Wind of Fate, Part V
Captain Wardes looked in a little while later, and nodded. "A good place to rest, if you woke early and couldn't get back to sleep. How are you faring?"
"Better. Much better than I would have been, without your intervention. Thank you, sir."
The captain's expression was unreadable. "For a case of saddle-sores as bad as yours, I'd ordinarily recommend several days of rest. However, Miss Vallière was distressed at the thought of leaving you behind, and we'll be taking ship for the remainder of the journey to Albion, so you ought to have adequate time to recover."
Captain Wardes paused for a moment, then his nose flared slightly. "If you are well enough, you should get dressed and come breakfast with us: We must confer with those two foreigners who've taken such an interest in her Highness's business, and I'll want your impression of them and their motives afterward."
"I think I can sit down to eat, even if it won't be the most comfortable experience," Jason replied, standing up, stepping out of the shower, and reaching for a towel-
"Allow me, in the interests of time," the captain said, flicking his wand and causing all the water on Jason's body to jump back into the hot tub.
He blinked. "Being that this is an inn for nobles, and that Dry is a cantrip, why do they even have towels?"
Captain Wardes gave him a hard look, but after a long, considering pause he consented to reply: "Because some of their customers are of Fire, and do not always have enough skill with Dry to use it casually. Even the most specialized mage of Earth will still learn Levitate, but that cantrip is singularly useful in the daily life of every mage. Indeed, Levitating a towel can be an acceptable substitute for Dry."
"Oh." Elemental affinities. Guess it makes sense that not everyone puts in the time to master the basics. And despite that, Louise still thinks 'Diligent' isn't a real title, even though she's willing to work herself sick as long as she has a path to follow.
Getting dressed was hardly painless, but Jason managed it nonetheless, and soon they were knocking gently on the door to Louise's small room. Not long after, the door opened, and there she was, in a light gown (albeit with red accents, presumably to announce her Fire affinity) that managed to suit her complexion and her pink hair rather well. And it looked like the understated cosmetics from that not-a-date were back. His little mistress was, in a word, enchanting.
Except her shy smile was directed at the captain, as was her faint blush when he took her hand, kissed it, and murmured some endearment too softly for her familiar to make out.
We already went over this, he thought, face carefully blank. It's gonna suck, 'cause we can't just avoid her until we get over her. It's gonna suck royally. But there's nothing we can do to change it, as long as this is what she wants.
And then she was turning to him, so he tried to compose his expression.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Louise asked in a soft, sweet voice that ought to have felt like a caress to his ears. Except that her unusually dulcet tones were obviously part of her desire to make the best impression she could on the man that her family wanted her to marry. Dammit.
"A lot better, thank you," Jason replied, doing his best to sound tranquil and serene. Wasn't how he felt, but it'd be pathetic to sound jealous. "I think I can sit down normally to eat, now."
"And as I told your retainer, this will allow him to accompany us when we confront Miss Zerbst and Dame Tabitha at breakfast," Captain Wardes noted.
His little mistress made a moue of distaste. "Must we? They weren't invited along, after all."
"That is a problem, and I mislike the thought of simply allowing them to accompany us," the captain admitted. "But that wind dragon familiar would allow Dame Tabitha to shadow us as she pleases, no matter how fast our ship to Albion flies. And, of course, attacking them at this time wouldn't be prudent."
Louise scowled. "I could challenge Zerbst to a duel. She's always outrageous, so I can call her out on just about anything she says!"
"That would give us reason to part ways afterward, but the injuries you would suffer from facing a Triangle of Fire . . ." Wardes shook his head gently. And apparently ignored her wince at at the assumption that she would necessarily lose, although it swiftly disappeared under a look of earnest attentiveness. "We couldn't leave you behind, as we might leave your retainer if his saddle sores do not continue to heal, and any delay would run counter to our purpose."
"Her Highness did want this taken care of swiftly," she conceded, before giving him the puppy eyes that had been employed a few times to such great effect on her familiar. "But I've been practicing all spring, and my magic is much stronger now!"
"So I understand. Nonetheless, Miss Zerbst has been practicing her magic most of her life, and I hear that she's already experienced combat." He smiled indulgently. "I'm sure you'd make a brave showing, but I could not step in to protect you until you were defeated, and the injuries caused by Fire are more horrific than any other element, and we wouldn't have time to seek a medica for you."
"I know that!" Louise protested. "But I've been practicing much harder than she has, and all I would need to do is win with the first spell! And I know she's become wary of me."
"The only spells that win duels straightway are those that overwhelm their target," her fiancé pointed out mildly, "and therefore risk serious injury."
She pouted. "It's Zerbst! Why should I care if she's hurt?"
"Because the feud between your respective families has lain almost dormant for years. Would Sturmhart von Zerbst stand idly by if you crippled or killed his eldest? Unless you could show strong evidence that she attacked you first, he would be within his traditional rights to call for blood."
"She attacked when she intruded into her Highness's mission," Louise grumbled, scowling.
"Nonetheless, I must insist that you stay your wand, no matter how much your hand itches for it," Captain Wardes told her, gently but firmly.
She sagged . . . but then looked up at him with an entreating smile. "I understand, Jean-Jaques. But you will protect us if Zerbst continues to be a problem, won't you?" she asked, in almost fawning tone of voice that had Jason gaping for a moment.
Her fiancé reached out and patted her head. "Of course, little rose. And don't fret: You may well have an opportunity to display your improving magic before this trip is over."
Louise sighed happily, taking his arm as soon as he offered it, and the captain lead them out of the suite. The two nobles strolled through the Inn, murmuring softly to each other, and Jason had to content himself with trailing a few feet behind, following as they led the way to a small dining room.
