have crushed my windpipe on the way down, aided by his own impact...” then looked back to Ronnel, “but I wouldn’t have left you unscathed. Look down,” and she gave a squeeze with what had been her free hand, now firmly down his breeches and cupping some anatomy he probably deemed very precious.
\tThe fox blinked, coughed, and gently gripped her arm to pull it away, a flicker of relief crossing his face as she let go. He hadn’t been sure she would... “A man can bleed to death from that being torn off, so, yes, the point is mutual.”
\tStanding, the vixen helped him back up before retreating two steps and considering her next attack, even as she mused whimsically, “By the way... consider my comment about availability when I’m in the right robe to be permanent. You felt... quite a bit bigger than any other fox I’ve met, and I’d like to see it off the battlefield.”
\tRonnel chuckled, keeping his expression and tone light as he commented, “My dark fur’s the only other obvious sign... but one-quarter wolf, I am,” even as he subtly checked his footing, his mind on a move he’d contemplated but couldn’t practice much due to its flamboyant nature.
\tEla blinked, visions of her adoptive father’s magnificent lupine shaft dancing in her head and a silly grin on her muzzle, then yelped as she realized her foe could be sneaky too, and had probably made that comment with a good guess at her reaction and timed to distract her. He was already rushing, an unexpected act in itself given his admitted defensive bias, and she braced herself to intercept, hands ready for whatever opening presented itself... only to find herself on the receiving end of one of the too-fast combinations she was used to handing out herself. One stride before collision would be inevitable, he’d leapt, one knee leading and its foot following in a flashing snap-kick to her belly, the leg he’d jumped with following close behind, his body as a whole still climbing in altitude, to bring its own knee up hard toward her face. She wasn’t sure how he’d managed it, given his formidable inertia, but the blow that should have broken her jaw, if not snapped her neck, was pulled somewhat, and she felt his hand catch the back of her head even as he followed her down to the hard cobblestones.
\tWatching the applicant help his tester back to her feet, the latter clearly still a bit dazed, Brettan asked, “I take it that point was incontestably his?”
\tElaria nodded a bit jerkily, “Um, yeah... His words distracted me, deliberately I think, but it’s no sin to take advantage of a foe’s known weakness. You know I’m a competent fighter, myself, but he was able to manufacture a clear victory in that one case, so I’d have to judge him fit, too.”
\tGlancing between the two Maliites, Ronnel volunteered, “Told you honestly, I did, that untrained I was in the attack... That move, I’d thought of but never tried, and your knowledge of my statements of defense was, as much as a vixen’s thoughts of a wolf’s manhood, part of my strategy, though grateful I am, still, that it worked.”
\tThe badger nodded again, “Against a less capable foe than our dear Elaria, though, who bested Malia herself in a fair fight with steel, that rush and double-kick would probably prove a very effective way to end a fight quickly and victoriously. We’re a little tight on novice quarters at the moment, but you certainly qualify on a martial level, so I’ll have the one that’s being used for storage cleaned out and we’ll see about getting you some suitable adornments and practice wear.”
\tShaking her head to clear the last of her dazedness, Ela interrupted, “I’d been meaning to speak about that with you, sir... Is there anything the novice lectures cover that the books don’t? Because if the books are enough, I’m pretty sure I’m ready for the acolyte test, which would let Ronnel have my cell without inconveniencing our quartermaster’s storage arrangements.”
\tThe priest shook his head in reply, “The lectures are, indeed, just another way of phrasing the same information that our library holds, because we cannot be sure of the literacy of any prospective member, and some also benefit from having the same thing explained in two ways. I have half an hour after lunch I can spare; stop by my office then, and we’ll get the quiz out of the way. Pass or fail, there’ll be time to get rooms set up before night falls, and the art tutors can have a go at your quarter-wolf friend in the meantime.”
* * *
\tThe bell at the back gate rang, and Ela tossed the acolyte normally assigned to answer it (not the mink she’d first met there) a wink before padding over to open the door with hardly a glance through the bars.
\tRonnel was there, carrying his scant bundle of possessions back from the bunkhouse that, from his descriptions that night in the garden, even a novice’s cell would be an improvement over. “Elaria, you passed!” he immediately murred, pointing at the silver chain that had replaced her bronze pendant’s copper one.
\tThe vixen nodded, “The test was fairly simple... It means I’m considered qualified to give advice on the right weapons for a particular fighter, to critique artworks so long as I don’t dwell too much on minutiae and stylistic points that can really be argued either way, and to give moral advice along the lines of whether a particular choice can be distinctly labeled ‘right,’ or whether there are additional issues still clouding it. Now, some of this may seem like simple common sense, and a lot of the test could indeed be called that, but they threw in a few potential stumbling blocks for anyone who hadn’t truly learned how Malia would judge a particular situation.” Tossing an arm around his chest, she urged him in and shut the door with one foot, “Come on, now... I’ve already been moved to my new, slightly more spacious cell, and I need to show you how the door sometimes sticks in the one you’re taking over. You’ve got to finesse it just right or you’ll be late for your first exercise session in the morning.”
\tFiguring she not only wouldn’t mind, but would actually appreciate the gesture, the fox tucked his bundle under his far arm and slipped the nearer around her waist, nodding as he mused, “I got a good tour of the art workshops earlier today, but your guidance I could use through the residential sections.”
\tShe hadn’t kept much there to begin with, but the cell just big enough for a compact bed and a tall, narrow four-drawer dresser was as pristine as the day she’d moved into it, now. Shutting the door behind her, she let go and pulled his shoulders down to seat him on the bed before folding her arms, standing in the scanty floorspace, “Now... the door here really does stick, and I’ll show you how to open it momentarily, but I have to ask... why did you join the temple? I like you, and I’ll enjoy getting to see you more often, but I’d better not be the only reason you came. Neither the priests nor our Goddess would like that...”
\tRonnel blinked once, then dipped his head for a moment as he organized his thoughts... “Asked about your sect, I did,” he murmured as he glanced back up. “More than the bear, in the warehouse, had been annoyed in some manner by your songs, though enjoy them most did, yet one only spoke up, and of the workers the most abrasive was he. Also the singers, they looked not like minstrels; too much muscle, too good of balance. Found out I did that warriors you all are, but for justice you fight! Hinted I have, that my old life was... unjust in ways. Tell you now I must, that a wanted criminal I am in Dengar, but none here would call it a crime. A man... a Low Inquisitor, what you would call a magistrate, or a constable; he was both in ways, but he wanted pleasure at my expense. Rape, was to be but the start; his ‘toys’ he played with, with knives. Told me himself, if I played along a few scars I would get; if I struggled, dead I would be.” The fox looked down, swallowing as his gorge rose at the memory, “Authority over any serf he had, so into his bedchamber he’d already ordered me then the door he locked... Refuse I did, but verbally, until approach with a drawn blade he did. Cooperate I could not, so dead I was anyway; nothing to lose, had I... I grabbed his muzzle and crushed, to keep him quiet even as his wrist I broke. His own knife I left in his skull, waiting amidst the stench of his corpse’s shit until late, then take his key to open the door and flee I did.” He looked up, his expression hard, “Followers of Malia, protect others from such as I went through, told I was. Escape, to live as a common worker, I thought victory was, until I learned of your sort. Escape, then, not enough is; help others I must!” He touched the pendant of his own necklace, a faint smile finally gracing his muzzle, “Pleased, honored, and humbled with gratitude, I am, that my oath Malia did accept. Better the food and bed here are, and easier the work, than the job and bunk I left once paid my debt was, but in the rain I’d sleep and moldy rice I’d live upon, for a Goddess’ acceptance and the chance to defend the innocent.”
\tHis friend nodded, a look of sympathy but, to his relief, no pity on her face, “I’m sorry I doubted you... Your vocation is, in a way, even truer than mine. Unless you earnestly wish me to keep silent, though, I will tell your story to a senior priest in strictest confidence. You see, if the leaders here know you’re pursued on an unjust charge, they can and will do something to help, should someone from Dengar come looking for you. Churches have always, in some ways, been sanctuaries, but Malia is a Goddess of justice, too. If there would be no justice in turning you over, then the leaders will flatly lie about your being here or, if the point is pressed, the entire congregation will take up arms in your defense.” Tilting her head to one side, she mused, “This might also be one of the cases where my rank might be able to help... As soon as I can get a few free hours to visit the ducal palace, I’ll petition the local lord for a writ of exemption from extradition.” She had to smile at his confused blink, “Don’t worry about the strange words... It’s noble-speak for making it a point of law that your home kingdom can’t take you back unless they can convince a higher-ranking noble, and the only one of those is our king, that you’re guilty. My name will be on the writ that the king would examine, though, and he knows me personally. Hell, I’ve had sex with his son and heir. The Dengarian ambassador would have to be very convincing to get him to overrule Duke Gatuque and, no matter how important this one Inquisitor was, I doubt they’d risk a diplomatic incident of that degree over a single serf.”
\tMoving slowly but very deliberately, the fox stood from the bed and pulled Ela into a close hug, murmuring into her cheekruff, “Still being pursued, my greatest fear is... so, yes, of this you should tell our seniors. I knew not the propriety, whether they’d care if their newest, lowest-rank novice troubles had. The offer to on your own authority help, Princess, is more also than I ever hoped for. Always have I suspected lies in the tales of this kingdom I was told, of how wicked and evil you all are. My friend, proven these suspicions you have.”
\tElaria pulled back to lean up and kiss him briefly on the lips, then grinned, “Actually, many would call me evil, and even be right in some ways... or did your meditations fail to notice the fact that I said I follow all three Goddesses? There are only two on the side of light, after all...” Extracting herself from his suddenly-tense embrace, she turned to grip the door handle as she continued, “Don’t worry about that, though... My being Kathallic hasn’t offended a single priest in this temple so far, so there’s no harm to be had in knowing me. Now, so we can get out of here before anyone gets suspicious of my Roxanite status as a cause for the delay... the door feels like it’s sticking on the latch side, but it really isn’t. You lift and pull it in that direction to get it to open.” She demonstrated as she spoke, and stepped out into the hall.
\tBehind her, Ronnel shook himself visibly, “Right you were, thought about that I had not, though told me you did, so tell my mind I must that it’s my own oversight, not dishonesty of yours. A shock I’ve had, but recover I will, and your friend I’m sure I’d still like to be when I have.”
\tThe vixen nodded once more, “You deal with that as you see fit... For now, I need to go help in the kitchen, but I think I’ll be able to arrange a meeting with the high priestess here after dinner, and I’ll tell her your story then.”
Chapter 11
\tThe haste of this morning still had Elaria somewhat confused, but her orders had been clear. As a matter of course, the evening before, the high priestess had prayed a question to Malia to see if there’d be any reason to deny Ronnel formal sanctuary... Her acolyte hadn’t been privy to the exact wording of Her response, but the immediate result had been to dispatch a priest to the palace with a request for a private audience with the duke, before morning court, and the princess had only had time for exercises and a rushed breakfast the next morning before being sent off, given that she had to stop by Gatuque House to change into the best breeches and blouse she’d brought on her journey. Beyond those, she wore her good sword on its baldric, all three of her religious necklaces, and, perhaps most important of all for this trip, the heir’s signet to her father’s earldom.
\tIn the antechamber to the throne room, there was only a senior page rather than the herald who’d be on duty once morning court was closer, so it was he Ela held out her ringed hand to, “I am Princess Gatuque, the earldom rather than the duchy of course, and I should have a private audience with your duke waiting, if he agreed to the request sent to him by the local high priestess of Malia last night.”
\tSwallowing visibly, the page nodded as he checked a pad of parchment tucked into the herald’s lectern to one side of the ornate double doors, then glanced up, looking just a bit confused, “You’re listed here, yes... just like the lady I showed to his office four or five minutes before you showed up. Your appointments have the same time, and both have been initialed by his seneschal, so it’s probably not a mistake, just... odd.”
\tElaria quirked a brow, “I’ll say... but it also might explain why Malia saw to it that I got here in such a hurry. Please, lead me to this office as well and perhaps this mystery will resolve itself.”
\tThe man glanced briefly between her sword and her signet, then nodded to himself and waved for her to follow as he started down a side-hall, and Ela had to smile. She had just enough rank, in her own right, to keep her weapon; any lesser noble would have been divested of anything larger than a belt-knife before being permitted into the ducal presence.
\tThe duke’s office was sparsely furnished, with just a desk, four comfortable chairs for visitors, and one that was probably a scaled-down version of his throne for him. The walls were decorated with tapestries and paintings, interspersed with candle stands for hours when the skylight alone wouldn’t be enough, but there were no shelves, books, or other documents visible, those probably cluttering up the offices of his seneschal and other functionaries. The lord himself was not yet present as Ela was ushered in by the page, who shut the door behind her, but one of the chairs was already occupied by a richly-dressed dragoness, her scales mainly a glossy black, but a line of dark gray was visible along her throat before it disappeared into the high neckline of her heavily-embroidered silver satin blouse.
\tThe stranger’s slit-pupilled eyes flashed immediately to Ela’s necklaces, and her lips tightened, but any comment she might have been preparing was interrupted by the office’s discreet side door opening and an aging black mink stepping through, nodding half to himself on his way to his chair, “Good, you’re both here... I received, in short order, a notification of a foreign Agent pursuing a fugitive in my capitol, and a formal, noble- and temple-sponsored request for sanctuary and protection from extradition, both with remarkably similar descriptions attached. That, ladies, is why the two of you are here, and I’m prepared to listen to both of you before deciding which of these requests to favor, as I obviously cannot support both.” Settling himself a bit more comfortably into his small throne, he pointed first at the dragoness, “You may begin. State your case, clearly and completely.”
\tNodding back, the foreigner began immediately, clearly having had plenty of time to consider her phrasing, “The man I pursue is guilty of murder. He was on the short end of a rank differential, and chose violence over lawful obedience to reasonable orders. Evidence and witnesses at the scene were enough to file an official verdict of guilt, and his sentence is death, but he must be returned to his home district to comply with the formal details of capital punishment as set down by our law. My government would normally have sent word to our consulates and, once the perpetrator was located, dealt with your government to get him returned to us for punishment, but the man he killed was a personal friend of mine, and I wasn’t on any other official missions at the time, so I took it upon myself to track him more quickly than diplomatic wrangling could manage. A magical path-finder that’s part of my official equipment as a Grand Inquisitor, supplied with one of his furs taken from my friend’s body, traced him to this city, and a flight around its perimeter indicates that he’s not yet left.”
\tThe duke’s expression had remained carefully neutral throughout his guest’s speech, and he simply nodded once then looked to Elaria, “Princess? It’s your turn; please describe this situation as it stands from your perspective and that of your... well, one of your temples.”
\tNodding back, the vixen leaned into her seat’s soft cushions, wriggling a bit to shift her scabbard from where it was cutting into her shoulder blade, then began, “I haven’t known Ronnel for very long, but he’s become a close friend. As of yesterday afternoon, after he was admitted to Malia’s temple as a novice, passing tests artistic, militant, and spiritual to do so, he finally trusted me with the full story of his reason for fleeing Dengar. The man he killed held the rank of Low Inquisitor, and as such had authority over all serfs, of which Ronnel was one. The order he gave, though, amounted to a choice: Ronnel could cooperate and be raped and tortured, or he could resist and be raped, tortured, and killed. As I understand it, this order was technically legal, but it could not be called just, which is why my Lady of the Arts, Herself, has granted my friend the sanctuary of Her church, and as his friend I sought to expand upon that with a protective writ. What he did would not be remotely illegal here in Drachath for anyone but a slave, and even then the order would have to come from their owner, being a basic matter of self-defense, and I’d like it if he had the freedom to step out of the temple without having to fear for his life.”
\tGlancing back to the dragoness, Duke Gatuque noted, “As in each of this kingdom’s duchy seats, my private office has sophisticated magical features, set up a few centuries ago by one of the best Archmages our kingdom has ever had, and maintained and updated by subsequent holders of that office. I mention this because of your own comment about magical equipment, and as the reason yours probably did not notice that I have the equivalent of a Truthstone in place for anyone sitting in those chairs. It remained green throughout Princess Elaria’s entire statement. It did not, however, do the same for yours, specifically for your descriptions of the formal finding of guilt, and your mention of witnesses. Also worth noting, Elaria used this man’s name, while you did not, suggesting that you don’t even see him as a person... I am thus inclined to believe that this is a simple mission of vengeance on your part, and I cannot condone the death of an innocent man for protecting his own life and dignity. I believe that the treaty between Dengar and Drachath grants you diplomatic immunity, but I’m issuing a declaration of limitation to it at this moment. No one can arrest you, but neither will any subject of mine suffer any repercussions for preventing you from committing a crime, including the use of lethal force if warranted, and pursuit of your stated intentions will be considered attempted murder, which Ronnel or any nearby citizen is free to defend him against.”
\tThe Grand Inquisitor’s eyelids closed to slits nearly as narrow as her pupils, and she hissed, “The man... ‘Ronnel’ if you insist, is still guilty of crimes under my kingdom’s law, and my government will not take kindly to your interference with the dispensation of justice in this case. As the ruling lord of this duchy, your declaration is within your power and I must accept it, but in realistic effect it simply translates to ‘don’t get caught.’ The murderer will die, and I will return home safely, this I swear.”
\tOne brow quirked, the old mink shrugged, “You can try, I suppose... but I doubt you’ll succeed before the rest of my planned actions bear fruit. You see, I’ll also be passing a formal request for your recall to your government, explaining that your vendetta is not necessary to your kingdom’s security beyond the rather pointless act of increasing the public’s fear of your Grand Inquisitors, and that your actions constitute an abuse of diplomatic immunity that, unless justified by that necessity you lack, can only damage relations between our countries. If such a recall is issued, your immunity will be immediately suspended until you return to Dengar, at which point my military forces will take a hand in your capture and forcible ejection from this land, with orders to use as much force as they see fit. You will return to your homeland, but if it comes down to the final case I’ve outlined, I can’t swear as to how many pieces you’ll be returned in.” He made no visible motion to indicate manipulation of one of the office’s magical tools, but both doors opened at once, armed and armored guards visible through the rear one and audible through the one the dragon’s back faced. “You are dismissed, to be immediately escorted off the palace grounds. For your dignity and your very life, I strongly suggest you keep going all the way back to Dengar from there.”
\tThe dragoness’ gaze was murderous as she stood, a basso growl rumbling in her throat, before she turned on her heel hard enough to make her wings snap and stormed out. The jewels on her bracelets flared with light as she passed the guards, and a simple wave in each direction sent them into the walls with a clatter of armor as she stalked down the hall as if they didn’t even exist.
\tReaching over to touch an insignificant-looking stone in the mottled, flat-polished surface of his desk, the doors closing a moment later, the duke shared an arched-brow glance with his remaining guest, “That one... will be trouble, I’m sure. I’ll expedite my request for her recall as much as I can, but there’s a certain pace beyond which diplomacy cannot be rushed, and I cannot guarantee a positive response. Dengar’s Inquisitors tend to be much more... aware of their own importance, and make sure everyone else shares that awareness, compared to our Agents who are usually content to work from the shadows.”
\tElaria nodded, her muzzle quirked wryly on one side, “My father tested me several times, but it turns out I have absolutely no capacity for magic, or I’d have seriously considered seeking to become an Agent, myself... and, in that hypothetical scenario, I’d like to think I’d act with more decorum than that bitch, or at least be polite when doing my job! Grand Inquisitors and Agents are, in a sense, the very personifications of their kingdoms, and the way that one acts would give me a very bad impression of Dengar even if I hadn’t already heard Ronnel’s story about the ‘reasonable, lawful order’ he reacted so badly, if naturally, to.”
\tThis fetched a much more agreeable nod and smile from the graying mink, “I lament the loss to Drachath that you failed that single requirement... My grandson has served as a courier on the route between here and the Vale, and I took that opportunity to correspond with your noble father several times, and I have a great deal of respect for that man. I’d have had some, of course, after the way he stopped in my capitol just to get married, and immediately dismantled a scheme I’d been hiding for over a year, but he has depths well beyond that one-time surprise. As his daughter, I’m certain you’d prove just as capable, and an asset to the security and image of the kingdom.”
\tThe princess giggled softly, “I’ve certainly tried in my own way... and, so far, I seem to be succeeding in making the most of my potential and his tutelage. Not many fifteen-year-olds hold a non-honorary captain’s rank in a militia, I’m pretty sure, and as far as I know I’m the only person who’s ever held clerical rank with every Goddess in the pantheon at once. I only made acolyte in Malia’s order yesterday, but I have every intention of being Her priestess eventually, and I’ll be looking into just what it takes to earn a knighthood in Her order tomorrow morning, once I have a study period without meetings and a bit more access in the library than novices enjoy.”