Kirche and Tabitha were already there, likewise dressed rather differently from their Academy uniforms. The Germanian's dress was a deep red that suited her complexion and hair surprisingly well, while her Gallian was wearing a light blue dress that the tips of her shorter hair almost seemed to fade in to, as she sat there reading a book.
Color-coding, now that nobody's in Academy uniforms. Heh. Trust Kirche to go for the bolder declaration of her affinity.
He didn't voice the comment, however, not even silently to Louise, and breakfast was promptly served.
There was quiet for several minutes while they all ate.
Eventually the redhead paused, about halfway through her meal, and spoke up:
"You looked like you were stiff, on that horse," she noted as Jason shifted gingerly, trying to find the least-uncomfortable position, as he'd been doing ever since sitting down.
"I'm sure I did," he replied, setting down his fork. "It was the first time I've been on a horse in about eight years."
"You'll be well enough to continued onward in a few days," Captain Wardes noted, with almost clinical detachment. "You should be fully recovered by the time we reach our destination."
"And which ship to do you plan to take?" Kirche asked the captain, smiling brilliantly.
"I said nothing of taking a ship," he told her in a very dry voice. "Nor has it been decided that you will accompany us further."
"Oh, but it would be so much more convenient." Then she smirked. "And it would save Tabitha's familiar the trouble of having to catch up with you!"
"No trouble," the azuretop correctly softly, glancing up briefly from the book before turning her attention back to her meal. "Sylphid . . . rested well."
The captain frowned. "I'm afraid that you've come a long way for a journey of no special significance," he told the two interlopers. "But if you're looking for entertainment, there are no small number of games and diversions available here at this Inn."
"But following your company is certain to be more exciting!" Kirche countered. "If this was a journey of 'no special significance' you'd have flown on your gryphon and arrived here by noon at the latest. Instead you went sneaking through the forest, and took all day, too! Obviously you're hiding something."
Then she smirked again. "And you wouldn't come to a port city if you weren't planning to take ship."
Captain Wardes narrowed his eyes slightly, as Louise fumed and Jason watched.
Finally the captain sighed. "Well reasoned," he admitted. "And I wouldn't care for the spectacle of our ship being chased by a wind dragon. Very well. When we choose our berth this afternoon, we shall inform you of our decision."
"Why do you have to tag along, anyways?" Louise asked crossly. "Even if we were being circumspect, we're not doing anything exciting unless something goes wrong."
"Like being attacked by bandits?" Kirche smirked, and then shrugged. "Almost everyone's gone home for the summer, leaving the Academy a very boring place, with nothing to do but study and practice."
"Spending time studying wouldn't hurt you," her rosecrown sneered. "And you'll finally be able to sleep all night, too."
"And let you run off alone with the captain of Tristain's Royal Guard?" The redhead laughed. "I couldn't possibly do that! Why, the gossip alone! And do your parents know you're spending time with him?"
"Why should they object to that?" said captain asked, smirking slightly. "Our families negotiated our betrothal years ago."
Kirche's eyes widened, but then her expression became indecipherable. "Did you? Well, now you need a chaperone even more, so that you uphold the honor of Tristain in all things."
Louise flushed.
The Viscount's eyes narrowed again. "I assure you," he said, sounding rather annoyed, "that I intend no dishonor or insult to the Vallière name."
"And so I shall be able to testify!" the redhead came back with, smug mirth practically dripping from her tone.
Jason picked his fork back up and started eating again, doing his best to hide a slight smile. Never imagined that we could count on Kirche to cock-block the captain for us – and twice now! – but we're not going to complain. Not at all.
Then Tabitha, her plate now clean, set her book down. "You . . . have experience," she said softly, looking to Wardes. "With battle, yes?"
He blinked. "Yes, I do. One reason I was chosen for my present posting as Captain of the Royal Guard, in fact."
"Professor Trilgras . . . he claims superiority, for his element. But-"
She paused.
"In a fight, bested. By Professor Colbert. Bested easily."
Captain Wardes looked thoughtful. "Do you mean Kaita Trilgras, the Gust? I'd heard that he took a teaching position after quitting the dueling circuit."
Tabitha nodded.
"That is likely the explanation, then. Dueling is for sportsmen, not for true mage-knights. Your Professor doubtless lost because his opponent was using a spell intended for the battlefield, and Professor Trilgras lacked cover to shelter behind."
"How much does that matter?" Jason asked. He'd had Mr. Colbert's take on the battle, but another perspective on magical combat sounded interesting, and possibly worth risking the captain's displeasure.
But Captain Wardes merely shrugged. "I wouldn't care to engage a mage-knight with nothing more than a duelist's spells, no matter the environment, but they're closer to a skirmisher's repertoire than anything else. Except that a duel is conducted in the open, between two mages, without the complications of ambushes or reinforcements. In addition, a duelist's spells must impress the onlookers, whereas a mage-knight is content with victory."
The Gallian azuretop frowned. "Then, to learn his spells, as he urges-?"
The captain shook his head. "A waste of time, unless you wish to embark on the tournament circuits yourself. But as I said, most dueling spells are adapted from skirmisher spells, and even the most peace-loving mage is well advised to learn at least a few of those, in case they're confronted by close and imminent danger."
He smiled at the tiny girl. "Your reputation precedes you, Dame Tabitha. If you wish to continue a life of battle, you would be well advised to learn and master those original skirmishing spells. A mage who relies on assault spells or vernacula must still remain wary of the possibility of ambush, after all."
Tabitha looked thoughtful, then nodded.
"'Assault' spells?" Jason repeated. "From the context, I'm guessing that those are long range, or have a large-scale effect?"
Captain Wardes gave him a sharp, annoyed glance – this was clearly the last question he could get away with – but deigned to reply: "Just so. They are the spells that, if they hit unopposed, can decide entire battles. They destroy fortifications, they lay low the mightiest of warbeasts, and they slay entire armies.
"And yet, the most efficient spells for defeating armies are often also the most easily defended against, if the enemy's mages are free to cast." His eyes glinted in self-satisfaction. "Just as the arrows of those bandits were swept away with a single spell."
"But, Professor Trilgras. The same, he said," Tabitha protested, sounding perhaps a little confused. "That wind could sweep away all, fire, water, and earth."
"Air is singularly well-disposed towards defending one's own army from a ranged assault," the captain admitted, smiling slightly . . . perhaps because the new question was from a noblewoman, rather than an uppity commoner. "Only cannon resist diversion by the aegis spells of air, for even musketry may be diverted if Windwall is cast by a Square or a sufficiently powerful and skilled Triangle. But each element has its own approach to aegis, with its own strengths and weaknesses. Water can be even more potent in defense if there is a nearby lake or stream to draw from. Earth can erect barriers sufficient to stop even cannonballs, but is weak against assault spells that utilize a softer approach."
The azuretop nodded, looking thoughtful once more.
"What about Fire?" Kirche put in, sounding a bit indignant. "Don't leave out the most glorious element of them all!"
Captain Wardes's eyebrows rose. "Surely the most glorious element is Brimir's holy Void."
She scowled. "I'm talking about magic, not religion!"
"Then has your Professor not warned you? Just as Fire may most readily be turned to the offense, it is the element least suited to defense. The aegis spells of Fire rely on destroying the assault spell, and that is often more more costly than the original spell. Unless you are facing an assault that corrupts or taints its environs, and thus requires the purifying touch of fire to cleanse, you are best advised to attack your foes rather than attack their attacks."
Kirche didn't look satisfied with the answer, but she didn't utter any further objections, and breakfast finished in silence.
"I'm still not happy that they're determined to come along," Wardes began, after they'd returned to their rooms, "but we shall obviously not be able to stop them without incident. And I suppose we shall value their wands if we are attacked once more."
"We don't need their wands," Louise pouted. "Couldn't we come up with some clever ploy to slip away without them knowing?"
"That depends," Jason put in. "Is an airship faster than Tabitha's familiar? In that case we'd just need to cast off before they found out which ship we're taking passage with, and she wouldn't be able to keep up the pursuit after we got out of sight."
"Unfortunately, we will not be taking passage on a warship," the captain replied drily. "Dame Tabitha's familiar will have no trouble following us as long as she has any trail to follow, and a ship can be seen from a very long ways off." His mouth twisted in a wry grimace. "It's one of the disadvantages of flight, that one cannot fly unseen without the cover of clouds, fog, or night."
"So we need to slip away before they realize it, and be out of sight before Dame Tabitha can follow us," Louise decided, with a determined expression.
"Indeed." Captain Wardes smiled slightly. "I was thinking along similar lines, and I shall endeavor to arrange. But it may be that we are forced to accept their company. For today, shall we take a stroll around the city, once we've arranged passage? The docks of La Rochelle are especially interesting if you haven't visited the city before."
"That sounds-" She broke off and looked at Jason. "Are you recovered enough to join us? You're hardly limping, this morning." She looked a little hopeful, asking that, but also seemed a little tense, awaiting his response.
On the one hand, his jealous impulses did not want to give the two nobles extra time alone. On the other . . . "That's as much bravado as anything," he admitted. "Yes, I'm feeling much better than yesterday, but I probably shouldn't be walking around all day while I'm still this sore." Then he paused for a moment. "Unless this stroll is really, 'let's sneak out and leave the city while the others relax at the Inn.'"
The captain shook his head. "It's not, so there's no need to feign greater recovery than is the case."
Jason nodded in understanding . . . and Louise smiled and relaxed. Oh goddammit! She was hoping we'd stay here so she could get some completely alone time in with him!
It might as well be official: We're the third wheel.
"Without a warship at our disposal," Captain Wardes mused as he continued on, "arranging passage will take at least a day, and perhaps longer if berths are scarce. In the meantime, there are mineral baths available to aid the recuperation of travelers stiff from riding. Spending some time there should hopefully be to your benefit." Then he smiled slightly again. "And if you should encounter our unwanted interlopers, implying that we shall remain at the Goddess Temple Inn for the next several days while you recover may put them off their guard."
Jason nodded stiffly, trying not to look resentful or accusing. "If I see them, I'll give it a try."
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The medicinal baths were each in their own small room, which were mostly taken up by pools large enough to move around in a bit. Presumably the size was intended to allow recuperative therapy, but he was content as he could be to sit at one end and try to relax.
Whatever was in the mineral bath tingled and stung on his sores as he sat there, doing his best to clear his mind and hopefully dose off so that he wouldn't obsess over the opportunities that a stroll with his little mistress might afford her fiancé. It wasn't easy – he knew what she could be willing to get up to in the privacy of a convenient alley! – but he focused on breathing deeply and evenly and did his best to avoid thinking about it.
He'd almost managed to nod off when there was a splash, and then Kirche's voice, full of amusement: "See, I was right! Vallière has been sending him to the gymnasium!"