\t“All I know of Maliite knights,” her lord mused, “is that they tend to be among the very finest warriors in the world, and that they’re sworn to uphold justice at any cost, including their lives and, an unusual stipulation, their honor, meaning they’ll break the law themselves, and suffer the consequences, to oppose something that’s legal but unjust. A potentially high price to pay... but worth it to the devout, and your personality seems to suggest that you’d get far more satisfaction from earning that rank, so I’ve discarded my first impulse to simply offer to make you a knight of the duchy. In any case, I’ve kept you long enough; you should get back to your temple and make sure they’re warned that an arrogant bitch with an uncomfortable amount of magic at her disposal wants to kill one of their novices, and probably doesn’t care who gets in her way.”
\tElaria nodded, her expression serious as she rose from her seat, “It’s that damned tracker that concerns me the most... but I observed while my father toyed with one as part of his second-tier magical studies, so I know they can be blocked by the right spell. I’ll have one of our priests for whom magic is an art look into it.” Leaning across the desk, she shared a firm handclasp with the old mink then, at his smile and a shooing flick of his hand, made her way out.
* * *
\tBack in another office, Ela concluded her report, “Both of our mage-priests say that blocking the tracker is beyond their abilities, but they’ll be sending word to colleagues who might be able to do so. Our duke’s acceptance of the request to deny extradition will allow someone to make such a blocker, if we find one who can, but as some of our kingdom’s law-enforcement officials use a similar means to track criminals, the general sale of counter-agents is prohibited. The resident wizards can and will, however, ward the temple grounds to keep anyone from using magical means to sneak in, including the second- and third-story windows and the space above the practice yard as we know that this dragoness can fly. On my trip back here, I felt unfriendly eyes on me twice, probably the Inquisitor using me to locate the temple even if I couldn’t catch sight of her, but I didn’t bother to do anything about it as she could get the same information for a penny at the information booth near any gate.”
\tKechira, the middle-aged feline who served as the local high priestess, arched a brow, “Your lectures didn’t cover it, as the effect rarely manifests until one earns the rank of priest or priestess, but sensing observation by those of ill intent is a gift granted specifically by Malia. You either have Her favor to an uncommon degree, or this situation is dire enough to warrant a major exception to Her usual practices.”
\tHer newest acolyte shrugged, “It could be either or both. I’m grateful for any gift She grants me, but I’m not enough of a glory-seeker to ask Her just which one it is in the hope of proving myself somehow ‘special.’” Turning toward the room’s other guest chair, she gave Ronnel a wan smile, “I know this seems like a lot of trouble we’re going to, and that you never wished to inconvenience anyone, merely to live your life in peace... but the vendetta against you runs counter to everything we who serve Malia stand for. Our help is yours without need to ask, and we’re glad to give it.”
\tThe fox nodded, still looking a bit glum but already starting to cheer up, “Coming to see that, I am. What to expect, I knew not, attending my first lesson this morning, but all I heard from those I asked prior to my joining, I heard confirmed and to greater depth and detail than I’d imagined. Match, do my sense of honor and the principles embraced here, and glad I am to have been accepted.”
\tThe high priestess nodded with a gentle smile, “Regardless, know that you’re far from the first novice to arrive on our doorstep with trouble snapping at his heels. Just go about your lessons and duties, but always with an eye out for trouble, and don’t hesitate to raise a fuss if you catch sight of so much as one black scale. Every one of our priests will be going armed as a matter of course until this blows over, as will acolytes whose gifts are more martial than artistic, and any novice who wishes to and passed their initial combat testing with distinction.”
\t“Speaking of initial tests,” Elaria mused, “I’ll have a bit of time between my morning study period and lunch in coming days... and if you’re willing, my friend, I’d really like to spend that time practicing with you. You need someone to work out offensive techniques on, and I’d like to learn more real finesse in my hand-to-hand, rather than relying on the sheer ferocity I used when we sparred. We may have scored equally, but I know for a fact that your technique has a sounder basis than mine, and my sense of artistry demands that I try to learn it, instead of resorting to substitutes that a more knowledgeable foe can overcome.”
\t“Speaking of lunch,” Kechira interrupted, “none of us have had any, yet, and we’ve accomplished as much as we can with this meeting. I suggest we all adjourn to the dining hall, and you two can discuss training and stylistic issues between bites.”
\tChuckling, Ronnel stood and, as gentlemanly as ever, offered the vixen a hand up from her chair before nodding to his leader, “Gladly, ma’am.”
* * *
\tTo the princess’ surprise, after lunch and the change to her usual temple-wear she hadn’t had time for before reporting to the high priestess, she ran into Ronnel again (very nearly literally, as the day’s events still had her thinking a bit too much) in the instrument storage room. “So you’ve picked music as a second art too,” she mused, ears perked. “What did your evaluation recommend?”
\tHer friend grimaced, “My past has not the background for painting, or sculpture, or the like, and it turned out only almost perfect my pitch is... but, at least, rhythm and coordination I have.” He stepped over to the percussion section and hefted a linked three-piece tom drum set, “This I’m learning to play.” He tilted his head, clearly curious, “And what do you play when in your hands there’s not a sword?”
\t“Don’t laugh,” Ela warned him, stepping past the violins and violas to pick up the cello she’d been practicing on, nearly as tall as her and a good bit wider.
\tRonnel didn’t so much as chuckle, though he looked like he was about to grin at any moment, noting instead, “That’s... not the instrument with which I’d picture you, no. A silver flute, perhaps, or a metal xylophone for you to use your speed and ferocity upon, but never that enormous beast!”
\tThe vixen shrugged, chuckling softly, as she picked up a long bow and a box of rosin to tuck into her robe’s belt and pocket respectively, “I’m actually getting pretty decent with this ‘enormous beast,’ as some of its principles can make use of my earlier training on a lute, though I naturally have to practice in one of the insulated rooms. Come to think of it, you’ll need to do so too, with those loud drums. They’re big enough for three people with smaller instruments; I think we could both fit in one even with these bulky accessories, and tone and percussion were meant to go together anyway, so it might help us both if we share...”
\tThis fetched a nod in return, after a cautious glance at her neck to be sure she was only wearing her Maliite pendant, “One lesson I’ve had, but two topics were covered, related though they were. Specific beats I will learn, for instruments to play along to, but also improvising to complement and enhance the play of an instrument’s song, I must try. For your proposal, the latter would work... Yes, let us share a chamber, and your own practice I will play along with.” Pausing only to grab a pair of rigid-tipped drumsticks, he followed her to the first muffled chamber whose cracked-open door proclaimed its availability.
\tThe walls, floor, and ceiling, Elaria had been told, were all lined with a thick layer of plaster filled with hollow blown-glass balls, and the thick wooden door had several inches of blankets nailed to it, allowing the practice of the loudest instruments without disturbing the rest of the temple or its neighbors too much. Even though the space would only be comfortable for three people with small instruments, there were four stools tucked into the corner, and she passed one to the fox before pulling one to the opposite corner for her own use and setting aside the sword she’d been carrying as one of the armed acolytes. “Hmm... I guess I’ll just start with my basic scales, then go with any tune they bring to mind,” she proposed, her cello leaning against the wall as she made sure her bow’s coat of rosin was sufficient.
\tHer companion merely nodded as he sat down and adjusted his drums in front of him, sticks poised as he listened for a good point to join in. Starting with the deep bass of the E string, Ela touched her bow to the bronze-wound strand and let her fingers play along the upper neck for one eight-note series, only reaching the third of the four strings on that first run, but as she started again one note higher, her elbow was wagging soon enough; her fingers were still playing at the very top of the cello’s neck, practicing their positioning to hit the right two or three places on each string for the proper tone without the benefit of frets. About midway through her fourth scale, Ronnel joined in with a single, lingering strike of his highest drum, alternating between that and the low one in half-time to her progress.
\tThat steady rhythm of high, low, high, low suggested one of the naval-inspired orchestral works to the vixen, and she held the high point of her fifth scale for a long note, before swirling down again into the mid-song theme of the tune running through her mind. Ronnel’s eyes were closed as the enclosed room sent the powerful strings’ vibrations straight through him, and he kept up his base rhythm even as he started throwing the occasional flair in between the beats, a staccato burst roaming back and forth along all three drums in a sequence of its own.
\tThe combination of two intertwined beats with her own melody was having at least as profound an effect on Ela, and she started unconsciously speeding up, hardly even noticing when Ronnel matched her tempo without pause, and she was all but grinding the bow into the lower strings as her intensity rose, blurring the notes with an almost grating distortion that, in her mind, perfectly captured and portrayed the hardships of life at sea the song was meant to describe. At the speed and vigor with which she was playing it, the performance piece rapidly neared its end, but it had already reminded her of one of the very songs she’d sung in the holiday choir, and she transitioned smoothly to the new melody, fingers dancing up and down the upper two strings as her thumb roamed the lowest, hard bass notes struck in counterpoint to the drums’ pulsing rhythm whenever the slightest gap in the main theme presented itself.
\tIt was only as a forming cramp in her fingering hand drew her attention back that she found herself playing still a third, or possibly even fourth, distinct song, and realized she’d been in a trance deeper than any she’d ever attained in weapon-practice. The intensity of her play suffered a bit as she worked past the pain to consciously, rather than instinctively, finish her current tune, drawing out its last, fading note to indicate that she wasn’t about to start another, and she couldn’t help but giggle as Ronnel blinked several times then looked around; obviously, he’d been in an altered mental state as well as he’d played.
\t“Whew,” the fox rumbled, his muzzle wrinkling, “stink of sweat we do, and too hot in here it is... but enjoy that I did, very much. My second practice I’d not have believed that to be, hearing what I managed as a stranger; together we work far better than alone.”
\tElaria nodded, glancing down with a grimace of her own at the spots where she’d soaked through both her clothes and the robe above them, then blinked, shivering, as she finally shifted in place. “I...” she panted, “I think the wettest spot on me is the crotch of my breeches, and not just from exertion. I... need to get back to my cell, or I’m likely to forget just which Goddess I’m serving at the moment, pounce you, and ravish you.”
\tRonnel blinked back, “Oh, my... I’m, um, actually not to that thought adverse, but too new am I to know the rules. Regardless, your instrument let me return for you, so to your chamber you can return quickly.”
\tNodding shakily, the vixen leaned her cello and bow against the wall and, mindful of her unsteady legs, climbed off of her stool, “I’ll check those rules,” she promised, still panting faintly as she snatched up her sword, “and if they haven’t been updated recently I’ll pray to Malia to ask what Her current standards are, since I know they’ve been changing... but, for now, I really, really need to get to bed and make love to my own fingers.”
\tShe left her friend laughing helplessly as she stepped out, looked both ways to make sure no one was coming, and ran.
Chapter 12
\tBrettan intercepted Elaria between breakfast and her morning lecture, informing her, “I have two pieces of news, neither of which I can really call good or bad, but both are... noteworthy.” At her attentive nod, he continued, “First, your friend Ronnel was attacked this morning during the novice group exercises... or almost; the way things turned out, calling it an ‘attack’ may be doing it too much honor. The two assistant instructors we keep around to help with specific calisthenic moves, since you informed us of that foreign Agent, have kept loaded crossbows handy, and one spotted the shape on the roof in time to get a shot off and spoil the aim of the weapon she was about to throw. It was a star-shaped knife, and our resident healer confirmed that the discoloration on its many points was a lethal poison, but it landed several yards from anyone and Ronnel himself is quite alright.”
\tEla frowned, “As unlikely as it was given her outright oath to seek revenge, going two and a half days without incident had led me to hope that she might have left anyway... I guess she didn’t.”
\tHer superior nodded, “Hope is always worth holding onto, though it was definitely misplaced in this instance... Anyway, the second bit of news is to remind you that the door is the least soundproof part of the muffled practice rooms, and three of our senior musicians, including your strings instructor, spent and enjoyed a fair bit of time outside of yours a couple evenings ago. Said instructor asked me to express his wonder as to why that sort of performance had never before occurred in your practices; he asserts that he’d have paid good money to hear the like in a public venue.”
\tThe vixen could only blink, flush, and murmur, “Um... I hadn’t realized anyone had heard. I... I guess I have two pieces of news of my own in response. The first is that I couldn’t have been considered conscious for the bulk of that performance; I was in a trance even deeper than the one I normally fight in, and didn’t even know what I was playing until my hand started to cramp... Something about the way I played with a partner, rather than alone, sent me into that state and improved my accuracy and enthusiasm all out of proportion. Second, there were some, ah, side-effects to that performance that make it... unsuitable to repeat in public. Before I practice that way again, I’ll have to arrange for someone to take the drums and cello back to storage, because at the end I’ll be too busy dragging Ronnel back to my cell, neither of us to be seen ‘til the next morning. I had to make do with my fingers after that first session, but my need was extreme. I did some research yesterday morning that was initially disappointing, then followed it with a prayer for clarification last night, and as a result I’ve secured Malia’s permission to take a steady lover from within the temple’s ranks. Since She wouldn’t mind and Ron’s certainly willing, mere masturbation just wouldn’t satisfy.”
\tBlinking several times, Brettan shook his head to clear it, “That’s... certainly a side-effect to keep in mind, I’ll admit. Still, the rest of your description of the event brings to mind a rather... rare gift that you just might have. Consider your existing afternoon schedule null and void; I’ll make arrangements for you to meet with Dame Grallia after lunch in the indoor salle, and you’re to bring either Ronnel or another percussionist, with their drums. Whoever you take with you is also released from other duties on an as-needed basis; you can tell them to tell their instructors that it’s on my authority, and I promise to confirm it when they check. Once you meet up with our finest knight, you are to inform her that I think you might be a blade dancer, and she’ll take it from there. She’ll be able to determine whether my suspicion is warranted quickly enough, and if I’m right she’ll give you some instruction on the subject with, just in case it has the same consequences as your musical trance, time before your evening chores to take care of, uh, things in your cell, alone or with Ronnel.”
\tEla gave him an understanding smile, “I know that, as a priest in the traditional sense, you’re less than comfortable with that aspect of my nature... I can’t help it; it’s just part of being a vixen. Thank you, though, for making allowances for that which cannot be changed.”
\tThe badger coughed, then nodded, “I do have to keep telling myself that there’s nothing really wrong with that aspect of the mortal condition... and, now that I think about it, none of the vows of chastity or celibacy I’ve served as witness for have ever been from a fox, of either gender. Now, you go on to your morning lesson; you can tell your tutor it’s my fault you’re late.”
* * *
\tThe temple’s indoor salle doubled as its ‘casual armory.’ One wall was lined with racks of practice swords, both wooden and pot-metal, that anyone was free to use, while another sported a grid of cubby holes, each with a tacked-on scrap of paper or parchment bearing the name of someone within the temple, where personal weapons of unremarkable value could be kept, though a great many of the holes were empty, their contents currently worn by their owners as they kept an eye out for the lurking Inquisitor who was almost certainly planning her next attack. More valuable arms such as Ela’s good sword, in contrast, were kept either in personal quarters or a second armory stocked with iron boxes and locks, its main door also secured and guarded, incidentally by being in sight of the back gate’s warden at most times, or with a specifically-assigned fighter in the temple’s present state of alertness.
\tDame Grallia was already there when Elaria arrived, the acolyte carrying one end of Ronnel’s drum set to help maneuver it through the relatively narrow door, and she couldn’t help but blink at the arrangement her tutor was putting the finishing touches on. Hanging from hooks and eye-bolts already set into the ceiling and its rafters were strings of varying length, and at the end of each one was an apple, three or four winds of twine around each depending on what it took to hold a particular shape reliably. There were perhaps two dozen in total, and the knight was presently going from one to the next with a cup of red paint and a brush, marking the string just above the knot securing each piece of fruit.
\tThe acolyte had to smile again, though, at just how little the lady looked like a knight... Though senior to the one other priest who warranted a ‘sir’ from more than just his students, this skunk was a bit below-average in height and quite curvaceous, her limbs looking to lack the hard muscle one would expect in a prominent warrior, and wearing a pale blue sundress with a slightly longer skirt than average out of respect for the proprieties of temple life. Her seeming softness, though, was an illusion, or perhaps more accurately a deliberate disguise. She did have the hard, strong muscle of her calling, but practiced a regimen of diet and exercise even more specific than the one she’d prescribed for Ela, a deliberately-maintained layer of fat making her look just like the peasant farmgirl she’d been born as, and still pretended to be when a low-profile investigation was needed.
\t“I know why you’re here,” the mephit noted as she finished painting the last string and set her cup aside, “though I’m pretty sure that silly badger told you to tell me, anyway. I forgot the subject of one meeting, six years ago, and he hasn’t let me forget it, or anything else, since...”
\tElaria nodded with a faint giggle as she made sure Ronnel was comfortable, then passed him the drumsticks she’d tucked into her robe’s sash as she asked, “What is a blade dancer, anyway? The term didn’t come up in the general books on tactics and fighting styles I’ve encountered so far, but then Brettan did suggest that it was rather uncommon.”
\tThe skunk chuckled, “Well, in the simplest sense, it describes a fighter who gets a lot better when they have music, or at least a beat, to fight to, and I do mean a lot better. Experienced blade dancers are known to, almost as a matter of routine, win fights that even the most skilled of more ordinary warriors would dismiss as flatly impossible.” Stepping around a couple of hanging apples, she pulled Ela’s simple twin swords out of the hole with her name on it, then tested each edge with a careful thumb before nodding, “These will do for what I’ve got planned; set your good sword aside for now,” and offering the hilts to her student.
\tThis fetched a nod from both foxes, the vixen leaning her sword against the wall before stepping over to accept her alternate weapons, and her friend musing, “That would explain why I’m here, then... Though far deeper into the experience than my only other two drum practices I went, that afternoon, basic awareness I at least maintained, so remember some of what I played I can. Sim—I’ll try to play similarly, today.”
\tNodding approvingly at his continued efforts to remember the local syntax, Grallia turned to address Ela, “When he starts playing, just close your eyes and concentrate on the beat... Feel it pulsing through you, feel its motion, then let it move you. Ignore the apples for now, just settle into one of the two-sword practice routines you already know but, this time, make it a dance.”
\tRonnel, at a nod from the knight, started a rolling, medium-fast beat on his lowest drum, ending every other measure with a double-strike on the highest and one tap in the middle, a sequence that focused on rhythm but added just a bit of a melodious accent. His eyes were soon half-closed and he felt the back of his mind itching to improvise, but he held off while he observed just what his friend would do and what she might seem to need.
\tElaria had a bit less than half the spacious salle to work with, the strung-up apples on one end and her friend and tutor tucked into the corners flanking the door, so with a firm caution to herself not to wander too far, she lifted her swords and began the latest routine she’d been taught, imagining a pair of foes before her and moving her steel to meet their hypothetical attacks. The initial ‘strikes’ were meant to be simple, the intensity of the routine rising steadily even under normal practice, so she let sheer, ingrained reflex handle her early motions while she focused on the beat, doing her best to follow her instructions and feel it as much as hear it.
\tThe first sign this was to be anything more than another static practice session came in the form of one foot’s sweep, the ‘right’ routine having called for a simple step rather than an arc just barely off the floor, ending in an extra tap of its toes to fill in the half-beat gap left at the end of one of Ron’s melodious measures. Her next two steps as she turned to face the enemies in her own mind struck the floor right on the drum’s more emphatic, mid-measure beats but, for the scripted dodge the practice called for, she stepped around the beat, her footfalls flanking it and actually enhancing it much like a drummer’s deliberate flair. The effect spread steadily up from her feet, her blades still finding their way into the ‘right’ positions at the proper moments, but the way in which they got there was more... fluid, always in keeping with the sound of the drums but never in a strictly predictable way, and almost entirely unlike the simple ‘here to there’ movements normally used.
\tDame Grallia nodded to herself; Brettan had been right. Despite her relative lack of actual battle experience, this vixen was already a better fighter than she’d want to get into a serious disagreement with, and it was looking like a new order of magnitude was about to be added to that skill. For the moment, though, her routine was nearing its natural conclusion, so the skunk called out, “The apples are your enemies! They must be in at least three pieces each to be considered neutralized, and you cannot strike any piece that’s on the floor, nor can you cut any string above its red mark! Also, avoid those marks, as I used oil paint and it’s not dry yet; any red streak on you will constitute failure!”
\tElaria moved, without even a nod, from blocking an imaginary overhead strike to dancing toward the twine-bedecked end of the room, her simple swords, scimitar-like though a bit shorter than the norm, while still longer than cutlasses, flicking out in a silk-smooth cross-slash, catching the first apple perfectly, its surrounding string falling in tatters as the fruit itself thudded to the floor in three slices. A flair in the drum beat surrounded a single blade’s slash at the next target, then her other sword came in low, whipping back and forth in a continuation of that flair to further mince the single falling piece. From one stance to the next, the acolyte danced her way through her crowd of foes, slashing and slicing, and at one point even skewering two apples nearly seven feet apart with wide-stretched arms, savage twists of her blades a half-beat later shattering them into small chunks. Sometimes her strikes sent the loose, painted ends of the strings dancing wildly, but she always seemed to be moving away from them when they did; others, they lost their fruity burden with nary a twitch, or with just the gentle sway of the breeze of her passage.
\tGrallia thought, as the last apple fell in pieces, that the show was over, but a glance at Ronnel showed him watching his friend closely, with no evident intention to stop drumming just yet. Curious now, the skunk looked back to her pupil where she was weaving between the ‘lethal’ red marks of dangling twine, toward the corner where a small barrel of water, a stack of folded cloths, and a cup of oil were provided to keep weapons clean and rust-free. Into the barrel those swords plunged as one, twice, then the vixen brought them down by their flats on the cloths, wiping each side clean of sticky apple juice. Still to the rhythm of the drums, the tips of each blade were dipped into the oil, then she launched herself into a spin, sword-points leading, rising to the toe of one shoe as the wind of her twirl blew the oil down the weapons’ lengths, followed by two more swipes against the rags to clean off the excess. The fox went into a sustained roll on the high drum as his friend reversed her grips and half-spun once more, then struck the bass tom twice, punctuating her throws as her blades settled into her cubby hole, three yards distant.
\t“Let me have a look at you,” the knight directed, lightly gripping Ela’s arms to turn her around, examining her headfur and robe closely... then nodded, “Not a single hint of paint. Brettan was right; you are a blade dancer, but it’s up to you to see if you can make something of it. It’s not possible, after all, to make sure you have percussion or musical accompaniment in a real battle, and to try to do so would put the minstrels at an unconscionable risk. You’ll need to practice with a live musician, working on the speed and ease with which you can enter your new level of combat trance, but your goal is to, eventually, be able to do this sort of thing to a beat that exists only in your mind.”
\tThe vixen nodded solemnly, “Yes, ma’am,” then broke into a wide grin. “That was fun! It wasn’t exactly the same as when I was playing my cello; I was awake and aware, but the music was all around me... I could almost see it, the beats that were to come and the options they represented, and I moved with the ‘now’ through those possibilities. Choice and action were the same thing; my mind made the choice, and my body followed smoothly along on its own. It was somewhere in between the way I’d plan my initial attacks in normal combat, and how I’d watch for and grab any opportunity that presented itself later in the fight, but not really like either because the plans seemed to already be made for me, simply awaiting my selection.”
\t“That,” the knight mused with a nod of her own, “sounds remarkably similar to the description penned by the last blade dancer this temple had... His journal’s in the library, in the unrestricted priest section; I’ll direct you to it sometime soon, as some of his experiences may help you make that last leap that remains to you, the ability to do this at need without a musician, to make you the best fighter you could ever hope to be.”
\tElaria tilted her head to one side, mentally balancing a few issues of possibility and propriety, then noted, “Speaking of the library... my most recent research was the details and requirements of Maliite knighthood. I wish to inform you, Dame, that I will be seeking that status. The oaths are compatible with my beliefs and philosophy, with perhaps a minor reservation to keep from conflicting with my other priesthoods, and I believe I qualify in terms of basic prowess... but I know, too, that there is much for me to learn here that would be useful for both that knighthood and my more general life, so it would be inappropriate to bind myself to the possibility of having to rush off in the cause of justice before that learning. Once I feel my scholastic studies have reached a sufficient point, though, I’ll be checking with Brettan and yourself to see if you two agree, then ask, formally, for induction into the order.”
\tThe skunk tried to keep her demeanor serious as she nodded, but couldn’t quite banish a faint smile of pride from her muzzle, “You are right on both counts, that you do currently qualify but also that more education could only help... and, when you feel you have learned what you must to be the best champion of justice that you can, it would be my honor to administer and witness your oaths, then welcome you as a sister knight. I’m already proud to be witnessing the emergence of a new blade dancer, that being an honor very, very few arms instructors ever enjoy, but dubbing you Dame Elaria would make it even sweeter a high point in my life’s accomplishments.”
\tDipping a low curtsey, her head bowed to convey her own gratitude, the princess rose and turned to smile at her friend still in the corner, “Sorry to ignore you like that, dear...” She half-pouted, “I’m afraid that, this time, the trance didn’t leave me feeling like a bitch in heat. I guess it happened last time because the music was all there was, and in my trance I was the music, and the music... felt good. Still,” and she gave him a hopeful smile, “I’ve got the rest of the afternoon off if you just want to come to my cell to kiss and cuddle a bit... If more comes of that, I’m sure we’ll both enjoy it, but I’m still trying to avoid pressuring you into anything you’re not comfortable with.”
\tRonnel nodded with a breathy chuckle, “A moment to recover from the drumming, I needed, so mind your chat I did not. Help me take the drums back and, yes, to cuddle I would like. More, though, will have to wait until we have more time; in two hours will you help with supper, and... longer I would wish to take, to do things right.”
\tDame Grallia shook her head with a sigh, “Oh, well... I should mention, young fox, that I quizzed Brettan specifically on the ratios involved in the Roxanite necklace our second-newest supplicant showed up in, and if you hadn’t agreed to go back to her chambers, I would have gone in your place. Ah, well; a bit of disappointment builds character, I’m told.”
\tAs her friend simply chuckled, the acolyte gave her teacher a more speculative look, the tip of her tongue sneaking around the edges of her muzzle... “In a bit less than two and a half weeks, I’ll be spending my restday in Our Bounteous Lady’s robes once more... so if you look me up then, I’d certainly like to... get to know you better.” She winked, half-grinning, “At no charge, of course. I needn’t solicit to honor my other Goddesses; like blade dancing, serving Them is simply another mental state.”
* * *
\tDear Your Royal Daddyness, Elaria began, belly-down on her bed as she wrote to the light of her cell’s small lamp.
\tLife at the temple has become complicated, though by no means bad, and it all centers around one simple event: I think I’ve got a boyfriend. The basics are simple enough... His name is Ronnel, and he’s mostly a fox, but his grandmother was a wolf, giving him fur a bit darker than mine and, from what I felt of it during an unarmed sparring match, some anatomy that reminds me very much of you, though I haven’t seen it in action yet. I know, that’s a bit of a surprise right there, that I didn’t immediately fuck his brains out, but I’ve been taking my time getting to know him. I believe he’s amenable to the concept at this point, and we did spend a couple hours this afternoon kissing and snuggling in my room, where I got to show him how much more vixenish my bustline’s been getting lately. Part of the reason I’m moving slowly and carefully, though, is for his comfort, as he was born a serf in Dengar. As such, he started with some profound reservations about associating with a princess, which I’ve been patiently easing and wearing away. It helps that he joined the temple as a novice, the same day that I made acolyte.
\tHis reason for being in this kingdom involves what we would call an act of self-defense that resulted in the death of an official with perverse tastes even by my standards. Unfortunately, that official had a friend. She’s the Dengarian equivalent of an Agent, and has sworn vengeance, though her one attempt to follow through on it so far was fairly inept and easily thwarted. Still, she seems to rely much more heavily on magical gadgets than you ever did, so even in a temple full of fighters with two wizard-priests on their guard, we can’t rely on her next try being so ineffective. I’ve met with Duke Gatuque on the subject, the Agent also at that meeting as he decided between our conflicting petitions, and the best we were able to come up with was to explicitly allow any necessary measures of self-defense despite her diplomatic immunity. I’d prefer to simply hunt her down and kill her in her sleep, but that’s beyond the limits of our diplomatic options even after pushing them as far as possible.
\tIn slightly more positive news, it turns out I’m a blade dancer. It’d take a lot of explaining to completely define the concept and the processes involved, but once I master it it’ll raise my prowess by an entire order of magnitude, and I can already beat just about anyone in the world in a one-on-one fair fight. Given her magical toys, the situation with the Agent could never be called ‘fair,’ so I’m in no hurry to do battle with her. Related, if in different ways, to my new fighting technique, though, are two significant tidbits. First, with the right accompaniment I can hold my own with master musicians on my cello, though there’s a side effect that I’d need to get laid as soon as I stop playing. Second, the teacher who prescribed my diet to get my breasts back and instructed me in the new sort of combat trance a blade dancer needs is a Maliite knight, and has agreed to make me one as well, once we’re both satisfied with my education. I also plan to borrow a room with her at the temple of Roxanarra in a couple weeks, or maybe Gatuque House if we’re too eager to travel that far, but for this next restday I’ll be visiting Kathy’s house for the solstice celebration, and I’m hoping I can wrangle a night off the next day to celebrate another birthday in this city’s fine playclub.
\tStill your princess forever,
\tElaria
\tThe vixen left the parchment there for a moment, letting its ink dry as she opened a dresser drawer and fished around in the very bottom and back, finally coming up with a small pouch and a glittering candle. The latter, she lit at the lamp and set aside to let its wax start melting, and from the former she extracted a slim, unremarkable copper disc, the diameter of a penny but a good bit thinner. Folding the letter up just a little more tightly than thirds, allowing a short flap to wrap around, she pressed the disc where her seal would go, then dripped the red wax from the candle onto it, glinting with the flecks of gold and ground crystal embedded in it. She blew out the candle, then on the wax to cool it a bit, but while it was still soft she turned her signet ring around and pressed its engraved symbol into the blob over the disc. Light flared to confirm that the three-piece enchantment had taken hold, and she addressed the outside and put her other accessories away before pulling on her robe and stepping out to find someone to deliver it to the palace. It could now only be safely opened after exposure to a specific, carefully-guarded blend of energies; any other magic, or an attempt to open it physically, would result in the release of the fire-energy stored in the disc, sufficient to incinerate the parchment and probably hurt whoever was holding it at the time.
\tSpotting a black mink novice she’d been reasonably friendly with when she’d shared his classes, packing a broom back into a closet from the sweeping he’d obviously just finished, she offered him the letter and a silver crown, “You look fairly fast and stealthy, Jorrel... Could you run this to the palace for me? Ranks aside, I can’t insist, as you know that dragon’s lurking out there, but if you wear a dark robe you might be able to get through unseen...”
\tThe mustelid blinked and considered for a moment, then nodded, “I’ve always enjoyed a good challenge, and I could certainly use the spending money next restday... Who do I give it to?”
\tEla smiled as she handed him the parchment and coin, “Before that, I need to warn you to be physically careful with this missive, as it’s sealed magically and will burst into flame if it thinks you’re trying to open it... For the rest, just tell the first palace guard you see that you have a message for the mage-relays and they should immediately escort you to the right place. My letter, or at least as accurate a verbal transcription as the on-duty wizards manage, will be in my father’s hands within an hour.”
Chapter 13
\tElaria couldn’t help but cast the occasional, nervous glance at the roof line throughout her morning exercises, after news of the recent attack, but she knew, too, that anyone resembling a well-trained Agent probably wouldn’t try the same trick twice. It took an effort to keep from pondering just how the next attempt might manifest, but she knew too that divining that was fundamentally impossible, and she was eventually able to focus on the task at hand, which was going through the fairly low-energy stretches and bends, and the somewhat more vigorous jumps and push-ups, while keeping every major muscle she could actively tensed in keeping with Grallia’s advice on trading bulk for tone.
\tFollowing that regimen meant that her calisthenics burned a good three or four times as much energy as anyone else’s, so she was more than ready for breakfast, her stomach rumbling a protest that she did her best to keep out of her face’s expression as she was intercepted mere yards shy of the dining hall. “A common porter-for-hire arrived with a package for you,” Kechira noted, then smiled slightly, “but it can wait. You do well at looking patient and attentive under the worst of circumstances, but I’m not so old as to be deaf to your belly’s comments. I know, though, that you sent a letter by mage just last night, so whatever it is that’s arrived so promptly is probably important. I’ll have it delivered to your cell while you eat, but do so quickly.”
\tHer belly protesting again, but this time from being filled more rapidly than it liked, Elaria untied the twine that secured the canvas-wrapped bundle and pulled back the top layer, a medium-thick bundle of parchment coming into view, so she opened that, more curious about its contents than the bulky package’s. Another piece of string secured the sheets, and she blinked as she untied it; the outer label did, of course, address it to her, but it was from Dame Julara, not her father.
\tCaptain Elaria, attention to orders, the first sheet in the stack read, and her spine stiffened reflexively even if sitting on the bed was no place to come to attention.
\tEnclosed is a duplicate of your warrant of commission, in case you aren’t keeping your original copy with you at the temple. Also enclosed is a certificate of Unicorn Vale citizenship, as you can be considered to have ‘lived and worked’ here for a contiguous period no less than five years, as was specified among the new laws and statutes that accompanied the normalization of the Vale’s status as one nation among many.
\tI am informed that you’re presently an acolyte of Malia, in residence at Her temple in Gatuque. This status is immediately suspended. You qualified as a citizen of the Vale prior to your membership in the church, and your commission also predates your journey into Drachath. In accordance with these specific points of law and fact, you are hereby notified of the change of your military status from reserve to active duty. Based upon measurements from the gown you left behind, but with adjustments for the physical changes your communications to your father have described (feel free to pad the cups if I overestimated things there and they’re loose), you are being provided with two changes of standard Vale Militia uniform leathers, female variant, with the Elite pin and insignia suitable to your rank.
\tYour orders are the protection by any means necessary of the life of one Ronnel, novice in the temple of Malia in Gatuque. Your obedience to these orders is strictly in your capacity as a citizen and officer of Unicorn Vale and, to clarify the legal and diplomatic issues currently clouding the situation you’ve described, Unicorn Vale has no treaties of any sort with Dengar. We do not formally recognize the status of their official representatives, nor have they deigned to exchange ambassadors with our government, so no citizen, noble, or other representative of that kingdom has been granted diplomatic immunity or any other related protection by our nation.
\tYou are directed to report directly to me upon any serious confrontation involved in the performance of your orders to protect the person of Ronnel. If said confrontation is, in your professional estimation, decisive, you may provisionally consider your mission complete and resume your duties for the temple, contingent upon your prompt reporting and subject to whatever decision is specified in my reply.
\tBy my hand,
\tColonel Dame Julara, commander in chief
\tNew Unicorn Vale Militia
\tBoth of the other documents in the stack bore, at their bottoms, the official seals of the militia and the Vale government as appropriate, the wax glittering to suggest that they were ‘signed’ magically as well and would respond to the appropriate Stones of Validation. Still blinking a bit at the sudden change in her official status, and the loophole in the legalities of the situation it represented, Ela moved to unwrap her new uniforms, only to pause as she realized that something had been tugging at the edge of her awareness for some time now. Leaning closer, she sniffed carefully at the canvas... Most prominent, of course, was the residue of the somewhat sweaty touch of the porter, but under that... The vixen straightened convulsively as she recognized the underlying scent, one that had been intimately familiar to her for nearly a decade; she knew she was grinning like a fool in her empty room, but she felt anything but alone. In all likelihood no one else knew it yet... but she had backup.
\tOne more surprise was still forthcoming as she finally opened the package, though. Between her two neatly-folded uniforms was something like a crossbow, but without the bow, and she sighed happily as her fingers caressed the length of the spellbreaker her father had scavenged from the ambush on his first mission, still permanently stained here and there with the blood of the soldier who’d wielded it. Just let that bitch try her magical tricks; a few shots from this would bring her back down to the world of mere mortals, and the vixen was certain she could deal with any mortal ever born.
* * *
\tKechira looked up from the letter she’d been given to read, eying the changed vixen who stood in her office. Gone was both the naughty-minded teen and the attentive, knowledge-hungry student. Instead, dressed in perfectly-fit leathers with gold-plated bars on each shoulder, a tiny ruby set into the strap that held the insignia on her right, and a polished brass badge clipped to her belt, a soldier faced her, the hilts of two swords peeking out from behind her back and a third’s scabbard hung at her hip as she stood, still save only for breathing and the occasional blink, at attention.
\t“I cannot give you orders,” the priestess mused wryly, then went on more seriously, “but I suggest you find some time to bring this to the attention of the duke, as well. While it cannot change some aspects of the situation, given that it would still be illegal for you, as a foreign citizen visiting the city, to go out and murder another foreigner, it does change other details in ways that our lord should, out of politeness if nothing else, be made aware of.”
\tElaria relaxed to ‘stand easy’ position, grateful for the private lessons in military protocol she’d asked for from a sparring partner shortly after being labeled an honorary sergeant, and noted, “You’re technically right, but you still hold authority over the one I’ve been assigned to guard. I’m obligated, thus, to coordinate with you, as you’re free to insist on my charge’s behavior in ways that amount to veto power over any plans I may have made independently. The arrival of those orders, in any case, canceled my plans for attending a Kathallic sermon tomorrow, probably with a holiday sacrifice involved, and the more intimate celebration with other members of that faith I was going to try getting leave for, the next evening, because I’ll be turning sixteen then. I judge my friend’s life far more important than either of those rather self-indulgent activities, though, so I’ll instead be accompanying him through his own lessons and duties, helping where I can but staying in the background when that’s preferable.”
\tThis fetched a nod and an inquiry, “And what of the spellbreaker you were sent?”
\t“It’s presently being fitted with a baldric-like strap, being among the bulkier configurations for that sort of device. I’ll be giving it to Ronnel himself, with instructions for its use, once he can comfortably carry it on his back. Anyone attempting, alone, to nullify this Inquisitor’s magic will, I suspect, be physically neutralized while doing so, while anyone attacking her directly will be quickly felled by her magic. Only by working together do I see a real chance of defeating this enemy, and we still have the complication that we must allow her to act first, legally. Given my current intent to actively guard Rollen, do you think I should leave him behind for your suggested trip to the palace, bring him with me, or simply conduct business by messenger?”
\tKechira frowned in thought, “We’ve been having more messengers than usual coming and going... and I’m sure our enemy has noticed. It can’t be long before she tries intercepting one. Here in the temple, no matter how good you are, we’ve got so many eyes and blades that I don’t think it would make a difference whether you were here or not if an attack came, but remember your own point about solo versus team efforts. You’d be in as much danger as any other messenger if you went to meet the duke alone. As nervous as it makes me to let him leave these walls, I really think you’d be safer with Ronnel in your company.”
\tGlancing down for a moment, Elaria’s voice conveyed just a hint of discomfort as she noted, “I do, actually, have a way to make that sort of trip, um... significantly safer, though I dare not voice a hint of the specifics involved, as there’s a good chance that bitch’s toys include one for listening through walls. I must, however, ask your permission as high priestess to pray to a dark Goddess under your roof. A brief message or two, passed by Kathalla, will be necessary to coordinate things.”
\tThe feline tilted her head curiously as she thought her way through a memory those words brought to mind, that she’d barely paid attention to at the time, “Devin... the acolyte you first met the day you applied, he said something interesting. I was lurking nearby while Brettan discussed the divinely-mandated change in the youngster’s duties, just in case he ended up reacting badly enough to throw him out entirely, but what I’m remembering now is the theological near-crisis the fellow was having over the various mortal incarnations he saw all calling each other ‘sister.’ Combined with a few other bits and pieces that have come to my attention in recent years as leader here, I’m given to believe that Kathalla’s definition as a ‘dark’ Goddess is more a technicality than anything else these days, and that my own Lady doesn’t actually dislike Her. Between that and your own legitimate status as the Fanged One’s priestess, I find nothing inappropriate about you praying to Her, particularly if you think it can have a direct, positive effect on your safety or your friend’s.”
\tEla nodded once, smiling, “Thank you. I’ll do just that on my way down the hall to collect Ronnel, or just to guard him if any delays crop up. By your leave, ma’am?” The priestess just smiled back and waved her on, so the vixen stepped out into the hall, closed the office door, and muttered simply, “Kathalla...”
\t*I’m here, and paying attention to your thoughts, and you’re right... You needn’t speak aloud to converse with Me.*
\tNodding mostly to herself, the captain asked mentally, ‘Is my shadow near enough, and in a convenient situation, to tag discreetly along on short notice?’