A second and much more subdued splash followed, and he opened his eyes to see both the redhead and Tabitha (still carrying her book from breakfast) sitting down in the pool opposite him. Granted, they had towels wrapped around them, but-
"What. The. Hell?!" Jason asked incredulously. "Men and women don't share baths around here!"
"That's only at the Academy," Kirche replied with a smirk. "Travelers here decide what their own rules are."
"And you thought-!" He broke off, sputtering. "Y-you're b-b-both getting into a b-bath with a naked man, and-"
The redhead rolled her eyes. "Tabitha, give us some privacy before he starts to draw attention to us."
The azuretop looked up from her book at her friend, then shrugged, reached behind her to grasp her staff, and cast a quick spell. The ambient noises from the rest of the Inn were suddenly cut off.
"Silence, I presume?" Jason asked, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Tabitha, could you make sure she doesn't cast anything on me, as long as I don't do something stupid like attack the two of you?"
She gave him a considering look, then nodded shortly and returned her attention to her book.
Kirche's eyes gleamed with mischief. "So if you try to come over here, I'm free to cast whatever I like?"
So saying, she whipped her towel off, set it behind her next to her wand, and grinned in satisfaction when he failed to keep his eyes from popping wide open. "Are you certain you don't want to join us on this side?"
"I-!" Looking away from her generous bust, gently and buoyantly dancing on the surface of the pool, was proving to be impossible. And his eyes refused to close, too.
But after a few panicked moments where rational thought just wasn't happening, he was able to clap his hands against his face and block the line of sight. Which was enough to let his brain reboot.
Dammit, it's Kirche! We shouldn't have been that surprised when she tried to induce Sudden Uncovered Mammary Syndrome in us.
Not tried. Succeeded. Dammit to hell!
"A little more warning before you do that, please," Jason groaned, his hands still over his eyes.
"Oh, but you're the one who took his clothes off first!" Kirche pointed out in an impossibly earnest tone. "Exposing yourself to a delicate young lady like Tabitha like that!"
He dropped his hands to gape disbelievingly at her, only to see her satisfied smirk in reply.
Oh, and her admittedly magnificent bosom, still floating on the surface. And despite what cartoons would have us believe about bathtubs, said surface conceals nothing.
. . .
Louise can never know that this meeting took place.
For her part, Tabitha (still wearing her towel, thankfully!) was giving her taller redheaded friend a faintly chiding look, before she turned back to her book.
Jason sighed. "Okay, I have to ask. Isn't it risking a lot to read a book while you're bathing?"
The tiny Gallian mage shook her head. "Rainward," she said softly, then lifted a bit of water and sprinkled it on her book. The liquid dripped off back into the pool without so much as wetting the pages or even beading on them.
"Oh." He tilted his head quizzically. "You're of Air, if I'm recalling it right. Is Rainward a praestum? Or does it affect water because clouds fall under the penumbra of weather, and thus air?"
Tabitha shook her head. "It is-"
She broke off, frowning for a moment. "It is . . . an elementari of Water. I-"
Another pause. "Of Water . . . I have the first."
Kirche nodded enthusiastically. Which set her breasts to bouncing once more, he couldn't not notice. "Tabitha doesn't have quite as strong an affinity for Wind as my affinity for Fire, but she's already learned her Dot of Water. I'm going to have to become a Square as soon as I can if I want to keep up with her!"
Louise's nemesis, as a Square. Four times as strong as she already is, and that's before she starts learning tetra-element spells. "The mind boggles," he replied faintly. "Alright, I think we've sparred enough. What are the two of you doing here? I need to recover before we continue the journey, but neither of you has that problem."
The smile left the redhead's face, although her eyes gleamed. "Maybe I want to make your master jealous, so she'll stop mooning after that man that her parents told her to marry."
Jason lifted an eyebrow. "If Louise looks through my eyes and sees me cavorting with you, she won't be jealous, she'll be murderous. And given that we're not at the Academy and this Inn has a – court of honor? Was that the term? – She's perfectly capable of challenging you to a duel, and you know how much time she's put in practicing her aim this Spring."
Kirche's eyes narrowed. "If you're still insanely loyal to her, we don't need to spend time cavorting. Just seem friendly enough with each other that she steps away from the side of her beloved fiancé to assert her position as your master. And then I'll show him what it's like when air fans a glorious flame, rather than a flickering candle."
He blinked, as the redhead's words inspired a swell of mixed emotion. A surge of hope that he might yet get his little mistress back. Annoyance that she was proposing something that would only work in cliché-infested television. Competitive outrage at the comparison between his little mistress and her nemesis.
And, to be honest, no small amount of irritation and disappointment, that Kirche was so obviously not interested in him when there was a magical peer for her to preen for. Apparently our ego found it flattering when she claimed to be passionately attracted to us, even though we knew it was just a way to hurt Louise. We really are an idiot.
Of course, none of this needs to be said out loud to a household enemy. "You still haven't planned for what'll happen if my little mistress decides to look through my eyes and sees your tits floating in front of my face like that."
"The pink bitch can't," the redhead shrugged, the motion lifting her breasts almost entirely out of the water for a moment and he really needed to stop letting himself get distracted by the sexy. Because the twin mountains of sexy were damn near hypnotic when they moved, and he couldn't afford to be mesmerized.
She continued, apparently ignoring, at least for the moment, the effect she was having on him. "Tabitha hasn't been able to do more than talk with her familiar, and she found a treatise on familiars . . . what was it, again?"
"Familiarity of Thought," came the soft reply, the azuretop not even looking up from her book as she turned a page.
"That's it!" Kirche agreed. "The most cunning familiars – mainly monkeys – are so smart that their minds are independent, and you can't see through their eyes, or direct them at a distance. And you are at least as smart as a monkey, so your master can't learn to ride your mind like most masters and familiars."
"Sylphid's intelligent enough to think and imagine?" A troubling thought. He'd been operating under the assumption that the familiar summoning didn't routinely pull sapient creatures out of their normal lives to enslave them. But if it did, then- "How's she handling being a familiar?"
Tabitha looked up from her book and gave him an indecipherable expression. "She . . . her big sister, now I am. Like a child, very young, adopted."
Kirche nodded vigorously, and Jason was only almost able to keep his gaze above her neckline. "Wind dragons aren't intelligent, so being smart enough to 'think and imagine' is one of Sylphid's auxilia. But she's like a baby, because she's so new to it."
"Ah." That didn't seem so bad. Auxilia came in all kinds, from what he'd been reading before the mission to Bruxelles. One that upgraded animal sentience to full sapience didn't seem impossible, especially if it meant starting off with the mind of a toddler or thereabouts. "I'll bet she's a handful. And with her size, how did you arrange to sleep next to her, to help the familiar bond grow strong?"
Tabitha looked up again, her pale cheeks growing pink as she flushed. "Sylphid . . . changes. Another auxilum. In my bedroom, she sleeps." Then she quickly looked back down to her book.
He felt a flash of pity for the girl. She was clearly shy, and now she was being interrogated by his sense of curiosity and desire to know all the ins and outs of Halkagenia and its magic. So it was time to let her be. "She changes size? Nifty."
Kirche laughed. "She does! Enough that they can sleep on the same bed, curled up together. No piles of straw for a valued familiar."
The azuretop, flushing even darker, shot her friend a quelling look.
Apparently there's some inside joke that we're not privy to. And Tabitha'd clearly like us to drop it. So let's grab the obvious segue. "Louise doesn't make me sleep on a pile of straw, you know. That was because she was expecting an animal, not a person. I got a mattress to sleep on after the first night."
"Oh, but not with her on her bed?" Kirche cooed mockingly. "You should have realized then that she didn't return your infatuation."
As much as he wanted to retort that Louise had pulled him into her bed the day they reached the Charming Faerie Inn – and that was an interesting parallel with how Kirche had been willing to bathe naked with him as soon as they arrived at the Goddess Temple Inn – it was something that he couldn't remark on. And again, it'd be handing a household enemy too much ammunition, in the form of malicious gossip.
So he settled for a flat-out lie: "Claiming I'm infatuated is going a little far, don't you think?"
"Don't take me for a fool!" she replied with a smirk. "I'm better informed how you feel about your master than anyone else."
"I rather doubt that," Jason retorted. "You are not my confidant."
"I don't have to be," she sneeringly countered. "I know exactly what my spells do, and if you chose her over me-!"
He flinched, paling as his mind brought up a quick replay of the more sensuous memories of that embarrassing night, almost a couple of months ago. Which, granted, had resulted in Louise giving him a quick kiss goodnight after all was said and done, but still-!
Kirche, upon seeing his reaction, smirked again. "But you obviously didn't impress her, if she left your side as soon as her arranged husband showed up. You should have stayed with me, and maybe learned something about how to please a woman."
It was only that Jason was still tired, sore, and recovering that prevented him from reacting to the aspersion on his lovemaking skills. Nonetheless he had just long enough to let his brain catch up with his ego and bite back the obvious counter-claims. "If you're renewing the offer, you're a bit late. Now that . . . now that Captain Wardes has shown up and drawn my little mistress to his side, that is."
It hurt, admitting it. Going to hurt for a good long while. But the only chance for us to win Louise is if the captain manages to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. And that's something that can't be counted on.
But at least Kirche's eyes narrowed slightly as she caught the implication that he had no use for her other than to better his chances of winning his little mistress's regard. (Which seemed fair enough, since she was clearly only looking to use him to have a better shot at Louise's fiancé.)
"So you've finally figured out that a commoner has no hope with a noble?" she asked, with a touch of venom.
"I'm only a commoner by the local rules," he noted mildly. "I'm from far enough away that we organize ourselves rather differently."
"What does it matter where you're from?" Kirche sneered. "In Tristain you're nothing but a commoner. This isn't Germania, after all."
Jason blinked. Wait, is this an opportunity to find out about Germania's social mobility options? But dammit, we gotta be subtle! So he settled for a serene, hopefully-enigmatic smile, and waited.
The redhead caved first. "Is that was Mr. Colbert's secret project is about? Creating something impressive so that you can win a title from His Imperial Majesty, once the Imperial Heir marries her Royal Highess?" She shook her head. "It'd have to be truly impressive. Every mechanist in Germania has the same ambition."
Score! Commoners can become nobles in Germania! But now it was time to play it cool, and not give away that he hadn't already known it.
So Jason kept that same serene smile, and tried to school his voice to match. "It is a rather obvious route, for someone with more cleverness than money or breeding," he replied. "But I'm from far enough away that some of the machines from back home haven't showed up around here yet. So if that is what I'm doing, which I will neither confirm nor deny, I should at least have whatever advantage novelty can confer."
"And how do you know that your little bitch of a master won't marry her beloved fiancé before you can win a title?"
Well, yes, that is the worst-case scenario for our aspirations. But again, Louise's nemesis didn't need to know what he was worried about, so he shrugged. "She wants to finish her Academy education before she gets married. So that's at least two years off." And thinking about it, we gotta wonder if she sees marrying now as a failure state. Is that what she'd have had to do if her magic had never improved? "But if you think you can convince Captain Wardes to have an affair with you, you hardly need my permission or encouragement."