\tThis fetched a low, hearty chuckle in reply, *Yes to both, and he’s currently having a great deal of fun. This is like old times to him, and a break from the often-boring duties of his present station. Don’t you worry yourself any; you just make the trip you’re planning, and if he’s needed he’ll be there. Incidentally, he’s pleased that you realized that he’s here, as he’d guessed no more than an even chance of your somehow reasoning it out.*
\tGrinning to the empty air, Ela nodded and thought, ‘I’m not about to forget his scent, faint though it was on the canvas of that parcel... In any case, I thank you, my Goddess, for serving as a secure means of communication in a sticky situation. I’m glad he’s enjoying himself, and just knowing that he’s in the same city has been an immense comfort to me all morning.’
* * *
\tTemple Row was close to the palace, but there were still two blocks of the houses of the wealthy and a segment of the ring of public parks and gardens that surrounded the castle itself to get through on the way there. Going by the alleys between the houses, the trip would be less than half a mile; both Ronnel and his bodyguard, though, agreed that there’d probably be more safety in crowds, so they went a bit out of the way, following the actual streets.
\tCrowds, though, were hard to find; the Row itself had a reasonable amount of foot traffic, but the rich preferred not to be disturbed and it showed as the vulpine pair turned onto the broad avenue between two walled estates, the only pedestrians on that route and growing steadily more alone with each step they took from the Row’s population. “I don’t like this,” Ronnel muttered.
\t“Neither do I,” Elaria admitted, “but I haven’t sensed any ill-wishers watching... She might not have been there to see us leave.”
\tThe fox nodded, “I certainly hope—”
\tHis words were cut off by the buffet of wings’ downdraft as a dark shape flew directly over the pair, and the dragoness landed easily a few yards in front of them, no other citizens or guards visible close enough to realize that the grouping might be anything but friendly. Stifling a yelp, Ronnel still reacted with a fighter’s reflexes, yanking the spellbreaker off his back, taking aim, and squeezing the trigger.
\tThe dragoness simply smirked as she stood there, thumbs tucked into her belt where her fingers had easy access to its stones’ enchantments, “The vixen was right, little man, in that I could listen in on her meetings... and the same soul-shroud that lets me lie with impunity also blocks her ability to sense me. Your high priestess should never have asked about the spellbreaker... I was able to kill its enchantment from a distance rather easily, instead of relying on the shield I also have against such, which may or may not have lasted as long as your toy’s charge...”
\tEla calmly drew her good sword, unclipping its scabbard from her belt and letting it fall to the cobblestones so it wouldn’t get in her way in a fight, even as she asked conversationally, “And how many charges do your bracelets have? Cold steel, unlike magic, doesn’t run out...”
\tOne finger shifted slightly on that bejeweled belt, nearing but not yet touching another stone, “Your steel wouldn’t be cold for long, Roxanite slut, so I suggest you put it away... That is a very, very nice sword, and it would annoy me to have to melt it out of your hands. It would make a far better trophy for my wall... Hmm, I might even consider trading you your life for it, once I’ve dealt with this murdering nobody you so foolishly think you can protect.” Her hand suddenly jerked away from her belt, and she stared at one of her rings, glowing faintly even in the bright summer sun, “Stealth?!?” Both hands flew wide, her bracelet-jewels flaring as she spun in place, eyes probing...
\tAt the distance she’d landed from them, the wave of motion-magic merely nudged Ela and Ron firmly, each reflexively planting a foot behind them to brace against it. Close as it was, though, the pressure had no visible effect on the distorting blur in the air that had separated itself from an alley and drawn near from behind. Only when she’d slapped a hand to a large, polished agate pendant on her chest and concentrated did that blur fade, resolving into the shape of a very large, very muscular wolf in workman’s clothes, a four-foot bastard sword’s point less than two feet from where her back had been the moment before.
\t“I don’t think I’d like it very much if you killed either my daughter or my potential son-in-law,” Sir Ferrl commented casually.
\tEyes widening, the Inquisitor grabbed for her belt again, fingers playing over the stones and angry-looking energies in several hues launching themselves at the newcomer, but none got within a foot of him. She focused on his sword, asking her Firestone for heat, but it had barely started to glow a dull red before he caught and absorbed that energy, beyond the reach of his established shields, with an act of will.
\tOther than her jewelry, the dragon wore a short skirt, a loose blouse, and a cape that draped as far down as her skirt did, slit to let her wings through. It was behind the latter that she reached next, yanking out a small tube and thumbing a crystal set into it, a sharp crack ringing out an instant later as something shot out of it only to shatter against the wall of force the wolf was projecting from the hand he’d raised just as quickly.
\t“You seem to be running out of tricks, bitch,” Elaria snarled from behind her, firming her grip on her sword and taking a step forward.
\tThe head on that sinuous neck whipped around to glare at her, then back to the closer threat of the huge wolf, and the next instant she was sprinting to one side, wings spreading and coming down hard as she all but clawed her way into the air. The earl’s hand rose again and, though no visible magic emerged, the fleeing dragoness was suddenly surrounded in a coruscating bubble of crackling purple energy, bright but already fading as it failed under the mystic assault. That very attack, though, was also weakening with range, and the Inquisitor’s frantically-pumping wings were doing much to increase that.
\tFerrl’s expression scrunched into a snarl as he gathered his strength and concentrated, his fist closing and making a yanking motion even as the fleeing figure cleared some trees and dipped down behind their shelter. “Got it,” he rumbled, turning back to his daughter and holding out his hand even as he slipped his sword into the sheath across his back with the other. There, resting in his palm, was a single, shining black scale, and he explained at two sets of confused blinks, “Things that block magical trackers are harder to build than the tracker itself, and I haven’t had enough time yet... but I did still have the tracker I’d built as part of my studies, and with this we can use it to find her.”
\tSheathing her sword, having picked its scabbard back up a moment before, Elaria smiled and turned to her friend, “Ronnel? I’d like you to meet my father, Earl Gatuque, also known as Sir Ferrl, a retired Agent of this kingdom. I didn’t ask him to come, but I’m very glad he did... As you can see, sometimes it takes one Agent to defeat another.”
\tThe fox nodded, his muzzle tense, “Too well informed that one was of our plans, and counter our strengths she did, before we’d even met!” Slinging the useless spellbreaker across his back, he took one step forward and pressed his hands together in front of him, bowing over them, “My thanks, noble sir, for your timely rescue, and my appreciation to finally meet he who raised such a remarkable daughter. Feelings for her, I must tell you I have, but honorable my intentions are.”
\t“Oh, don’t worry about that,” the earl snorted, waving one hand dismissively. “She makes her own decisions who to befriend or sleep with, and if they’re bad choices, those’re hers to deal with too. Now,” and he started walking down the street, gesturing for them both to follow, “let’s finish this little journey you started on. We may have driven that dragon off, but she’s not truly defeated yet... I got a good look at everything while I was sneaking up, both her magical toys and her magic. You see, she’s a mage herself, though not a particularly good one. Several of the devices she uses are well beyond her own ability to create but, given enough time, she can recharge them. Her attacks against me and that last defensive shield drained a lot of them, some completely, but within a few days she’ll be a force to be reckoned with again.”
\tChuckling, Elaria noted to her companion, “One of the titles of his I didn’t mention is ‘master-rank mage.’ That bitch of an Inquisitor may have used toys and tricks to multiply her options far beyond her native ability, but my daddy here doesn’t need tricks.”
\tThis earned one more nod from Ronnel, “Nervous, magic made me when against me it was arrayed... but... remarkably comforting, it is to have on our side the better mage!”
Chapter 14
\t“I’m glad you all decided to come and see me,” the duke began as they all settled into seats in his private office, the mink having abandoned his morning court the moment their arrival was announced. “There’ve been some additional... complications, since last you and I spoke, Princess, and I’m also pleased to meet both the young man in question and renew my acquaintance with your noble father.”
\tFerrl smiled, “As I’ve been since we first started exchanging letters, I’m once again pleased to speak with you under better circumstances than our very first meeting... That aside, my daughter has kept me informed in summary in her letters, and I’m as curious as she looks to be about these new developments, so let’s get those on the table first in case they have a direct bearing on what we’d already meant to discuss.”
\tThe lord nodded, and explained, “Two events occurred at different times on the same day, both reported immediately to Rajai then passed along once the information was collated by an official who’d gotten my report that the Inquisitor had found her quarry in Gatuque... First, a routine check of the various magical tools assigned to any official border post showed that their spirit-magic detector had been nullified, and the only time it had seen use since the last check was when that dragoness swore an oath in Tarragh’s name in order to establish her identity and reason for entry. Now, my own lie-sensing enchantments didn’t have any problem with her status as a Grand Inquisitor, but did show her basic lack of legal support for a formal murder charge, so I’m guessing that one of her tools includes an on-demand spirit shroud to let her lie in cases like that, and she canceled the stone to get away with it.”
\tRonnel thumbed the stock of the spellbreaker sticking over his shoulder, grimacing, “The same she did to this; anti-magic, we know she has.”
\tThis fetched a second nod from the mink, “True, but that’s not really the issue here. What’s important, from an inter-governmental perspective, is that she lied to gain entry to the kingdom and, at least initially, cooperation from its officials. In terms of international protocol and relations, that’s something one just doesn’t do, and means a lot more than the specifics of her gadgets. Any hope she has of our help in her claimed quest, though, is rather neatly dashed by the second piece of news, reported by a traveler later that same day, which is much... nastier. There’s a farm not far off the highway between Rajai and the border... yes, Ronnel? You look... stricken.”
\tThe fox looked almost frightened, his voice quiet as he answered, “Stop at that farm, I did... A pot of beans and pork I’d stolen from soldiers hunting me, and with those farmers I traded the dish for clothes after sustained on my journey I was by the meal.”
\tThe duke could only shake his head in sympathy, “I know it’s hard, son, damned hard... but try not to blame yourself for what you’re about to hear. You were doing what you must, what any man would, when faced with an unlivable situation; the evil that resulted is entirely the Inquisitor’s, not yours.” He waited for a moment, his gaze hard, until he’d extracted a reluctant nod from his visitor, then continued, “A soldier with a fast horse investigated the farm after the rather fragmentary report of the traveler... The farmer, his wife, and their three children were found in their beds with their throats cut, most likely by a claw given the specifics of the wounds. Only the landowner’s bedclothes were in any disarray, suggesting that the rest of the family had been silenced, first magically and then permanently, while he was left unrestrained so he could be questioned.” He glanced over to Elaria, “I hate to ask this of you... but you’re going to have to inform Dame Grallia. The farmer was her brother, Haritor, we found when checking the property’s listed next-of-kin.”
\t“Shit,” the vixen muttered with a wince. “She’s going to want revenge, the legalities be damned; you told me yourself how Maliite knights treat this sort of thing!”
\tThe lord nodded again, “I know, and it wouldn’t be fair to her to just ‘forget’ to tell her until the situation changed. Still, the diplomatic issues’ resolution will be expedited by our recent findings, given the clarity with which they reveal the Inquisitor’s ill intent. Her entering the kingdom under false pretenses, outright lying to the border guards to do so, puts the situation on an entirely different diplomatic footing than it had been. If her government doesn’t immediately disavow her actions and suspend her legal protections, this could very well mean war over the mockery she’s made of the politeness and respect two kingdoms’ representatives are supposed to show one another. Taken as a whole, her actions here cannot be anything but an embarrassment to the nation she’s supposed to represent, so I’m certain they’ll fold quickly, but even the fastest such diplomatic resolution will take anywhere from two to four days, possibly with one added on as tomorrow’s a restday.”
\tSir Ferrl mused softly, even ominously, “The sister you spoke of won’t wait that long... Another Maliite knight, Dame Julara, is a close personal friend of mine. If someone told her that her brother had been murdered, much less his entire family, and his killer was in the same city, she’d grab the nearest blade and go hunting, not even pausing for clothes if she happened to be out of them.”
\tElaria frowned, looking nearly as unhappy as Ronnel had moments earlier, “We just fought that murdering bitch, and saw some hint of the resources she can call on... Alone, my teacher would wind up as dead as her kin in short order! That would be... such a waste... I can see only one positive, honorable way out of this entire tangle,” and this earned her several surprised blinks, as no one else, obviously, could think of a solution, and she looked up with a hint of amusement in her expression, “but it’s going to involve my tacitly telling a duke what to do.”
\tThe noble in question snorted, “Then by all means, do so! If you’ve got a way out of this mess, tell me so I can stop pummeling my brain trying to find it myself!”
\tThe vixen blinked, chuckled, and shook herself, finally touching the badge at her waist, “I’m wearing this uniform for a very specific reason... You see, I’m not here as an acolyte of Malia, or even as Princess Gatuque. I’m here as Captain Elaria of the New Vale Militia Elite, a point which, had your functionaries realized it, meant that I really shouldn’t, strictly speaking, have been let into your presence still wearing my swords. Foreign military officers don’t get the same privileges as local nobles, after all... Still, you’ve got someone who you know committed murder in this kingdom, along with sundry lesser crimes, but who is, for the moment, protected by diplomatic immunity. The solution I propose, then, is for you to ask a military officer of a sovereign nation with no diplomatic ties or treaties to Dengar to look into it. If you will provide the appropriate documentation of crime and sentence, and assign me as executor for the court, I can legally track down and kill this bitch!”
\tThe duke’s eyes widened, then narrowed as he considered the possibilities her points offered... then he reached for one of the enchanted stones on his desk, “Toraden.”
\t“Yes, milord?” a voice replied from thin air.
\t“I need a warrant, fast, for the capture of that dragoness Inquisitor, by description as she never gave us her name, dead or alive. Now this is the tricky bit... it needs to be worded to assign capturing authority to a foreign military officer, specifically one Captain Elaria of Unicorn Vale, who’s coincidentally Princess Gatuque of the earldom for purposes of spelling and description though the document should make no mention of that, despite the suspect’s crimes being committed in our kingdom rather than our ally’s own. Can you manage that?”
\tThere was a brief pause as whoever was on the other end of the link thought, then an enthusiastic reply, “Yes, sir! I’ll need to look up one or two references for a wording that’d stand up in both Drachathian and Dengarian courts, but I should have it for you in twenty minutes, thirty at the outside. Also, I’ve got the initial report from the border crossing sitting in front of me; the name she gave there was Talaya, though out of simple courtesy she should have given it to you, too.”
\tThe old mink nodded to himself as he leaned back in his seat, then noted to the leather-armored vixen, “Please note the phrasing I used, in that this is only a justification for you to arrest the Inquisitor if you can manage to do so. Actual execution is a matter for the courts, though we’ll almost certainly be able to try her here rather than extradite her, once she’s been formally disavowed.” His lips twitched upwards at her quickly-hidden pout, “Now, now, I didn’t forbid you to kill her, only to try to capture her first. ‘Resisting arrest’ is still a justification for force in all three kingdoms involved in this little scheme, and you certainly have the right to defend yourself or anyone else she might try to harm. If she surrenders, or if you can subdue her without great harm to her or risk to anyone else, then please do so, but if she’s as stubborn as we all suspect she can be, and leaves you no other choice... yes, you can kill that bitch, and I wish you enjoyment along the way.”
\tElaria gave him a sharp, satisfied nod, “Good... You have my oaths as princess, priestess, and an officer that I’ll try to get her intact, but if she gives me too much trouble, I intend to give dear Grallia the news of her relatives’ deaths at the same time I present her with the head of their killer.”
* * *
\tLunch was shared with Harlen and his family at Gatuque house, along with the revelation that Ferrl was already based there, having arrived by inter-duchy gate just before dawn, stashing most of what he’d brought in the manor to free him to hire the porter that had delivered Ela’s parcel, then lurk about, as circumstance required, either concealed magically or impersonating a common worker. After the meal, the wolf retreated briefly to the master bedroom, then joined his daughter and her friend in the sitting room, holding a rather odd device. “This,” he told them, holding up a flat, square wooden box with several crystals visible, “is the tracker I made, a bit cruder than most as it was only for practice, but it should work... I’ve already given it that scale as a sample and charged its power pool, and you can see right now that the central crystal is glowing faintly. That one indicates proximity; the brighter it is, the closer the person you’re hunting. The smaller ones around it... those are for following the line of where someone’s been, since they only light up when you actually cross an old path. The brightest glow represents the most recent path they’ve taken, so you should start checking it near the street we met her on. She flew, as I recall, to the southwest, toward the nearest city wall to that fairly central point. You’ll probably want to start past the trees we saw her duck behind, and work from there. I don’t think she’ll suspect that we have such a device, as my mage-duel with her revealed only that I’m powerful; I didn’t use any outright second-tier techniques at that time.”
\tRonnel shook his head, pointing out, “Take a piece of her you did, though, and familiar she is with a need for such. Could not a missing scale suspicions arouse?”
\tThis gave the former agent pause, and he shrugged a moment later, “We can’t know... Her calf can’t be feeling good after I managed to grab it hard enough to take a piece, and the nature of the damage is consistent with a last-ditch effort to penetrate a shield at range, because that’s what it was. I guess it’ll depend on whether she thinks I was breaking through her defenses for a specific reason, or with the relatively simple intent to hurt her, instead. If she does suspect, though, I’m not sure just what she can do about it; these trackers are fiendishly subtle and complex in their operation, taking advantage of the relationship anything that once was one item has with any removed parts of itself, but it’s not remotely related to souls so her spirit-shroud can’t block it.”
\tBoth young foxes pondered that, Ron shrugging first, “An unknowable, it is, so proceed on our own we should.” Gesturing at the spellbreaker on the low table between them, “Asked for that, you did... rep—I assume you plan to repair it?”
\tFerrl nodded, “It’s the physical construction of these things that takes the longest, needing a somewhat unusual arrangement of several different types of crystal. I’ll need to replace the active components of their spell matrices and, of course, recharge the power pools, but give me twenty or thirty minutes and this old enchantment will be back in action... with just a few slight changes.” He fixed his possible in-law with a firm gaze, “I’m going to widen its projection, for one. Originally, this fired a simple line, and you had to be as precise with it as with a real crossbow in some ways. That’s only good for countering one or a small number of her closely-packed enchantments at a time, though... I’m going to be converting it to the ‘wide-aperture’ style used by this kingdom’s constables to ruin everything she’s got at once, but that power comes at a price. It will be projecting so vigorously that its power pool will be exhausted after five, maybe six seconds of continual use, and you’ll need to bathe her body in its emissions for at least one full second to be sure of getting everything... assuming she doesn’t have that anti-spellbreaker shield she mentioned up and running again. So you’ll have to be accurate, as you’ll only have a few shots at best, but you must act with confidence and speed, too. You can’t afford to worry about missing and wasting the power, because any hesitation gives her a chance to kill you, with far more varieties of ‘weapon’ than if she’d have if you shot first.”
\t“On the subject of weapons,” Elaria mused to her friend even as he nodded at her father’s advice, “I think she shares the same fondness for knives that the fellow who wanted to rape you does. I’ve only seen her twice, but there can’t be room for any sort of real sword or bludgeon under that cape of hers. Knives at the small of her back, and possibly more in her boots; that’s all I think she can carry in her chosen outfit. She has those poisoned throwing-stars, too, but they could be concealed just about anywhere her own motions wouldn’t get her poked by them.”
\tThe knight across from them snorted, “That would be an ironic ending to this whole fiasco, now wouldn’t it? Killed by bending the wrong way...”
\tRonnel surprised himself with a laugh, then blinked, looking abashed.
\tEla shook her head to him with a smile, “Try not to feel like a little levity’s out of place in a serious situation... Throughout our various adventures, Daddy and I have found that keeping things as positive and light-hearted as possible is really the best way to go. If you let the seriousness of the situation depress you, you’ll never be at your best, and could lose as a result.”
\tThis earned a second blink, then a slow nod from the fox, “I... think I see, if not in the way I think you mean. Inquisitors, in my land, feared are. Know we all do that when questions they ask, answers they get, and answers they dislike will be punished. Simply to have one’s gaze fall upon you and over you pass, a narrow escape is considered. What better way, then, to fight them than with happiness, with humor, with fun? If nothing else, fluster her into mistakes we might, if ‘taking her seriously’ we seem not to be and an issue her ego becomes.”
\tFerrl nodded encouragingly as he stood and stretched, “That’s the spirit...” He picked the spellbreaker up off the table, “Now, I’m going to need to concentrate to get this fixed and changed in a short time, so you two find some way to occupy yourselves for just a bit, then you can go hunting,” and padded out of the sitting room, pulling the sliding door closed on his way out.
\tVixen and fox exchanged a glance, the former bemused and the latter a bit nervous, at the implication of how the knight expected them to spend a free moment. “As soon as this is over,” Elaria mused, to break the somewhat awkward silence if nothing else, “I will be dragging you off and fulfilling the teasing promises I’ve been making to you and to myself for so long... For now, though, perhaps we should just... talk about it.” His nod and increasing comfort with the situation were immediately interrupted by her first question, “Are you a virgin?”
\t“No!” he exclaimed with a hard shake of his head, then paused, realizing how emphatic that had sounded... His voice was a bit strained, though a tense composure had returned to his features at least, “Apologize I must... it’s just that the third woman you are, to ask me that because immediately into her skirts I didn’t try to get. Twenty years old I am, and embarrassing it would be, for a fox especially, to be that long innocent.”
\tThe princess smiled, “I didn’t mean to tease you or make you uncomfortable, but I really did have to ask. Anyway, you seemed to like the breasts I showed you, so at least you’re not like... another friend of mine.” The door may have been closed, but she couldn’t be sure that none of the servants or Harlen’s family were in earshot. “Also, I’m now remembering your comment that implied two hours wasn’t enough time to do it right... On the subject of experience, I suppose I should fill in one detail I neglected; I was specifically a pleasure slave, in my childhood. That’s what I was when Daddy bought me, but he was only seventeen at the time, himself, and had only had a few of the local whores in a kingdom without slaves. I had to seduce him, that first morning, to convince him that it really was alright and what I wanted.”
\tRonnel shook his head in mild wonder, “And tired or disgusted with the concept, you are not... The truest sort of vixen, you are.”
\tThis fetched a hearty giggle, “I suppose... It’s just something I enjoy, a lot, like swordplay or learning. Just like our little duet at the temple, though, it’s something I find a lot more fun to do with a partner than alone.”
\tThe novice chuckled in reply, then mused, “Experiment I did, as all tend to when puberty strikes, and quickly word passed that bigger than most boys my age I was, thanks to my grandmother... and respectful my mother raised me to be, so as serious things became, my best I did to see to the girls’ pleasure as well. Still... fifteen I was when their favor jealous made the other young men, so to defend myself I started to study. Fascinating in its own way, this was, the play of balance, angle, and force, but to hurt anyone I did not want, so my attention I shifted, from the girls to my practice and my farm work. Less cause to fight me, the others had, and I seemed to always win in ways they understood not, so soon both men and women left me alone. The joys of meditation, by that time I had found, so mind I did not, simply living my life and doing my work, until an interest that Inquisitor took, and from there my story you know.”
\tElaria leaned closer to wrap one of her arms around his and cuddle up against it, her cheek resting on his shoulder as she murred, “Good... I’m glad I actually waited to get to know you before having sex, since you’re a strong and interesting person in your own right, but I certainly look forward to the next level of our relationship. Between size and the... consideration you’ve admitted to, I anticipate that you’ll be a very satisfying lover.”
\tHer friend chuckled, planting a brief kiss on her forehead, “And now that I know better the basis and depth of your own... enthusiasm, be surprised not if the next time we spar, down your breeches you find my hand!” and he winked.
\tEla turned her head and leaned up to plant a light kiss of her own, right on his lips, before murmuring, “You’re right, I’d certainly enjoy that. Remember that it’s only the propriety of the setting and any company we might have that limits where and how you’re allowed to touch me. Unless I’m in season and avoiding foxes, because I’m not ready to be a mother yet and my mother’s only twenty-five as a side-effect of my adoption, and would freak out at being a grandma at her age, permission is one thing my friends never have to ask for.”
\tSlipping an arm around her shoulders, Ronnel pulled her just a little closer while his free hand came around to cup and gently squeeze one of her breasts through her armor, and he couldn’t help but smile at the happy sigh this elicited... though he let go quickly enough at a knock at the door.
\t“Are you two decent?” her father’s voice called in an amused tone.
\tGiggling after a glance shared with her friend over the irony of the interruption’s timing, Elaria sat up a bit straighter but didn’t pull away as she called back, “Yes, Daddy! We just talked!”
\tThe earl was nodding as he opened the door and stepped in, carrying the spellbreaker. “That Inquisitor’s enchantment-killer seems to be second rate,” he noted, holding the artifact up. “This one’s matrices were only weakened, enough not to work of course, but I was able to restore them much more easily than I’d anticipated, after which it was just a matter of altering their focus and power-flow rate then recharging the pool. We can go hunting as soon as you’re ready... As the Drachathian ambassador, Ela, I can’t represent any country but my own; I’m even exempt from the citizenship you and your mother have both gained by living in the Vale long enough, and your siblings were born with. Because of this, the hunt’s still mainly yours, and I’ll only be lurking nearby in case of outright disaster.”
\tHis princess nodded solemnly, “Still... on the subject of moods and such we raised with Ronnel, just knowing you’re there does a great deal to keep me from getting nervous or indecisive, so you’re still helping in a way that can make a real difference, and I appreciate it deeply, Daddy.”
Chapter 15
\tBetween the steadily-brightening glow of the proximity crystal and occasional flashes of the directional ones as they drew nearer and crossed one of the dragoness’ old paths, Ela’s party narrowed things down to a mostly-residential, middle-class neighborhood favored by reasonably successful artisans and shopkeepers who were doing well enough live somewhere other than their own shops. A few passes through streets that probably wouldn’t take them too near their quarry further suggested that she was in the east end of the district, probably in one of the city’s better inns that an old manor house had been converted into.
\tRather than rush in for a confrontation, Elaria instead stepped, alone, into the the district’s guard station. Glancing around to identify the officer of the shift, she padded straight up to his desk and set her badge down on it. “I require your assistance, sir,” she told him, politely but firmly. “My name is Captain Elaria of the New Vale Militia Elite, and I hold a warrant for the arrest of a foreign national in this district, placed in my hands by your duke. The suspect enjoys diplomatic immunity with Drachath, but I’m here as a representative of Unicorn Vale, with which her kingdom enjoys no treaties or other formal recognition. That immunity has already been trimmed back by your liege, so it’s legal to defend yourself or your fellow citizens from any attempt to harm them she might make, and I ask for your assistance in that regard, to make sure she doesn’t do any major damage while I’m attempting to serve the warrant.”
\tThe tiger across from her blinked, glanced between her shoulder-bars and the badge on his desk, then nodded and reached for the document she was offering, calling over to another guard, “Sergeant! We don’t have anyone in the holding cell today, so get the usual watchers there off their lazy butts to start gathering the detachment. Just from the major posts, mind you, and leave each one’s senior guard in place, but I want the extras gathered here as soon as possible,” before opening the warrant to read its specifics.
\t“Yes, sir!” the soldier agreed with a quick salute, then stepped deeper into the station to carry out his orders.
\tThe officer, a senior lieutenant by his shoulder insignia, finished his examination of the parchment and nodded as he passed it back, “Dresten’s my name, ma’am, and I’d be happy to help even if you didn’t outrank me and have my lord’s support. The charges listed... aren’t something I want to think about too closely; this job gives me enough nightmares as it is. Still, I agree that it’s worth some caution, in trying to apprehend someone who could casually murder a bunch of simple farmers. I’m assuming you know where the suspect’s hiding, Captain?”
\tEla nodded, “Unless she’s moved in the last ten minutes, she’s holed up at the Foam and Featherbed. I’ve got a magical tracker that’s been used to narrow things down that far, and I’ll use it again once we’re closer, and issue my arrest demand from outside, standing by whichever windows she’s nearest. In case you missed it in the warrant, though, she’s a dragoness, so I’m hoping she doesn’t simply flee... If I can face her, woman to woman, for even a moment, I’ll try to disable her wings, at which point your detachment surrounding the building will be far more effective.”
\tThis warranted a nod and a faint smile, “You seem a bit young for your rank, Captain, but you have a good head on your shoulders, both from the specifics of your plan and the fact that you had the sense to ask for help, first, rather than just rushing in to see her tail vanishing through a window. It’ll take ten or fifteen minutes to gather my troops; you’re welcome to relax here in the meantime.”
\tThe vixen started to nod back, then paused... “Actually, there are a few details I really should nail down first. Do you have anyone in plain clothes who could, discreetly, carry my tracker around the inn to determine which part the suspect’s closest to, and a place near the inn but not in view of it where your soldiers and I can gather and discuss deployment orders? This isn’t so much a matter of scaring her into flight, this time, as it is one of basic safety... This dragon, you see, is in possession of a variety of dangerous magic items. A confrontation with her an hour or two ago resulted in most of them being drained, but she’s had enough time now to consolidate her remaining resources, and I don’t want to give her any more time than absolutely necessary to shift her defenses to a specific threat. I have a comrade waiting just outside with a spellbreaker that can probably nullify whatever magic she still retains, but not if she spots him first and feeds some of her remaining power into a device that specifically shields against such.”
\t“Still more good, sound ideas,” Dresten mused around a grin, then thought for a moment... “The sergeant who’s off gathering my forces is who I’d normally send, but I do keep a set of regular clothing in my locker just in case I need to nose around. Give me a minute to change into it, and an explanation of how your tracker works and what I need to watch for, and I’ll handle that part of your plan myself, and gladly. This neighborhood isn’t considered a high-risk duty post, normally, but I do worry about the safety of my men, and I’ll take any reasonable precaution to ensure it those rare times when real danger threatens.”
\tEla smiled and snatched his hand up in the armclasp of warriors, “To return your compliment about my planning... good man, Lieutenant. Good man. Any officer who doesn’t see his troops as being in any way expendable is one I can work with.”
* * *
\tElaria glanced up and swallowed the last bite of her meatroll as the tiger stepped into the small restaurant, crowded with men in chain armor and occasional bits of plate, where she’d bought whoever wanted one a snack to get the owners to let ‘her’ troops gather where they wouldn’t attract enough notice to warn Talaya. “What’s the word, Lieutenant?” she asked politely.
\tDresten snapped off a quick salute before reporting, “The tracker doesn’t report altitude... but unless she’s in the storeroom, she’d be on the second floor in one of the better rooms. It’s at the corner of the rear and the right side from the perspective of facing the front door from outside, has two windows, both closed, and it’s right next to the back staircase.”
\tThe vixen nodded, then gestured Ronnel over, “Let’s see the map...” The standard Vale Militia uniform lacked pockets, instead using its belt to support whatever bags or pouches were needed, so the fox was carrying a few useful things for her, beyond the spellbreaker. She moved aside the mug of small beer she’d washed down her own snack with and smoothed out the parchment that depicted the neighborhood in clear detail, pointing at the lines of the inn, “From its former life as a manor house, it’s got a hedge with four entrances... and one’s just around the corner and down the street from us. I’d like you to send half the detachment the long way ‘round, though, to come through this other entrance, both being closest to the room in question. It’s an average-sized block, so at a jog it should take them just over a minute to get around and as close to it as we are now... so let’s split up on the street, send them off, count off sixty seconds, then charge the other break in the hedge ourselves. Once on the grounds, I want your men to spread out evenly, but keep their distance from the building itself. I’ll make the approach, and Ronnel here will be staying mostly out of sight, peeking around or through the hedge to await my signal for the use of the spellbreaker. It’ll work through walls, plants, or anything else for the range we’ll need it. Oh, and if a very large male wolf seems to be interfering, don’t stop him; he’s my emergency backup, and a damned good wizard besides, and’ll only poke his nose in if he senses something serious that we can’t stop.”
\t“A sound strategy, ma’am,” the lieutenant agreed, then addressed his men, “Teams two and four, you’ve got a bit of a run. West around the block and through that end of the hedge at the Foam and Featherbed, then backs to the bushes. One and three, you’re with me; we’ll go in from the north, same drill, exactly one minute after two and four. Fall out and form up; we deploy on the captain’s signal.”
\tEla took a moment to quietly note to her fox, “Speaking of signals, you’ll have two to watch for... If that bitch shows her black, scaly face, hose it down the instant you spot her. Otherwise, watch for a hand behind my back; if I point in a direction, it means I think she’s behind the corresponding window and you should shoot that with a bit of a back-and-forth to cover everything, but if I shake my fist up and down it means I don’t know but I want you to shoot anyway, covering the whole room and hoping that what exposure her gear takes is enough.”
\t“Just... careful you be,” Ronnel murmured back with a nod. “Of risk yours is greatest, and care for you I do.”
\tThe princess gave him a wan smile, then a quick kiss on the lips before following the other soldiers out, addressing their officer, “One last thing, Dresten... You keep and watch the tracker; if the central crystal starts to fade, that means she’s making a break through the inn’s main halls. That would be your cue to redeploy to cover the front door, as that’s the only other exit short of breaking into another guest’s room and jumping out the window.” At his grim nod, she turned to the group that’d be going around the block, “Teams two and four, deploy! One and three, follow me when I move!” and started silently counting seconds as half the detachment started down the street at a jingling jog.
\tCity guards were a far cry from the Vale’s Elite as military units went, but their training and coordination certainly sufficed for this simple a maneuver; just as Ela led the charge through one break in the hedges surrounding the inn, she could see the other teams spreading out through the other. Her ears told her that her squad was doing the same, so she kept going at a jog, halting a few yards from the corner of the building where she could see both windows and yelling, “Talaya! The building is surrounded, and I’m placing you under arrest on the charges of five counts of murder and one of giving false testimony to an official for purposes of entering the kingdom! I have a warrant for your capture, dead or alive, so surrender now if you’d prefer the latter!” She drew the paired swords from over her shoulders as she spoke, the only weapons she’d brought this time, and couldn’t help but smile to herself as the troops behind her took that as a signal to draw their own weapons, the hiss of steel against leather and brass scabbard-trim seeming loud in the quiet following her demand.
\tAnother moment of silence followed, before a mocking voice came back, louder than expected and seemingly from both windows at once; Ela suspected a bit of magic in those details... “Arrest? You sound like that slut I met earlier this morning, and you confirm my observation that you’ve got more guts than brains... I have diplomatic immunity; no one in Drachath can arrest me!”
\t“Allow me to clarify,” the vixen called back, allowing a hint of satisfaction to enter her tone. “I’m placing you under arrest as a captain of the New Vale Militia Elite, representing the nation of Unicorn Vale, treaty-partner to Drachath but with no formal ties to Dengar. My country does not recognize your diplomatic immunity, but as its representative I’ve decided to honor Duke Gatuque’s request to aid in apprehending a criminal he cannot touch. If you surrender, you’re free to view the warrant for your arrest, my warrant of commission, and even documentation of my citizenship if need be, but such niceties must wait until you’re secured and rendered harmless. Make your choice, Talaya; if you don’t drop your weapons and toys out of a window in ten seconds, I’m coming in!”
\tOne of the shutters on the left window banged open and the dragoness leaned out, one hand aiming that magical tube-weapon. Elaria was already diving forward in a roll to dodge, but even her reflexes weren’t quite fast enough; she heard the loud thwip of something passing by her at extremely high speed, and felt her uniform armor’s leather tear over her right shoulder, pain blossoming as the flesh and fur beneath was torn as well. An instant later her back was pelted with bits of dirt and grass as whatever had been shot at her exploded, and she grimaced at the degree of overkill her foe so readily embraced as she completed her roll and sprinted toward the stairs. She took only the briefest glance at her wound as she climbed; the hit had been grazing, enough to bleed a fair bit, but she couldn’t feel any sign that that weapon also used poison, so she ignored it. She’d suffered injuries worse by a goodly margin in practice and kept going, after all.
\tPassing under the room’s other, closed window on her way up the stairs, the vixen nonetheless heard a muffled, inarticulate scream of rage that sounded somehow... nauseous, and she grinned. The focus on her as a target had clearly given Ronnel a clear shot with the spellbreaker, and knowing him she guessed he’d taken careful aim then emptied its power pool in one sustained burst which, from the sound of things, had been enough to overcome whatever defenses the Inquisitor had restored in the last couple of hours.
\tThe hall the door at the top of the stairs opened onto was, thankfully, empty, but Ela still slowed her rush with a bit of caution. The first door on the left was the one she wanted, but she couldn’t count on the disorienting effects of the spellbreaker to last enough to gain surprise over a determined and experienced Inquisitor. Raising her swords, she swung them down and back just to add a bit more force to her forward kick, the heel of her boot striking the door’s latch more than hard enough to splinter the wood, but the next instant she was rolling to the side again. Light glinted off of steel as a curved, wicked-looking dagger cut through the air where she’d have been if she’d charged straight in, and the dragoness herself jumped out an instant later, a matching blade in her other hand.
\tTalaya smiled thinly as she observed her foe, already back on her feet, “Ah, another who favors twin blades... Perhaps you’re not as incompetent as I thought; this might even be fun,” before attacking, a basic double-thrust at the vixen’s midsection turning into something else as she pulled one hand back early to instead aim a lightning slash at her throat.
\tElaria slashed down to block the first blade, ducking back to avoid the second as her free sword came up from the side in an underhanded slash of her own, her foe’s arms going wide as she leaned out of its sweep. She swung again without hesitation, from both of her weapons’ previous positions, the upper easily twisted into a neck-slash while the lower thrust straight for the Inquisitor’s groin, the dragon’s daggers whipping back into line with her body to deflect both. Even as she launched another slash she knew would be easily parried, Ela twisted her other sword in a tight circle, edge grating against edge as she tried for the disarm, only to have to spin out of the way as that knife slipped past her own blade in a thrust. That attempt had been token, care taken not to ruin her stance for her next attack, and she engaged her quarry in another round of traded attacks and parries, unable to keep from smiling to herself; the dragoness was skilled, and fast, but she was no Malia, and it was only the cramped quarters of the hallway that had let her hold her own so far, though the burning confidence in her slit-pupilled eyes suggested that she didn’t even know it.
\tA snatch of melody ran through the captain’s thoughts, inspired by the rhythm of a quick quartet of strikes launched by her foe, and she went with the inspiration even as she parried, humming under her steady breaths with the melody of a traditional competition-song, two singers taking turns with the verses, each a little faster than the last, and the one to flub a line first lost. Her foot moved in a sweeping arc as she danced through a half-step’s retreat, flicking her swords as one to knock both daggers wide with their tips, then tossed a bit of a skip and a double-tap of her leading foot into the motion as she followed through with a double-thrust the dragon could only leap back from to avoid. The notes came louder with her next breath as she twisted away from a slash, returning it with two of her own to the beat of the new tempo, and these were only barely deflected in time by the closer-held of the twin daggers.
\tShe deliberately gave Talaya two beats to collect herself as the verse neared its end, then kicked the volume and speed up yet another notch, blades visible as little more than flashing blurs as she struck, one straight slash then a second that didn’t quite land on the ‘right’ beat, instead flaring around it with a sudden halt, a twist, and a fresh lateral slash, its corresponding knife left out of position when the vertical attack failed to land, and blood seeped into fine silver satin as steel opened a gash in the dragoness’ right breast.
\tHer confident expression had faded to disbelief as soon as she recognized the humming for what it was, and from there to panic as the Inquisitor’s defense was penetrated for the first time in decades, and she struggled, barely deflecting a follow-up that would have cut her arm off, before leaping back, daggers clattering to the floor as she yelled, “Yield! I yield! Underestimate you, I did; never a Songblade did I suspect you were!”
\tElaria chuckled under her breath as she let her flashing swords finally still; the well-trained Agent’s reversion to her native dialect was, she figured, a pretty sure sign that her panic and dismay were total. Schooling her expression to one more serious, she nodded, “I accept your surrender, but I’ll be watching for the first sign of treachery, and run you through without hesitation... Now, I know you have those throwing stars on your person, and I suspect more knives in your boots, so I must insist that you strip, here and now, including your jewelry. Turn as needed so I can always see your fingers, and know that I’ll kill you if I see them touch a weapon.” Not taking her eyes off the dragon, whose expression read of a renewed fury fueled by embarrassment even as she lowered her wings and loosened the epaulet-hooks of her cape to let it fall, she leaned toward the open door of the room and yelled, “Lieutenant Dresten! Come up alone, and bring manacles or rope to secure the prisoner!” Back to her foe, she commented, “He’ll also be able to get you a sheet to wrap up in, so you don’t have to march naked in front of an entire guard detachment. Yours, I believe, is a cruel nature, but outside of a temple to the Fanged One, mine is not.”
\tSome of the anger faded from Talaya’s face as she pulled her blouse over her head, then dropped it with a nod, “I am... grateful, for that consideration.” She glanced down at her breast as she brushed the rings off of her fingers, grimacing at the deep cut that had only barely missed her nipple, “A healer I will need to see about this... My kind’s scales, badly react to cutting, and scar it will without aid.”