"Hmph!"
Neither mage said anything after that, and Jason let his eyes close, shifting slightly to let the mineral water get at every inch of his sores and bruises.
He'd almost managed to dose off when there was a large splash on the other side of the pool. He opened his eyes to see Kirche standing up in all her au natural glory, and then turning (and showing off a heart-shaped derriere, if perhaps rather more wobbly than his little mistress's bottom) as she stepped out of the pool. "Come on, Tabitha. This is boring! Let's find something better to do with the afternoon!"
The azuretop lifted her head from her book, then shrugged and likewise stepped out of the small pool, her towel-clad form dripping as she picked up her staff.
A not-all-that-small part of Jason glared at the rest of him, metaphorical eyes full of betrayed indignation, as the two girls left the room.
"Don't be an idiot," he told that part of himself once he was alone again. "Not only are rebound flings a really bad idea, if we even tried to have sex with Kirche there's no way it wouldn't get back to Louise sooner or later. Magnificent tits and a fairly decent ass don't make it worth the risk when the odds of disaster are one hundred percent.
"Although I gotta wonder what her issue against the idea of arranged marriages is? Does she have one she wants to avoid? Maybe Tabitha's stuck in one?" He sighed. "Pity we didn't know how to turn the conversation around to whatever her problem is with the subject. Might be valuable ammunition against her at some point."
Then Jason closed his eyes and did his best to doze off again.
When he woke up, he was thankfully alone.
[hi][,][louise]
A few moments later: [hello][,][how are you feeling][?]
[i dozed off in the mineral bath] he admitted. Then, standing up and stretching: [still sore][,][but mobile].[hows the stroll going][?][or did you two board ship and leave for albion already][?]
There was another pause, and her reply, when it came, seemed somehow hesitant. [jean jacques found us berths][,][and we leave in two days].[he did see if we could leave tonight][,][but no captain was willing][,][because the charts are wrong for it]
[so we try to get kirche and tabitha to think we take ship in 3 or 4 days][,][then]
[that sounds good].[we are coming back to the inn soon][,][for supper].[be ready to join us]
Well, that was a fairly clear order. So Jason got his flabby and temporarily wrinkled ass out of the pool, dried off as quickly as he could, dressed, and made his way back to their suite.
The room was empty, but he'd only been there a few minutes when the door opened and Captain Wardes stepped in with Louise on his arm.
The captain was all pleasant smiles and murmuring endearments as he dropped his fianceé off in her smaller adjoining room, but if Jason wasn't entirely misreading his little mistress, as she'd been escorted past him her face looked just a little bit strained. Like her circumstances were trying but she was doing her best not to react.
[are you ok][?] he asked as Captain Wardes began changing out of his clothes into something cleaner to wear to supper. [is anything wrong][?]
[no][!]
Uh- [no to which question][?]
[no][,][im not]
Louise broke off, and there was a long pause.
[nothing is wrong] she finally told him. [its just been a long day][,][and i needed to reacquaint myself with jean jacques anyway]
Well maybe that was some indication that all was not well in fiancé-land.
Or maybe Jason was just indulging in some wishful thinking.
One of the two.
Then her door opened, and Louise stepped through, dressed in a pale evening gown(again with red highlights for her Fire affinity).
"You look radiant, little rose," Captain Wardes said as he stepped over to her, raising his hand and letting it fall down the length of her pink tresses. "I keep wondering where the thorns are hidden."
She blushed prettily, and Jason had to keep from scowling as the two nobles once again left arm-in-arm and led the way to a dining room, softly and happily chatting with each other. We really didn't want it to be wishful thinking.
Because if she was distressed about something, but not with her fiancé? Well, Kirche was certainly a thorn in his little mistress' side. But how would the Germanian redhead pertain to her relationship with Jean-Jacques? Unless the man was looking at acquiring a mistress of his own already . . .
It was tempting to assume the worst of him, but that kind of temptation was nothing more than foolish jealous idiocy. No, if Louise was distressed about anything pertaining to the man that she was supposed to marriage, there was the obvious elephant in the room.
Otherwise known as the third wheel she'd brought along.
Her familiar.
Tabitha was already sitting there when they arrived, reading her book.
Gotta respect her dedication as a bookworm, but does she do that everywhere she feels she can get away with it?
"Good evening, Dame Tabitha," the captain murmured. "Has your companion been detained on some errand?"
The azuretop nodded. Then she put her book down, and spoke slowly but clearly: "Packed earth resists the wind, and will not be swept up."
"That depends on the strength of the wind in question," Captain Wardes replied, as he sat down. "But it is a weakness of air, yes. For all that it can push with the force of a hurricane, air seeks the easiest path, and will yield more readily than any element. Save fire, perhaps, but fire punishes even as it yields."
"And a hot enough flame will burn even a rock!" Kirche announced, bouncing into the dining room with an evening gown that was cut so very low that it just about had to have been glued on to keep from falling off her cleavage entirely.
Or maybe there's a spell for that. Or a potion. Or her bra is a nobilum. Whatever. The point is that we're getting flashbacks to Lulu from Final Fantasy X. And oh shit Louise won't want us noticing-!
But when he turned his gaze away with a guilty wince his little mistress was pouting at Jean-Jacques for following the busty redhead's bouncing as she made her entrance and sat down.
Dammit.
"Just so," the captain agreed, not appearing to notice his fianceé's expression.