\tThe vixen’s own expression hardened as she shook her head, eyes still alert, “If you have any future need to worry about scars at all, then we’ll consider getting you a healer. Remember, you’re charged with murder, and you won’t need a perfect bosom on the headsman’s block, if that’s what the duke, his courts, and our inter-kingdom negotiations finally settle on.”
\tThe guard officer arrived just in time for a perfect view as the dragoness bent over to pull down her skirt, and the faint purple flush to her ear frills suggested she realized her degree of exposure only too late, but she remained cooperative as he fastened steel manacles around her wrists behind her back and helped her out of her boots before ducking into her room to grab the sheets off the bed. A second shape darkened the back door before he could return, though, to both ladies’ surprise, the vixen bursting into a wide smile and the dragon a deep frown as Ferrl filled the hall with his bulk.
\tRumbling only, “Hold very still,” in a tone that brooked no argument, the wolf pressed the bound Inquisitor against the wall with one arm while the other gripped her chin firmly, and he spent a long moment staring at, or perhaps through, her glossy-scaled skull... Her eyes showed confusion at first, then widened for an instant before scrunching shut, tears squeezed out to run down her cheeks, quickly followed by more.
\tGlancing between his daughter and the confused-looking lieutenant, he explained, “What I just did caused her no physical pain... She cries from the realization alone. A healer taught me how to find the specific portion of any given individual’s brain that allows them to channel magic... and I’ve just cooked hers. No other harm at all was done, she’s simply no longer a mage,” and, with that, he stepped back out of the inn.
\t“And now she is truly defeated,” Dresten mused with a hint of sympathy. “Almost certainly, she had some last-ditch plans for escape that relied on magic... and now even those are taken from her.” His touch gentle, even respectful, he eased her shoulders away from the wall to slip the sheet around them, a second tucked the other way around, forming something of a loose, misshapen toga that made allowances for her wings, though it would tangle with them and cause a great deal of wind-drag if she tried to fly in it.
\tEla nodded soberly, “That she is... I told her, though, that I wouldn’t be any more cruel than I had to, so let’s stop by your station to dress her wound, get her into a prisoner’s robe less prone to accidental exposure than loose sheets, and another set of hobbles for her wings, after which I’ll need an escort to the duke’s gaol. Also, please have one of your soldiers talk to the innkeeper here, and forward a bill for the sheets we’re taking and the door I broke to me at the temple of Malia. They or another guard should also check the room itself, to take the prisoner’s possessions into custody.”
\tThe tiger chuckled, nodding back, “I said you had a good head on your shoulders... Not every young officer would remember to pay for damage done by their command.” Setting a guiding hand on Talaya’s sheet-wrapped shoulder, he gave her a nudge toward the door, “Time to move, ma’am. A bandage and better clothing await.”
\tElaria followed close behind, swords still out and ready, eyes still watchful, but couldn’t help but flush with pleasure, cheeks and loins alike, at the spontaneous cheer that broke out from the assembled troops as the very dangerous criminal she’d gone in alone after was led out in chains.
Chapter 16
\tDame Grallia arrived at the duchy’s high-security gaol wearing a long shirt of chainmail belted around her ample waist, a sword slung across her back, and her pendant as a full priestess of Malia. She glanced around the waiting and processing room, then padded toward Ela as soon as she spotted her, sitting on one of the row of chairs set against a side wall. “I was told you have important news pertaining specifically to me, when I was asked to come here...”
\tHer student nodded grimly, “News, yes, and about the worst I could possibly convey, I’m afraid... This morning, the duke received word that the same Inquisitor who was out to kill Ronnel... also stopped by the farm, not far from the border, where he’d traded a cooking pot for clothing. That farm was your brother’s... and the Inquisitor, following his trail, stopped there as well, just to ask if he’d gotten a horse so she could calculate how far he might have come, then killed your brother and his entire family for, as far as we can tell, no more reason than the fun of it.”
\tGrallia hissed, her eyes closed to slits that did nothing to conceal the pain and fury in them, “That bitch... I will have her life for this; I will find her and mete out justice with my own hand, I swear it! You must either let me accompany you on a hunt for her, or tell me where you think she is!”
\t“She is currently,” the vixen stated, her tone carefully neutral, “in the highest-security cell of this very gaol, under constant watch by guards with crossbows and orders to shoot at even a faint sign of trouble. I made her strip to the scales when I captured her, but I wouldn’t put it past her to keep a lockpick up her twat just in case. She is formally charged with your brother’s murder despite her diplomatic immunity; that’s what all the wrangling this morning between Kechira, the duke, and myself was about. Only I, as a citizen of a country without diplomatic ties to Dengar, and as an officer in their military and thus a valid ad hoc diplomatic representative, could legally serve the warrant for her arrest, and she’s still technically in my custody, held here only by my formal request and while I remain on the premises. I know you value justice more than law, but both can be served if you can cool down long enough to let the legalities currently working their way through the system of international diplomacy do their work. I promise you, she will not be returned to her government alive, and she’s already suffered acute humiliation, once at my father’s hands and twice more at mine, followed by the removal of her magical abilities, in itself a profound and irreversible punishment that caused her great anguish.”
\tThis drew another hiss from the knight, but one that dripped satisfaction, “Yesss... Death would have been just, but hurting her, in her pride where I’m sure she’s most sensitive, is far more satisfying. I know it’s not the Maliite way, to wish pain for pain’s own sake on someone... but since she’s already suffered it, I refuse to feel guilt at being pleased by the fact. I’m content to let the law take its course from this point, unless it looks like she’ll somehow go free anyway.”
\tElaria nodded, grimacing, “If it looks like that’s a possibility, I’m already prepared to arrange an ‘accident’ for her on the way to the border, after which I’ll run back home to hide in a temple there, the whole country effectively Maliite. I couldn’t rejoin my family in such a case, as they live in the embassy that’s legally Drachathian territory, but I could certainly get by. Now... at the same time I sent the guard to fetch you, I also let Ronnel, who’s got my purse at the moment since this damned armor doesn’t have pockets, look for something for dinner, and he should be back soon. Care to maintain ‘technical custody’ with me over a good meal?”
\tDame Grallia closed her eyes for a long moment, a tear at the corner of each, as she faced her grief head-on... then sighed, relaxing as she tucked the memory of her brother into a corner of her heart, and nodded with an almost-natural smile, “I guess I will... Thank you, in any case, for your part in the capture. Without the legal loophole you represent, I’d have had no other choice but to commit murder, myself, to get justice for my kin.”
\tThe acolyte in captain’s bars smiled back, “Let me tell you of that capture while we’re waiting for supper... It was quite the fight, and I’m proud of how well I pulled it off. You see, I had my dual swords, but she had paired daggers and was very good with them, so the initial advantage was hers in a none-too-wide hallway...”
* * *
\tIt was past sunset, nearing the time Ela would be shown to the barracks to bunk down without leaving the premises, when a page arrived from the palace, interrupting the light conversation she, Grallia, and Ronnel had been sharing over cups of wine. In keeping with his training, the young stag immediately bowed, “Sir, ma’ams...”
\tOne corner of the skunk’s muzzle quirked up, “Out with it, son... You’re trying painfully hard not to grin at something, and it probably has to do with whatever news you were sent with.”
\tThe page nodded vigorously, then calmed down with a visible effort. “The negotiations with Dengar have concluded,” he began. “They were, despite her crimes, insisting upon the immediate release and return of their Inquisitor, until a detail no one had thought to mention before was coincidentally included in another message, concerning the ‘reasonable measures’ that were taken to secure her. It seems that, without her magic, they’re not quite so enthusiastic about getting her back, as she’d obviously be unable to continue with her job and duties. The final inter-governmental communique read, once the formalism had been pared off, to the effect that we’re welcome to her, and if we try to give her back they’ll kill her themselves.”
\tEyes gleaming brightly, the soft-looking knight staggered the sturdy deer with an enthusiastic slap on the back, “Yes! Thank you for delivering this very, very welcome news!”
\tElaria tilted her head to one side, considering a half-formed idea she hadn’t had the luxury of expanding on while the issues were still being decided... then glanced between her teacher and the messenger, “Um, could you excuse us for just a moment? I may have a message to send you back with, but it hinges on... well, a decision no mortal should make.”
\tBlinking, the page nodded, “I’ll wait over in the other seats; just wave when you want me.”
\tFacing the skunk directly, Ela held out both hands, “I need to pray to Malia, and I want you to hear any reply She might make... If She agrees to it, I have a thought that you should find... satisfying.”
\tNot without a blink or two of her own, Grallia nodded and took those paws in hers, leaning forward until her forehead and her student’s were touching each other.
\t“Malia, my Goddess,” the acolyte murmured, “justice has, at its most basic level, been served by the capture of she who had Your temple in arms, wariness, and fear, and the diplomatic permission to try her for her crimes under the laws of this kingdom... I ask, though, if basic justice is enough, or if a further step can be condoned. This Inquisitor’s guilt is, from when we asked why she killed Your knight’s kin, established by her own boasting words of tacit admission, her pride blinding her to the possibility that this gaol was not just a temporary, inconvenient stop. Death is her fate... but tomorrow is the solstice restday celebration at the temple of Your dark sister. If it would not, to Your mind, be going too far, I would like to take her there... as the sacrifice.”
\tHer own eyes were closed, but the tension in her tutor’s brow suggested that the skunk’s had just gotten very wide. *The one you have captured,* the whisper came to both Maliites, *has a soul like few others I’ve ever seen... She is Godless, but not by choice, as not even Sliisthar would have her. She is more than a hundred years old, though her kind tends not to look it, and that century is one steeped in cruelty and depravity of a sort that few could imagine. The man Ronnel killed... was not only her friend, but her lover, and her student as well, and the world is well rid of another like her. It is more than pain she enjoys, but the terror and despair of a soul in unendurable torment. Haritor’s final moments, to give an example of just what sort of ‘play’ this Inquisitor practiced for her own amusement, were the piecing together of two statements, even as he bled to death, to tell him that his entire family had already been murdered, and their killer had been enjoying a pleasant chat with him even as their bodies cooled. He died in a sadness far more profound than the pain of his mortal wound. His killer’s entire life has been one torment after another, inflicted all but exclusively on the innocent, while she rested in blithe confidence that her position, power, prowess, and the fear she inspired in others would forever keep her safe. No one, however, is immune to consequences, however delayed they may be... and the crimes for which you pursued her are but a drop in the bitter cup of the life she must pay for. Yes, I give you not only My permission, but My earnest desire that she be given to My sister, to die in agony and, beyond death, find some semblance of payment for the pain she’s caused others in Kathalla’s heaven, though I doubt she’ll enjoy the eternity that awaits her there.*
\tTears seeping from her eyes again, Grallia could only murmur, softly and emphatically, “Thank you, my Goddess,” even as the sensation of spiritual contact faded. Pulling away and looking up, she rubbed her sleeve across her face and smiled, “And thank you, Princess. Of every eventuality I could think of, even my torturing her to death at the cost of my honor and position, none were quite enough to feel like true justice... but, now, to my own disbelief I am truly satisfied, or will be by the end of tomorrow. Eternal punishment... is just what the healer ordered. I could only wish I’d be welcome to watch...”
\t“I can’t do anything about observing eternity,” the vixen murred with a grin, giving the hands she still held a squeeze, “but I’m almost certain I can get you in for tomorrow’s show.” She glanced over to Ronnel, “We’ve just gotten Malia’s permission to give our prisoner to Kathalla as the traditional holiday sacrifice... You can come, too, if you want to see just what the least socially-acceptable of my religions entails. It will, I should note, be more cruel than what Kathallics usually indulge in; our routine sacrifices, if we do our jobs right, involve as much pleasure as pain, but I doubt anyone will go out of their way to see that Talaya dies happy.”
\tSwallowing hard, the fox considered for a moment, then nodded, “My suffering cannot to the knight’s loss compare, but wronged I was too by this creature, and her death I would be satisfied to see. That you sometimes kill for fun... is part of you, and live with it I must.”
\tEla nodded back, “I don’t consider myself to be on Talaya’s level, though... I sacrifice slaves, who were raised knowing their lives might end that way, and who have no real hopes or ambitions to dash, nor any loved ones to be grieved by their loss. I do not delight, as the dragon did, in bringing a citizen’s dreams and aspirations crashing down in one moment of horror and agony... and the ones I kill are well-received in the Fanged One’s heaven, as well. The eternal torment that’s been promised for the dragon is the exception, not the rule, there; compared to even the best of lives led by slaves, their spirits end up in a better place.”
\tRonnel thought for a moment, then nodded, “What you do, and what I thought you did, rather different are... In a way I can accept, you describe it, and fear that part of you I no longer do.”
\t“And I’m quite a bit more comfortable with that aspect of your spirituality than I was before, too,” her teacher added, then quirked a wry smile, “To be honest, I’d been trying not to think about it... I guess that’s what you meant about ‘minor reservations’ that might need to be part of your oath of knighthood. Now, I know that it’s technically wrong to consider anyone a non-person... but slaves really are as close to such as anyone can get, with no one to mourn their loss. A final bit of pleasure, a passing agony, then dying to emerge into an afterlife where they no longer need toil at another’s command... well, it’s hard to really consider that a bad thing, either as a priestess or a knight of Malia.”
\tNodding once more, Elaria let go of her hands and stood, waving the page back over as she padded to the desk of the chief of the watch, “Major? I formally release the prisoner into your custody, as the diplomatic entanglements have been sorted out, and I also ask,” and she shot the stag a glance, “that, unless the duke overrules me on this, you will bind the prisoner tomorrow morning, right after her breakfast, and escort her to the rear entrance of the temple of Kathalla. She is not to be informed of the disposition of her case in the meantime, or her destination in the morning; one of her crimes is that of inflicting psychological cruelty upon her victims, and she could use a taste of that herself as she realizes just what’s in store for her.”
\tThe wolf across the desk nodded simply, “Understood, Captain, and I don’t see any problems with following those orders. Hell, my troops’ll be happy that we only have to keep an eye on her for one night.”
\tThere was a glint of suppressed glee in the page’s eyes again as he nodded too, “I’ll tell our lord, ma’am, and he’ll let you know if he countermands you.”
\tGiving them each another nod, and the major a salute, crisply returned, Ela padded back to her friends to help clean up the dishes and containers from their meal, “It’ll be a relief to sleep in my own bed tonight... though I do have one more prayer to make on the way home, I guess, to tell Akani that there’s a last-minute change to her holiday celebration.”
\t*You needn’t bother,* a much more chilling voice than Malia’s mused to all three souls, the fox and skunk jerking, eyes wide, at the unsettling sensation that the vixen was so used to. *My sister passed word, and I’ve told My priestess... and, yes, I’m looking forward to devising several centuries of ‘justice’ for this dragon. Three of her victims were Mine in spirit, and they’re already looking forward to... helping. Also, you were right in that I will allow both of your... friends to join you, there, despite the holidays normally being open only to My flock. They each, for their own reasons, have a right to see this side of you, as well as a need to witness the end of the life of one who’s done them harm, for the sense of closure so vital to their long-term comfort.*
\tElaria took the additional moment her friends required to recover from the experience as a chance to empty their hands of the dishes they’d been holding and pack them into the bag she’d be taking back to the temple, then pulled its drawstring tight as they finally started moving again, noting to Grallia, “Service at the temple begins three hours after dawn. Given the nature of things, even with a stomach hardened by your combat experience you might want to consider a light breakfast, or none at all, though you might also want to pack something to eat afterwards, as there’s a chance that the ‘refreshments’ will consist of Talaya, sliced thin, seared with a few spices, and served on bread.”
\tThe skunk tilted her head, blinking, “Oh, my... Well... I’ve had lizard before, and it’s a lot like poultry but without the disgusting texture when it’s a little undercooked. I’ll bring some raw veggies and such so I can stick with my diet, enough for you too, but I don’t object to the notion of having that bitch for a meal. She doesn’t deserve an honorable burial, after all, so let’s just see to it that there’s not enough of her left to bury!”
\tHer student giggled and nodded, then slung the bag over one shoulder while she wrapped her other arm around Ronnel and started leading the group out of the office, musing in a slightly sultrier tone, “And you, my dear fox... I’d like to invite you to share my cell tonight. Though the restday celebrating it is tomorrow, the actual solstice was today. I believe I’ve honored Malia enough by my efforts on the behalf of justice, and Kathalla will have my attention tomorrow, so tonight... I think it would round things out beautifully if we could do something for Roxanarra, too.”
\tThe fox, throughout the entire walk back to the temple, couldn’t seem to completely get the silly grin off his face.
* * *
\tEla exchanged respectful nods with the occasional priest or artisan she met in the halls, on her way back to her cell from the privy. She glanced behind her to make sure no one else was too near, though, as she reached her door itself, and slipped quickly inside, shutting and latching it firmly behind her. The friend she’d told ‘make yourself comfortable’ was there on her bed, his clothes folded neatly atop her dresser and his shoes tucked out of the way on the floor, and her eyes brightened as they roamed up and down his nude form. “Mmm...” she rumbled, licking her lips even as she moved to unbuckle the straps running down one side of her armor. “I’ve always liked strong men,” she noted, “but my focus had previously been on a muscle’s sheer bulk. It really wasn’t until I joined this temple, and observed how things move under the fur, that I’ve gotten a true appreciation for sheer tone. I look at you, my friend, and I see... strength, tempered by precision, and guided by goodness and integrity.”
\tRonnel flushed faintly at her praise, but his reply was cut off as she unfastened the final strap over one hip and pulled her uniform over her head, as she hadn’t bothered to wear a single thing beneath it all day, though a narrow bandage had been tied around her shoulder to cover the gash she’d taken there. His eyes drank in the sight as her hands immediately cupped her breasts, marginally above average after her weeks of focused diet and exercise, her fingers fluffing up the fur that had been trapped beneath leather for the last twelve hours, then moving down to do the same along her sides and belly. Her loose skirt hadn’t compressed anything below the waist, so her roaming paws had no cause to obscure the peeking hints of pink just visible within her shadowy cleft. As she finished her grooming and moved to sit down on the bed so she could pull off her boots, he found his voice, “Strength I see in you, too... and for that, beautiful I’d find you regardless, but the deliberate enhancement of femininity I know you’ve also sought, and admit I must that to my lust the results appeal.”
\tThis earned a pleased sigh from his vixen as she turned to lay down beside him, smiling into his eyes as she mused, “I know that, fairly soon, you’ll be working hard with a language tutor to deal with what we Drachathians think of as backward syntax... but feel free to revert to your native dialect when we’re alone. Somehow, the way you phrase things just sounds... more poetic than most speech, to me.” Her expression still conveyed a great deal of affection, but gained a cast of naughtiness as well as she reached for his arms, pulling them to her and planting his hands on her breasts, “Now... this is about as far as we’ve ever gotten, and we had clothes in the way at the time. Please, continue as you see fit.”
\tThe fox didn’t so much as hesitate this time; his hands shifted a bit lower as his fingers closed gently around the curves within his grasp, letting her nipples slip between his fingers before tightening his grip around them, and the way they stiffened under his careful kneading, as much as the light, pleasured moan elicited from their owner, was gratifying enough to cause a similar tightening at his own groin. While nearly twice as wide as the one in his own cell, an acolyte’s bed was still only barely big enough for two, so he moved carefully as he curled up against the wall behind him, lowering his muzzle enough to capture one of those firm pink nubbins even as the hand that released it stroked steadily downward through his lover’s white bellyfur...
\tElaria’s moan turned into a low, throaty murr as she felt his fingers’ progress, the anticipation as stimulating in its own way as the faint sparks of pleasure elicited by the scrape of his teeth against her flesh and the warm touch of a tongue to her nipple. She lifted one leg to welcome his lower touch when it ran out of fur and met flesh below, but decided to pray while she still could, “Roxanarra... this evening of love, I dedicate to You, and ask Your favor to dull the senses of any who might take offense, muffling our sounds of joy, save for those to whom they’d bring a joy of their own.”
\tThe fox chuckled throatily, “A... sensible precaution, that was,” as he paused to tease a finger into the shadow of her navel, then ruined any reply she might have made by proceeding lower, the rounded backs of his claws trailing over her mound firmly enough to dimple its contours, though he avoided the uppermost reaches of her bare flesh out of respect for their sensitivity, instead letting go for the instant it took to bring his fingertips, grouped tight, up along the length of her labia in an affectionate stroke.
\t“Mmf... yesss...” she managed as her hips rocked forward, pressing her moist treasures more directly into his touch. She wanted him, with an intensity she hadn’t experienced in quite a while, but knew that she hadn’t the faintest clue whether her arousal was more from his friendship and caress or instead just a positive response to her prayer. It hardly mattered, as his muzzle closed around her nipple once more and a single fingertip parted her lips below, stroking in slow circles as it wormed its way gradually deeper. Careful not to interrupt his own work at any point, then, she eased a hand of her own between them, finding his swollen sheath and gripping it to gently knead. Her palm was almost immediately rewarded by the warm touch of bare flesh, and the satisfying scent of a male fox joined her own in the room’s warm air, but it bore hints of wolf as well, detectable too in the bluntness of the head that was steadily swelling under her touch.
\tRonnel’s suckling missed a beat at her touch, and another at the way his lower fingers could feel her get wetter, very suddenly, in direct response to his scent, and he slipped a second finger in beside the first, still swirling a bit to spread the stimulation around but not as much, their main goal of the moment to ease ever deeper into that hot glove of flesh.
\tEyes closed to slits, her muzzle half-open as she panted, Ela’s hips pressed down to further welcome him in, then pulled slowly away from his hand with a shudder of pleasure. “R... Ronnel,” she gasped, her free hand nudging his chin up so he could meet her fevered gaze. “Advice... my father had about this sort of thing... T-taste me; if you haven’t had your own species yet, be ready for... for a surprise.”
\tThis fetched a blink, and a momentarily thoughtful look as his fingers delved into her once more then out again, and he admitted in a husky voice, “I... haven’t, but had never thought about it.” Curious now, he left her breast with a gentle kiss on the stiff point poking up from its center, and brought his hand up, wet enough for a clear droplet to fall even in that short a journey, then tucked his two slickened fingers into his muzzle. The vixen’s hearty giggle thrummed through the swell still cupped in his other hand as his eyes went wide and the hint of softness in his shaft immediately vanished, replaced by rock-like firmness even he could feel, its dusky skin taut enough for minor discomfort, though he hardly noticed through the sudden rush of lust fogging his mind.
\tGiven that it was in full accord with the demands of his instincts at the moment, he didn’t resist in the slightest as Elaria’s grip on his shaft guided him toward her even as her hips lifted, depositing her dew-flecked petals directly atop his rigid head. Without ever dislodging that point of contact, then, she all but picked him bodily off the bed so she could slip directly beneath him, knees wide as she hugged him close, breasts half-flattened by his chest as she murmured, “Mmm... there we go. It’s now or never, lover... Hold me, fuck me, fill me!”
\tA half-feral growl rumbled in Ronnel’s throat as he leaned down to nip at her shoulder, his arms slipping around to return her hug even as his hips rolled, and her first real cry of pleasure of the night greeted the sensation of being stretched and filled to capacity. Her hips rose to meet his halfway, her walls shuddering in a wet massage around his length, and her rump met the bedsheets again as he withdrew only to rise at his next thrust. He was, perhaps, just a bit shorter than her father where it counted, but just as deliciously thick, and her eyes fluttered open with a happy squeal as his half-formed knot followed right behind the rest of his foxhood, splaying her lips even further as it sank fully in.
\t“Oh, Goddess!” she half-screamed as that unexpected bit extra combined with her own instinctive reactions to his same-species pheromones, her pleasure peaking with an explosion of sparks behind her tight-shut eyes. Even with her libido and a bit of fingering beforehand, it was still unheard of to reach ecstasy on the second thrust, but she wasn’t about to question such a pleasant surprise. Instead, her walls still spasming and the liquid evidence of her enjoyment dripping into the sheets beneath her, she pulled off of that stimulating bulge until the slight flare of his head tugged at her outer depths, then rose with renewed energy to meet his next invasion, welcoming the entirety of his thick length into her once more.
\tRonnel kissed her shoulder, her throat, and her cheek, not caring to wonder where he found the focus for these simpler affections when so much of his attention was focused on his cock and the surprisingly snug, exquisitely moist, and amazingly warm depths he plunged into time and time again, mentally blessing his lover’s sheer strength as well as his own as their lusts fed upon each other, demanding ever more vigor even as his thickness battled her walls’ spasming grip to move at all. Lights spangled his vision behind his eyelids each time he pressed in, and they only grew brighter as his swelling knot was squeezed each time by her taut-stretched flesh. Soon, one such thrust bordered on discomfort for him, even her copious slickness unable to fully ease that thick bulb inside, so on the next he took things just a bit slower, and a bit stronger, another garbled cry muffled in the fur of his neck as his vixen’s third or fourth peak struck even as her lips closed around his knot and he kept it there, moving shallowly, but vigorously, within the living massage of her trembling passage.
\t“You’re... you’re perfect f-for me,” Ela gasped raggedly against him, holding him even tighter as her hips bucked shallowly, helping to move that thick rod of meat within her even as she marveled at the first-time experience she was in no condition to verbalize. For all her experience and her many partners, this quarter-wolf was the first canid who’d ever been the exact, optimum size for her adult depths; her father’s knot added too much length for her to take all of, and ordinary foxes weren’t big enough to be captured and held like this, so never before had she been truly tied with a lover as her deepest instincts demanded.
\tThe tension was rising in the body above her, his normally subtle musculature outlined starkly beneath his sweat-damp fur, but the look on his face was one of closed-eyed rapture, with only a hint of the strain visible when most men she’d slept with neared orgasm... but near he was, his shallow, knot-restricted thrusts slowing in frequency even as they gained in vigor, and it only took a few more jerky, panting plunges before one final aspect of his lupine ancestry asserted itself and his head flew back as he tried his best to howl. As a fox, of course, he didn’t really have the voice for it, but he gave it a good try, and the sound left little doubt in his lover’s mind as to the degree of ecstasy he was experiencing as his foxhood pulsed within her, hard jets of his essence filling her darkest depths.
\tElaria shuddered in, if not another climax, a profoundly satisfying wave of sympathetic pleasure as she just pulled him back down against her bosom and hugged him tight, waiting for his peak to play itself out. A fond smile spread across her muzzle as the first thing he did upon opening his eyes was to hug her tighter himself, planting another line of kisses up the side of her neck. “That,” she murred softly, huskily, “was the best I’ve had in a long time, if not ever. You fit me like a sword in a custom scabbard, the perfect size, the perfect shape, and I doubt I’ll ever find your like again. Others may have given me more numerous peaks, but those with you had a... profound depth unlike any I’d previously enjoyed.”
\tRonnel gave a raspy chuckle in reply, “Better, I cannot recall myself... Too large to fully enter most women I was, in my youth; two could take me, but... loose they were, in body and morals. Satisfying I found them not. You... noble in spirit you are, more than title, and so warm and snug where your loins grip me... Were I never to have another woman, content I would be after the way with me you shared yourself.”
\tThe vixen’s smile spread into a grin, “This had better not be the last time you have a woman! More than just having me again, I’d love to share the occasional girlfriend with you... Anyway, from the sound of your voice you could use some water, and I could too... but afterwards I’d certainly like to try that again! Now, let’s try to sit up while your knot’s still stuck in me, so I can reach the window and get a head start on airing this place out enough to step out without reeking of what we just did. I’ll get a pitcher, maybe two, to face the rest of the evening with. I also have a spare pair of sheets we can put on the bed before we finally sleep... but I know I’ll do that very soundly, with your body next to mine.”
\tHer lover smiled gently back as he helped her sit up without tugging too uncomfortably where they were still joined, sheath to mound, and rumbled, “Sex in plenty, I had in my youth... but rarely did I sleep beside those girls, as an intimacy too deep that was for them, the romps merely games. For you, with you... hardly enough it is to convey the affection I feel. Other girls you encourage me to share with you, but mere romps and games they must always be, for never could they be to me the sort of friend you are.”
\tEla eased back down from her stretch to reach the shutters, then nuzzled his cheek, “I think we’ve both been dancing around three little words, afraid of saying them despite the compliments we’ve heaped upon one another... but I’m to be a knight, and cowardice is not an option.” She pulled back a bit, hands on his shoulders as she looked into his bottomless blue eyes, “Ronnel... I love you.”
\tThe fox blinked once, then hugged her crushingly tight anew, “Goddess... unworthy I felt to dream of those words from you, and scared in my mind’s depths I was that to you only a diversion I could be...” He nuzzled around to kiss her full on the lips, then opened his eyes to slits as he murmured, “My strong princess... love you too, I do.”
\t“Oh, love,” she murred, tears in her eyes but a smile on her face, “you know I’m Roxanite, so I may... no, will sometimes share my body with others... but I have only one heart, and it is yours alone. I choose you as the one to whom I’ll always return.”
\tRonnel’s expression was one of similarly poignant happiness as he nodded, “Know this I do... Never anything less than honest with me have you been, and trust you with my life, my honor, and my heart I do.” There was a soft, moist sound from below as his knot finally slipped free of her with a rush of fluid, and he glanced down at it before grinning again, “For now, though... a drink you were going to fetch for us that try again we might?”
\tEla grinned and kissed him once more, “After I grab a rag from my dresser and wipe myself off a bit... It’s late enough that there aren’t many in the halls, and I can’t completely eliminate the smell of what we just did, but I’m bound by propriety to reduce it as much as I can. Only propriety, mind you; I feel utterly no shame for the love we’ve expressed, and your scent upon me... is an honor.”
Chapter 17
\t“The black robe and that knife, Elaria, I understand, but aren’t those the same clothes you wore yesterday, Ron?” Grallia asked as the two youths caught up with her on the temple steps on the way to the shrine of Kathalla a few buildings distant.
\tThe fox glanced down at his outfit and shrugged, “Never back to my room did I get, last night.” He didn’t seem particularly repentant about it, either.
\t“I kind of distracted him,” Ela added with a shrug of her own. “Oh! Ronnel, she counts as a witness. Will you marry me?”
\tThe ex-serf nodded promptly enough, replying simply, “Yes, and gladly.”
\tThe vixen nodded back, “Good,” then turned back to her teacher, “That and a couple more changes of sheets will settle the only lingering business from last night, and they can be dealt with later. For today, we’ve got a show to attend!”
\tDame Grallia could only blink and shake her head in wonder, “Sheesh... That may have been the quickest proposal I’ve ever heard or heard of, but at least it wasn’t cloyingly mushy.”
\tEartips darkened in a faint blush, Ronnel chuckled, “Um... mush physical and verbal, also last night we took care of.”
\tHis fiancee grinned, “Hey, I had to be quick; this is a short trip,” and turned to the bear in the robe that matched her own, standing to one side of the doorway to greet and screen visitors on this special day, “Mornin’, Krebic! I don’t know if She mentioned it when arranging for our main ‘guest,’ but Kathalla also explicitly made an exception for these two to attend. This is Dame Grallia, one of my tutors and the sister of a family that guest murdered, and my husband-to-be Ronnel, who she chased several hundred miles and tried to kill.”
\tThe priest nodded, “Akani handled the divine arrangements with this sudden change in plans, being my senior, but, assuming you gave them fair warning of what to expect, it’s your right as priestess to invite whoever you wish, and I trust your judgment. Hmm... dame?” and he turned to the skunk with a smile, “That makes this day even more special; never has our humble temple hosted two knights... Enter, please, and be welcome in the House of the Fanged One.”
\tElaria answered the raised brow this earned her as she led her guests through the outer, fake chapel, “I guess my father’s still in town... Sir Ferrl, retired Agent of the kingdom, currently an earl and ambassador, is almost certainly the other knight he was referring to. The embellishments he’s earned to his title in his roles of knight and Agent were ‘Savior of Lark’s Reach’ and ‘Vengeance of the Horned Ones,’ as he solved the murder of one of our barons and the kidnapping of Malia’s unicorns, leading the army that fell upon the kidnappers’ fortified enclave and defeated them soundly. He may not be Maliite, but he’s accomplished much in the cause of justice, so I think you’ll like him.” Parting the curtains to the inner sanctum, she grinned and pointed out the largest figure of the small gathering behind it, “There he is.”
\tSaid figure had already noticed them and was drawing nearer with a welcoming smile as the skunk blinked, “I was disappointed when you said ‘retired,’ but this guy isn’t old! And, may I add, damn that’s a lot of muscles...”
\t“As if the difference in species didn’t make it obvious,” the other knight chuckled, “little Ela’s adopted... and we nearly share a birthday. I am, for the record, about to turn twenty-seven; I’m only ‘retired’ because of the requirement that ambassadors be titled nobles, not just knights, and I couldn’t be an Agent and an earl at the same time.”
\tHis daughter waited long enough for these greeting comments to be exchanged, out of politeness, then took one more step and stood on her tiptoes to hug him tight, “I’m glad you’re here for the party, Daddy! Anyway, just to be willful and contrary for a moment, I wanted to tell you I proposed to Ronnel on the way over, and I’m not asking your permission.”
\tFerrl quirked a brow as he hugged back, then chuckled, “Silly vixen... you know I’m hardly traditional enough to require that, and anyway, you heard me call him a potential in-law yesterday morning. You used the term ‘boyfriend’ in your letter, after all, and that’s a far more serious label than you’d ever applied to one of your lovers, so I’m not particularly surprised.” Letting go of her, he offered his hand and a smile to the fox in question, “Welcome to the family, son. Back, briefly, to the subject of technicalities and my earldom, Ela’s adoption counts as one ‘remove’ from the bloodline and is the maximum allowed for inheritance, while you marrying her would be two, so I’m afraid you won’t become a lord as a result, but you will be a citizen of both Drachath and Unicorn Vale, as her husband, and a close enough relation to be considered a noble in this kingdom even without a title of your own.”
\tRonnel stepped out of the way of the curtain as Krebic made his way back inside, then nodded as he grasped that large hand, smiling, “That, sir, to me is a comfort. Stop the Inquisitor we did, but still my status was of an escaped serf so trouble down the road we might have had. Citizenship anywhere this problem solves, and glad I am.”
\t“You can’t do this to me! I’m a Grand Inquisitor of Dengar; don’t you cretinous fools know what that means?!?”
\tAll heads in the room turned toward the source of the outburst, being led in in chains through a curtained archway in the rear by a black-robed priestess, a naked white bunny, and a burly man in the uniform of a guard corporal to keep her under control, and Grallia commented around a tight grin, “Speaking of that bitch... it looks like the entertainment’s about to begin. Let’s get good seats.”
\tEla gestured her friends and family toward the pews, smiling, “I’m here to help officially, so I’ll be joining the priests up front,” then stepped toward the stone altar under the watchful obsidian eyes of Kathalla’s statue, needing no prompting to immediately grab a flailing leg and hook two of the permanent chains dotting the base of the altar to its manacle, even as Krebic wrapped a hand around a black-scaled muzzle to keep further interruptions to a minimum.
\tLeaving the securing of the prisoner to her fellow clergy and the guard, all much stronger than her she knew, Akani stepped around to stand between the altar and her congregation and announce, “Welcome, friends all, to the House of the Fanged One. We have two last-minute changes from the solstice celebration I described last restday... First, our usual sacrifice, as much fun as it would have been, has been replaced by a rather special substitute... As you no doubt heard from her, this is a Grand Inquisitor, Dengar’s equivalent to an Agent of Drachath. Her ego, however, doesn’t seem to have caught up to the fact that she’s been stripped of that status, and the diplomatic protection that comes with it, and has been sentenced to death as a common murderess for the unjustified slaughter of an innocent family. She also, along the way, managed to seriously offend at least three members of the pantheon, and They have given her to us to carry out her sentence with a bit more... flair, shall we say, than a court’s executioner would be permitted.”
\tThe assembled Kathallics voiced a combination of snickers and chuckles at that, several licking their lips as the dragoness’ bonds were completed and the guard unceremoniously cut the prisoner’s robe from her body before taking his leave.
\t“The other piece of news,” the cat continued, gesturing to the smaller of the other figures in black robes, “is the introduction and participation of our newest priestess, though she’ll only be available to serve in that capacity infrequently at best. To clarify any confusion caused by her mottled soul, she serves all three Goddesses, but loved and was loved by ours, first. I would like you all to meet Princess Elaria of the Earldom of Gatuque, presently the heiress to this city and most of the land for five or ten leagues in any direction, priestess of Kathalla, priestess of Roxanarra, and acolyte of Malia, also rumored to be one of the finest warriors of her generation, if not history itself.”
\tThe princess blushed under the spatter of applause and appreciative murmurs from the crowd, noting that there were two more pews than the four she remembered from nine years ago; it seemed the local Kathallic population had grown in the meantime, and those long benches averaged three occupants each. Sixteen, not counting her two guests, was very nearly the highest number of her first Goddess’ followers she’d ever seen in one place, only Fariach’s playclub on a show night managing to pass it in her memory. At a gesture from her fellow priestess, though, she set aside her observations and the pleasure of the moment to speak, “Thank you all, you make me feel truly welcome and glad to be here... though I should note that I plan to formally abdicate my title as soon as my little brother’s old enough to meet the requirements of an heir apparent, but Akani’s accurate enough for the better part of the next five years. I’d also like to make an introduction or two, for my friends with the white souls none of you probably expected to see in a place like this, today,” and she grinned at the chuckles this elicited. “The lady is Dame Grallia, a Maliite knight and a priestess in her own right, and it was her brother’s family the bitch still trying to talk about herself through Krebic’s grip killed. She’s here under special dispensation for a bit more emphatic and satisfying a definition of ‘vengeance’ than her faith officially condones. The strong young fellow next to her has a similar right, as it was he the Inquisitor hunted in this kingdom for the crime of objecting to being raped, but he’s also my fiancee as of about ten minutes ago, so he’ll probably be with us for any event I attend that he’s comfortable with. Presently a Maliite novice by rank, as he’s new to his vocation though I’m sure he’ll learn and rise quickly, please make Ronnel feel welcome here, or at least refrain from scaring him enough to run before I can marry him,” and she shot the fox a wink.
\tAkani grinned as the guest simply smirked across the room at his promised, then noted, “My book of services has a phrasing close enough to the Roxanite marriage I’m assuming you’d been planning, that promises love but not monogamy, if you two want to take care of that here, later today... but for now,” and she gestured to where the temple’s bunny was dragging in a cart of tools and implements, “our lovely Pola has gotten everything ready, so it’s time for some fun!”
\tKrebic, as soon as it was in reach, grabbed a buckled leather strap off of the cart and held it up, addressing his prisoner, “We’d all prefer to be able to hear you scream... but if all you can talk about is how we can’t do what we’ll very much be doing, or how your government will get us, I’ll just wrap this around your muzzle and leave it there,” before finally releasing his silencing grip.
\tTalaya’s eyes narrowed, “But they will... I’m an Inquisitor, and never are we left unavenged!”
\t“About that, dear,” Ela drawled, “I’m afraid your government reacted rather badly to the news that you’d lost your magic. According to the summary of their final message I was given, if we returned you to them intact they’d kill you themselves after all the trouble you’ve caused for utterly no gain. In Kathalla’s name, in Her own House and without your liar’s spirit-shroud, I swear this is true. To be blunt about it, you aren’t an Inquisitor anymore.”
\tThe dragoness blinked as she searched that vulpine face for some hint of deception, but she saw only firmness and resolve... “What... what happens to me now?” she finally asked, the steel gone from her voice.
\tIt was the feline priestess’ place to answer, as the senior member of the clergy, and she drew the short, curved dagger from the sheath tucked into her robe’s sash, a bit small for combat but adequate for the moment, and tested its edge carefully... “Now,” she finally replied with a purr and a wicked smile, “you hurt, then die,” and brought the knife down in a slash, aimed for the unmarred of those glossy black breasts and slicing a furrow to match the one that had scabbed over on its mate.
\tTalaya yelped loudly over the rumble of approval from the assembled watchers; yesterday’s slash had been in the heat of combat, and she’d barely felt it ‘til it was merely a particularly bad, stinging ache afterwards, but this one had nothing to mute the pain of broken scales and cut flesh. Tears seeped from her eyes as she murmured to herself, “No, no, Gods no, happening this cannot be...”
\tThe bear’s turn was next, and he mused, “There’s one appendage here that doesn’t have a manacle and isn’t secure, so it might be a problem later... so I think I’ll take care of it now. Pola, if you’d help with an iron?” He’d stepped between the victim’s chained-down feet as he spoke, a short-handled axe from the cart in his hands, and reached down to solve the dragon’s confusion by gripping her long, mobile tail near the base, leaning a knee against it farther down through his robe. She tried to wrench it from his grasp anyway, at first, but that effort was forgotten as she noticed the large bowl of hot coals that occupied half of the cart’s top shelf, only when the red glow of the leather-handled iron slat the rabbit was picking up drew her attention to it.