"But air can be made to cut," Tabitha put in, again slowly and carefully. (It seemed likely that she'd prepared her questions ahead of time, so that this time she wouldn't be hindered by the grammatical differences between Tristainian and her native Gallian.) "And Shriek of the Eviscerating Storm cannot be turned away."
"Did your Professor Trilgras make that claim?" Wardes asked.
She nodded.
"He was mistaken. The Eviscerating Storm is indeed mighty, and has won more than one battle, but Air can counter it, and Earth can raise shelter against it. Even commoner soldiers, if their shield-discipline is enough, can survive for a time against it if they hold the proper formation."
"What can Fire do?" Kirche demanded. "Don't try to say it's useless: Air is fuel for Fire!"
Captain Wardes smiled at her. "If you wish merely to defend, then burn away that portion of the Storm that falls on you and your allies; a mage of Water is best advised to raise a barrier with whatever water is at hand and hold it until the Storm is spent. But you are of Fire, Miss Zerbst, and your best response to Eviscerating Storm is to attack the mage casting the spell and disrupt his concentration.
"That's its true weakness: The Eviscerating family of elementari are difficult to learn, difficult to cast, and require intense concentration to maintain. I prefer Brush of the Divine for its speed, but the focus required leaves me still and vulnerable for that brief instant."
"But Earth is the ideal of defense," Tabitha said thoughtfully.
"It's considered the opposing counterpart to Air for good reason, just as Fire and Water oppose each other," the captain replied, nodding. "Paired together, they can form defenses that are extraordinarily difficult to breach with assault spells, and then taking their position means sending in soldiers. And when the opposing force has any mages of Earth with them, then taking their position means assaulting whatever fortifications they've had the time and vis to erect."
He grimaced slightly. "The worst casualties I've ever taken were from just such an assault: The enemy mages had sabotaged their own position once it was clear that victory was mine. And one of their Earth mages was with the rear guard, to ensure that each trap laid down was maximally effective against my soldiers."
Wardes then sneered. "They were waiting for someone to take to the air, of course, but it was worth the hazard. Aanval knows to evade incoming spells and arrows, and once I was high enough, I found a column of windshear and sent it down on the enemy rear guard as a tornado."
His sneer turned into a savage smile. "And then when the mage fled, I used the last of that turbulence to strike him down with Lightning, and signaled the advance. The retreat turned into a rout, and the conflict was soon decided in our favor. I took my title of the Lightning from that battle."
"Do wars still go on, then?" Jason asked diffidently. "I was under the impression that Halkagenia's been mostly at peace for the last generation."
The captain gave him a narrow glance, but didn't reply.
"We've been at peace on the scale of nations," Louise quickly broke in to clarify. "But smaller conflicts still happen. Nobles don't always wish to take their problems to their monarch to solve, especially if they think the decision will be to the favor of the Crown rather than one of them."
Wardes smiled tightly, apparently not entirely happy that she'd chosen to indulge her 'retainer's' curiosity. "Peace is the desire of any follower of Brimir, of course, for only then will we be judged worthy of the ancient glories that our forebears cast aside. But it's true that the petty wars of the present day lack a certain grandeur that previous generations enjoyed. Even being a member of a knightly order is not what it once was."
"I know!" Kirche burst out. "By my age, my father had already had adventures that are still sung about!" Her voice quieted a little, and turned almost pleading. "How does one find proper adventure in these soft days?"
The captain's eyebrows shot up. "Well, when I joined the Gryphon Knights, they hadn't gone to war in any real sense for over twenty years. But knights must not be allowed to go soft, and so we were expected to arrange for as much experience in warfare as we could manage.
"Thus, I soon signed on with Stormwrath, which at the time was considered an honorable unit. With Aanval as my familiar, and not merely my mount, I was readily accepted despite my youth."
"Yes, but I've heard that even the mercenaries don't like to take women," she countered.
"They don't," he agreed. "Although a powerful young noble is likely to be accepted, even a woman. The issue is one of discipline: It does a company no good if the soldiers are quarreling with each other, or if there is the appearance of favoritism. So a noblewoman who joins a mercenary company may expect to be surrounded by a great many athletic young men, but be forbidden to seek their company in her bed."
"What?!" the redhead squawked. "That's not fair!"
"Perhaps not, but it's much of why there are so few noblewomen who live by the swordwand. Of course, for a promising young Triangle, exceptions can always be made."
She pouted. "But they'd want me to stick to one lover, wouldn't they?"
Louise rolled her eyes. "How it is like, fighting from gryphon-back?" she quickly asked. "I've flown on Mother's manticore, but of course I haven't had a chance to practice fighting from it."
"Fighting in the air is a matter of positioning, little rose," her fiancé responded, smiling indulgently. "When I fly high enough, I'm safe from all but sharpshooters, but then I have difficulty aiming at anything but the largest of targets, and convenient currents of air are not always present to be exploited. That is, in fact, the decision I'm constantly having to make in battle. Do I seek my immediate safety, and limit my effectiveness, or is it worth it to leave myself vulnerable for long enough to cast something that will decisively impact the battle?
"This is compounded by the fact that it's often difficult, if one is on foot, to clearly see the enemy forces likewise on foot, but everyone can see me when I'm in the air. And if I fly low, to maximize the effectiveness of my spells, I'm not only targeted by mages and riflemen, but by the archers. Lower still and anyone with a spear at hand will likely throw it at me as well!
"Thus, at the beginning of most battles I am best put to use in fighting against the enemy flying cavalry. Once they're dispatched, or at least put to retreat, then I can scout out the positioning of the enemy forces, and relay them to the officers on the ground. And then, once the enemy on the ground are distracted, I can ensure the defeat of the remainder without ever coming into spear-range."