\t“No, please,” she managed before the priest pulled her tail a bit tighter and, pausing only to lick his smiling lips, brought the axe down in a hard chop as close to its base as he could reach. Blood spurted as the edge bit deep, two more blows landing before it was completely severed, and she screamed despite her promises to herself not to, getting only half of her next breath before that glowing iron was applied to the stump and an even higher, if truncated, keen of agony drowned out the sizzle of burning flesh as the raw meat was cauterized.
\tElaria knew it was her turn next, and thought quickly... then smiled as she finally spotted a favorite in a corner of the cart’s lower shelf. Picking up the large-hilted knife with about an inch and a half of blade, she looked to Akani with a question in her eyes, then grinned savagely at the senior priestess’ smiling nod, having been unsure of the propriety of the escalation so early in the service. There was only one thing this particular knife was good for, after all... Turning back to the dragon, she spoke as much for the audience’s benefit as hers, given that she probably wasn’t listening too closely after her savage dismemberment, “When we fought in that hallway, I was constrained by my oath to pursue justice and my promise to the duke to bring you in alive if I could... I really would have preferred to do what I’m about to do then, and I’m grateful that circumstances have changed to allow it.” She nudged the point of the blade up under one of the broad, lateral gray scales running down the sacrifice’s belly, then, easing it into the gap until it encountered resistance, then just a bit more before angling it upwards, spreading those scales even as a trickle of blood escaped from the flesh beneath. The dragoness whimpered as this new event penetrated her agonized mind, then screamed again as the knife plunged down to its full depth. Following the line of the gap, Ela shifted her grip and tore savagely toward the far side, slashing through the Inquisitor’s hard-trained muscle and freeing a much more copious rush of blood to flow down over the finer black scales of her sides.
\t“I’ll use this there if it looks like she needs it to last, Mistress,” Pola noted attentively from her place by the cart, patting the insulated grip of her cauterizing iron with a smile.
\tThe vixen nodded with a pleased chuckle, “Acceptable... but let me hold the sides of the gash open if you do. It’s a personal favorite of mine to play with guts, and I don’t want you to sear shut such a convenient point of access to hers...”
\tThe temple’s usual priest and priestess had been conducting a whispered discussion throughout, and it ended with the bear stepping forward, parting the split of his robe’s skirt and lifting it to display his sizable ursine erection as he asked, “Does anyone here have a larger cock than mine? We don’t sacrifice many reptiles here, and never a dragon, but the thought occurred to me that their scales represent a... vulnerability, and I’m guessing that this lady’s anus is more limited in how far it can stretch than we furred types are used to. Its profound humiliation value aside, I believe it would be quite painful for her to be penetrated there by something too big to comfortably fit, the larger the better.”
\tKrebic was big enough that none of the men of the congregation looked particularly embarrassed to, by their very silence, admit they were smaller, and in the end only two hands raised, Ronnel’s and Ferrl’s. The latter blinked after a moment, then lowered his, murmuring over the pained sobs of the dragon, “I’m bigger... but I just realized I can’t participate in that way. My wife probably wouldn’t object, but this time the victim’s not a slave, so she’s not covered by my previous promises. I’m a man of my word, even if violating it ‘just a little’ would be so much fun...”
\tAfter a moment’s thought, Ronnel brought his hand down too, “And I... cannot. The fact that the same to me her protege wished to do, makes rape not less vile. I object not to causing pain and chagrin to her, but do it myself I can’t.”
\tElaria looked up from where she’d been licking her knife blade clean, and smiled, “You’re sweet, dear, and that’s part of why I love you... Don’t worry any; Krebic’s big enough to do the job, and it was just a matter of dark principle to try finding someone who could do it better. Now, if you’re alright with doing that sort of thing gently, to one who likes it... well, I do.”
\tThere’d been time enough since her newest wound for Talaya to start tracking again, and she blinked at the realization of just what was being discussed... “Songblade!” she cried, looking desperately over to Ela even as the other priestess started wedging wooden blocks under her to raise her hips far enough for the act. “Songblade, please kill me! Beg you I do, to take that knife and my throat cut with it! Sodomy, not for my kind is; tear I will!”
\tThe vixen gave the sacrifice a condescending pat on the head as she looked over to Krebic, “Hear that? Your guess was right; this should hurt like hell!” The chains rattled as anger flared and the dragoness tried to lunge and bite that hand, but the iron and Ela’s reflexes conspired against her, and she settled back down against the lumps of wood beneath her with a sob.
\tThe position itself had to be a form of torture, the dragoness’ back arched by the blocks and her knees spread by a strapped-on bar, and while less painful for him, it was also rather impractical from Krebic’s perspective. His robe set aside, he had to ease his legs between her thighs and around that bar, kneeling but without his rump able to quite touch his calves for a bit of relaxation. Still, he managed to get himself into place quickly enough that his erection softened only marginally in the time it took, and his grin was lecherous as he corrected that lack by stroking himself with one paw while the other crudely splayed Talaya’s sex to peer into. “This hole,” he mused, “is... practically star-shaped, obviously meant to stretch relatively easily around an egg on its way out. The other, though...”
\tThe fallen Inquisitor closed her eyes with a whimper as she felt the rounded tip of his shaft stroke up her truncated tail and come to rest at the little slit at its base, the sound replaced by a rising keen as the pressure there gradually increased, and a ragged scream escaping as he finally abandoned subtlety and rammed his hips forward. Two more thrusts with pauses to gather his strength and punctuating grunts saw him about two-thirds buried in that tight orifice, close to the limits of his awkward position and his own comfort, and he withdrew slowly to let the audience see the dark gleam of blood on his shaft, easier to spot than the trickles already running down black scales to join the stains left on the altar by the amputated tail. Fresh blood also flowed above, the portions of the gash in her belly that had started to clot breaking apart to leak anew under the unwelcome pressure within, and his second thrust only made it worse, the cut parting enough to give a flashing view of glistening intestines.
\tAkani leaned down, mindful of that long neck and the teeth at the other end, to murmur to Talaya as the initial agony of penetration passed into a sustained ache and the burn of humiliation, “Do you still want to die quickly? Because I should warn you... your death here will not be the end of pain, but only the beginning. You’ve tormented and murdered hundreds in your long life, and the consequences await you in the Fanged Goddess’ heaven.”
\tThose slit pupils widened again at that news, then the dragoness shook her head, “No! Believe that, I cannot! Godless am I; no heaven shall I find, only rebirth! End this abuse, and quickly, that washed clean might this one failure in a life of glory may be!”
\tBehind the altar, Ela and Pola responded to a spiritual nudge by stepping out of the way, giving a clear view to sacrifice and audience alike as the statue on the wall animated. *I’m afraid, My dear, that you are... misinformed,* Kathalla Herself mused to all gathered. *Those sacrificed to Me are, when they’re ready and with My agreement, reborn, but ‘tis My heaven they visit first, and neither Malia nor Tarragh would appreciate My releasing you short of learning your lesson. The fate that awaits you is to experience every moment of pain and death you’ve ever inflicted on another, until you recognize your wrongness and truly repent it... but you will relive your victims’ ends in a completely random order. You think so little of them, that I’m sure you’ll have trouble even remembering who you killed and why for any given instance, and each victim you fail to identify and find sympathy for will simply have to be repeated at some future point. Thus, I anticipate your stay in My realm as being one of centuries before the last lesson is finally learned...*
\tTears that had nothing to do with her physical wounds seeped from the Inquisitor’s tightly-shut eyes, and she didn’t even twitch to show she’d noticed as Krebic rammed himself up her ass one last time, rumbling his pleasure as his shaft pulsed and several audience members gave quiet cheers at the sight. Akani nodded to herself as she observed, then told the young ladies across from her, “The true scope of her situation has finally penetrated her mind... so there’s no point in drawing things out longer for their own sake. You two... just have fun, as messily or fatally as you desire. I’ll handle the official, formal prayer of dedication,” and she glanced over to where her co-priest was using his robe to wipe the blood from his crotch, “though, for my relatively boring efforts, I’ll expect a certain... consideration in my room after the service.”
\t“Gladly,” the bear agreed with a nod. “A responsive lover is always more stimulating, so raping that creature there was something of a chore.”
\tMeanwhile, Ela and Pola had removed the props from between the sacrifice and the altar, the vixen giving a wave of her hand and a teasing half-bow to cede the first new torment to her lapine partner. Giggling, the bunny murmured her thanks then lifted a serrated kitchen knife from the cart. Climbing onto the altar, then, she straddled Talaya’s ribs and reached down, her free hand gripping one gashed breast, claws digging into scales, while her other snugged the knife up into its undercurve. Eyes bright and a big smile on her face, the slave started sawing upwards, a happy shiver running up her spine as rivulets of blood started streaming down and the toothy maw above opened in a renewed scream of pain. Tossing the soft, bloody orb toward the audience in case anyone wanted a souvenir, the rabbit groped again and started another ragged cut.
\tThe agonized cry as she lost her other breast was quieter this time, the dragon’s body managing to adjust enough to the new level of pain... until Pola shared a grinning glance with the vixen, lifted her hips from the sobbing chest beneath them, and leaned back on one hand. Dropping the knife to one side, her free fingers reached between her legs to spread herself and aim, then an arcing stream of bright yellow gushed out onto the bleeding tatters of raw flesh, her fingertips digging in to both play the salty flow over every bit of exposed meat and caress herself to even better enjoy the ear-piercing shriek of agony she’d elicited.
\tThat scream lasted a breath and a half before the vocal cords fueling it were overwhelmed and it quieted to hoarse moans, still loud enough that Elaria had to raise her voice as she grinned to her collared friend, “You either thought about my comment on gutting a lot, or asked Akani for specifics of that night she summarized... Either way, that was damned mean. Good job, bunny!”
\tPola nodded happily, ears flopping, as she climbed down, pausing to lick the last bit of salt from her fingers before asking, “And what are you planning? You were right that that trick’s one of the most painful things you can do to someone, but I’m hoping it’ll help inspire you to new heights.”
\tThe vixen chuckled, shaking her head, “This isn’t a contest... and I wouldn’t win if it were, as all I’m planning is a somewhat quicker, much messier variant on the way I killed you. It’ll actually be a fairly close call... but I think asphyxiation will set in first, rather than other causes of death.” Much like her friend, she climbed onto the altar to straddle the prisoner, then, though her rump rested on black-scaled hips instead of ribs. The temple’s slave watching curiously, her hand back between her thighs, Ela first took a moment to spread the blood-crusted gash in Talaya’s belly, reaching in to gather a big handful of hot, slick guts to pull out. She fondled the moist intestines for a self-indulgent moment, then gave them another tug before letting them drape down the audience’s side of that firm-muscled belly and reaching back in. A few more feet of entrails, here and there, emerged, but her main goal was to nudge things out of the way internally; once satisfied, her bloodied hand emerged and drew the long, curved blade at her hip, several of the watching Kathallics’ eyes widening as they noted the aura of darkness that surrounded the steel. Her other hand holding that broad slit open, she eased the point carefully inward on one side, an expression of concentration on her muzzle as she probed for just the right placement and angle... then thrust savagely inward, knife and hand alike vanishing completely, though her forearm twisted visibly as she wrenched the weapon and her victim screamed. Fur and steel were completely drenched in blood as they withdrew, and the dragoness’ next breath had an audible gurgle in it. The attempted scream elicited by a matching stab-and-twist on the other side of her ribcage made almost no sound at all as blood fountained from the inquisitor’s muzzle. Ela climbed down, crimson streaming from her arm as her fallen foe thrashed among the chains holding her down, fighting for the breath that her shredded lungs just couldn’t draw.
\tPola nodded beside her, “You’re right, Mistress... We’ll probably never know whether she suffocates or bleeds to death inside first; it could be either one.” Grinning, then, she leaned down to steal a lick of still-warm blood from the priestess’ arm, “Not that she’ll appreciate the fine distinction, I’m guessin’!”
\tChuckling, Elaria gave her a one-armed hug while the other wiped her knife off against her robe, then sheathed it as she padded toward the pews. “Dame Grallia,” she noted with a bowed head, “I offer you the head of your kin’s killer, and to pay for the services of a taxidermist upon it.”
\tThe skunk blinked, then shook her head with a sigh, “Keeping that, I’m pretty sure, would be pushing things just one step too far beyond the indulgence I’ve been granted simply to be here...” She gestured at the chained-down body, still twitching faintly though its outright struggles had ceased, “I am... content, and I’m sure that the spirits of my brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephews can rest now, too. My friend... you have my gratitude.”
\tEven as the Maliites, Ronnel included, shared one more nod between them, Akani rose from her prayerful kneel to address the audience more generally, “Justice has indeed been served here, today... and I’m sure we all agree that it was a very entertaining show. I’d like to thank both of my fellow priests and our sadistic little bunny for their parts in it, and I invite everyone to stick around for another half-hour or so. Refreshments, featuring hot slices of this criminal grilled with garlic, will be served shortly, and dragon is a rare treat indeed, I’m told.”
Chapter 18
\t“I don’t know if we’ll have time for much practice this morning,” Elaria mused to her promised, a hint of confusion still lingering from the announcements she’d heard at the end of her lecture period. “In half an hour, all but four of the acolytes have been ordered to report to the west corner of the park-ring, and I wasn’t among the exceptions.”
\tRonnel blinked, “Similar news, I’d been about to give you. Five of the twelve novices, myself included, a similar order have been given. The priests, too, on my way here I saw preparing to go out, almost all of them!”
\tA knock at the door of the upstairs room that was occasionally used as either a salle or musical practice spot, depending on need, interrupted their speculations, and Kechira poked her head in a moment later, giving them an appraising glance then nodding to herself. “Good... you’re wearing what I hoped you were, Elaria. You, Ronnel, should probably grab your robe on the way out, just for propriety as this is something of an official temple event, but your prospective wife will be better off in her practice-wear. I also came by, Princess, to suggest that you use the intervening time to limber up. A quick regimen of stretches, but nothing strenuous as you’ll need all the energy you’ve got, just might let you go to bed with fewer aches tonight.”
\tThe door shut again with a click, and Ela blinked once more, then shrugged and pulled her pants tight against her crotch to keep from tearing the seams as she sank into the splits, “I’ve decided... not to wonder. They obviously won’t tell us what’s going on, so it would be pointless to speculate.” She smiled over at the fox, “Besides... trying to figure it out would take time, time that I’d much rather spend enjoying your company.”
\tChuckling, Ronnel nodded and knelt down to give her a light kiss, then sat on the other side of the room to stretch out one leg and lean along it, reaching for his toes. “Since practice we cannot,” he mused philosophically, “join you in this I might as well. Less I knew about flexibility’s importance, in my self-teaching, so of this the more I do, the better.”
\tA few wispy clouds offered the occasional cooling shadow during the short walk to the park, the foxes joining the trickling line of individuals and small groups also on their way to their evident destination, one of the larger, grassy clearings in the park, the tall surrounding trees doing far more than the weather to reduce the summer heat. Even though a number of priests and lower-ranked devotees had stayed behind to watch the temple, the still-forming crowd clearly had more people in it than that edifice’s entire population, and Ela blinked as she recognized at least couple dozen men and two women from the temple of Tarragh by their dress and jewelry.
\t“Musicians to the north,” Grallia’s strong voice called out over the various conversations going on, “and those simply observing please make use of the chairs set out by the western bushes... Ronnel? That means you; we’ve got enough percussionists to let you just watch, today. Elaria, you join Kechira and... Torralic, I think his name was; everyone else, line up by those novices to choose your weapons.”
\tTorralic, it turned out, was an exceptionally muscular cougar in plate armor, a thick silver chain looped through the straps on his shoulder-plates, normally meant to hold up a cape but instead supporting the crossed-swords and shield emblem of Tarragh in solid gold. “High priest,” the vixen acknowledged, bowing deeply to him and getting a nod in reply.
\tHer ‘own’ high priestess greeted her with a smile, “It’s good to see that you’re just as courteous outside of your own threefold faiths, dear. Anyway... unless I’m very mistaken, you’re probably rather confused by this whole affair.”
\tEla nodded, but her intended reply was cut short as a brightness intruded... but it wasn’t exactly light. It cast no glow on the people or trees nearby, and she wasn’t even looking in the direction it was coming from. Swallowing hard, she shut her muzzle and was halfway down in her deepest curtsey even before she’d finished facing that light, her eyes downcast but her ears reporting the sound of people falling to their knees all around her.
\tGlowing brightly to all of sufficient priestly rank to see such spiritual radiance, a mostly-black feline walked nearer, hand in hand with a much taller, incredibly muscular green dragon in heavy armor. Something deep within the vixen resonated with each step They took, and she finally understood the references she’d heard occasionally, to the ‘footsteps of the Gods.’
\tHe and His sister stopping right in front of the genuflecting princess, Tarragh mused in a rumble as deep as the rolling boom of thunder, “So... this is the one?”
\tMalia nodded, a fond smile on Her muzzle, and spoke in a voice that was also a song, echoes of a choir’s worth of harmony in its otherwise-conversational depths, “That she is, brother... I think that even You would be satisfied with her, had it been Your church she’d joined. Her military rank started as an honorary one, but she proved worthy in the way she followed the orders of her colonel and her duke, and commanded in turn the soldiers beneath her, resulting in the cornering and capture of the one who took Your name in vain.”
\tThe dragon nodded, “A strictly minor event... but flawlessly executed, I must admit. For now, sister... I’ll simply observe in spirit, as these mortals, quite understandably, don’t seem to be getting much done when I’m around, Myself.”
\tThe melodic chuckle of the Goddess of the Arts followed Him as His physical body vanished, the light of His spirit hanging on for one more moment before fading, but She Herself remained, shaking the assembled souls with a few more steps before gathering some golden rays of sunlight to shape into a nebulous chair to relax onto. “Please, My children, and My nieces and nephews of My brother’s church... carry on.”
\tElaria swallowed again as she stood, turning back to the high priests, “Um... I know one of you was about to explain things to me, but I can’t help but wonder... did even you expect Them to show up?”
\tTorralic shook his head, a hint of awe still in his voice as he answered, “No... I’ve cherished each and every time I’ve heard my God’s voice, but this was the first time I’ve ever seen Him in divine person.” Glancing down at the vixen, his grim muzzle spread into a smile, “Many call Him gruff, and grudging of praise... but ever has He been such. You may take the slightest positive word of His as a profound and unquestionably earned compliment. He called your recent victory perfect... so you must accept it as such. If any hint of a flaw or possible mistake exists in your mind, forget it, because His word means that no one could have done better, and He’d only have given it if He’d analyzed the entire scenario with a mind no mortal tactician could ever match.”
\tThe vixen swallowed a third time as she nodded, “I’m... not feeling inclined to argue the point with Him.” Touching the shoulder of her blouse over the bandage she still wore there, she smiled, “I guess He accepts this minor graze as fast enough, as if I’d been a fraction of a second slower that nasty bit of magic would have lodged an explosive projectile in my shoulder and I’d probably be missing my arm.”
\tKechira chuckled and patted her unwounded shoulder, “I’m hoping that the wound is, indeed, minor enough to avoid inconveniencing you today as, on the suggestion of our Lady there,” and she nodded toward Malia, “you’ve got a bit of a fight to look forward to. Once everyone’s in padded armor and has their wooden weapons... you, my dear, will get some music to dance the blades to as the entire fighting clergy of both militant temples try to take you down.”
\tEla was pleased with how she managed to accept that with a simple nod rather than immediately breaking down in incredulity or tears and, even now, long before the fight would start, she consciously walled her mind off from thoughts of failure. Thus, there wasn’t much she could come up with for a reply other than, “I must admit, ma’am, that this... isn’t anything I’d ever have thought to ask for as a birthday present.”
\t“That’s why I suggested it, My dear,” Malia commented from a few yards distant, a chuckle thrumming in Her choral voice, “though it’s not entirely a present to you... My brother and I wished, too, to give Our children the gift of seeing you at your finest, for most go their entire lives without getting to watch a blade dancer. There are only three others of your kind in the wide world, this day, none within a thousand leagues of here, and their reputation means that they rarely have to actually fight.” She pointed at where the musicians were seated, idly tuning their instruments, “The bard at the stand harp, there... you should remember him from when I healed his hands in this very town, years ago. He has expressed an interest in watching this fight too, and interviewing its other participants afterwards to get a better feel for the subtleties, and he’ll probably be composing a song about it. Once something like that gets around, you too will have a reputation that shall spread, so I suggest that you savor every chance for stimu",
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