His smile turned nostalgic. "Of course, I was not always so cautious. When I first joined Stormwrath I was eager to prove myself, and my first chance to do so was at the Battle of Amontar." He suddenly chuckled. "I say 'battle', but that border dispute was barely a skirmish. Not even two hundred on either side."
"The battle-?" Tabitha looked up from her book. Then, speaking rapidly: "Gallia is still very put out by the result of Amontar."
Kirche gave her friend a sharp glance, before turning back to look at the captain. "What did you do?"
Wardes's nostalgic smile turned into a grin. "When the infantry were about to clash, I flew just above the enemy soldiers, almost low enough to snatch the spears from them. Save that I didn't need to, since most threw them at me as soon as they had a clear shot. Then I slew their captain and his lieutenant, and as the rest were trying to reorder themselves the rest of Stormwrath were already upon them, in their haste to save me from my folly. We took almost no casualties, and I was ever so proud of myself."
The grin faded. "Then Captain Hugo had me flogged, ten lashes by his own hand, for doing something so foolhardy. I was in the sick tent for most of a week, before the medico was certain I wouldn't be maimed or scarred. Fortunately, the lesson stuck with me, and he never needed to order me flogged again."
"I wouldn't be that foolish," Kirche said, tossing her head. "One good Fireball would have done for the captain and everyone around him, without having to get close like that."
"Ah, but the captain was behind a well-raised berm, and we'd already lost a scout discovering that they had excellent riflemen watching for an attack from high above." The captain reached back and rubbed his back, likely where the whip had split his skin however many years ago. "When Captain Hugo retired, he told me that I was a captain's nightmare when I'd joined: Bright enough to get into trouble, not experienced enough to know which ideas were bad ones, and too talented to turn away. Keeping me alive long enough to learn from my mistakes were responsible for no few number of his gray hairs."
He shook his head. "Captain Rayan was not nearly as good a captain, and Stormwrath was soon in decline. But my time with them was well spent.
"I even led my own company for a time, the Skyfury, but so many veterans of Stormwrath had the same idea, and the competition was fierce enough that when I was offered the post of the Captain of the Royal Guard, I was glad to accept it for myself and any of my men willing to follow me into the direct service of the Crown."
Wardes then chuckled ruefully. "And unfortunately, a clever young princess can be very nearly as dangerous as a clever young mage-knight, but having her Highness flogged is out of the question!"
Louise's eyes opened wide at that. "Would you really-?" she began in a horrified tone.
"Women were not spared the lash when they acted foolishly or against orders, those few who joined the companies and fought." The captain shrugged. "It would rid her of many a foolish notion, I'm sure, but one does not take a whip to royalty, even if she would heal without scarring, as I did. No, little rose, we shall simply have to pray to Brimir that her Royal mother's lectures have their intended effect. Eventually."
His little rose opened her mouth . . . but then didn't seem to know what to say, and only nodded faintly.
"Questing may prove more to my taste, then," Kirche broke in to declare. "Boys who want to hit me are just tedious."
"If you decline the discipline of a well-ordered company but still seek the danger, then, yes, questing might suit you better," Wardes replied drily.
"I'm not afraid of danger!" she snapped. "I was one of the ones who pursued Fouquet when he broke into the Academy! And none of the teachers were willing to until after I volunteered."
Louise stiffened, and Jason did his very best to hold still and not catch her attention.
"How did that battle go for you?" the captain asked. "You of course survived without crippling injury."
Kirche scowled. "It could have gone better," she admitted. "That enormous elemental golem he called up . . . nothing I cast had any effect on it! I even tried to char the joints, the way Father always said, but it ignored it all!"
Her scowl deepened. "If Tabitha and Professor Colbert hadn't been so effective together, and almost trapped Fouquet before he retreated, he would have beaten me!"
"Slain you, most likely," Wardes agreed. "Fouquet has no love for nobility. Likely stripped of his title for crimes against Brimir. But as to his vernaculum: I've never seen Fouquet's golem for myself, but I've heard that it's larger than most buildings."
Tabitha gave a tiny nod, and Kirche a more emphatic one. "As tall as one of the Academy towers!" the latter exclaimed. "And just as thick!"
"There you have it, then," the captain replied. "You could not hope to char more than the surface of its joints, not nearly deep enough to disable them. It truly was as massive as you say?"
Both girls nodded again.
"Astounding. Such a large elemental shouldn't be possible, especially of Earth, the heaviest and densest element. No one knows if Fouquet has discovered a better spell, a long-forgotten Relic, or if he simply has an absurdly potent affinity for his choice of vernacula . . . but I am glad it's not common knowledge, whatever secret he hold. Mages of Earth are powerful enough already, in battle."
"He ought to go to Germania, and get a new title," Kirche remarked. "If it's something he could pass on to his children, he could create a military family every bit as respected as the de Gramonts!"
"Please do not suggest it, if you encounter him again," Wardes urged, frowning. "The de Gramont valkyries are difficult enough to face in battle, which I fortunately have never had to do."
The redhead laughed, and tossed her hair again. (And set her breasts to jiggling, but after the encounter in the pool Jason was somewhat inoculated against the effect.) "He's a strong mage, and as untraditional as they get! He might be the perfect addition to the Zerbst line."
Louise snorted in disgust. "You're welcome to him," she muttered, but loud enough that everyone could hear her.
Kirche opened her mouth to reply, but then there was a knock on the door, and one of the hotel staff stuck his head in.
"It's growing later in the evening," he said, apologetically. "We hadn't wished to disturb your conference, but normally we'd bank the hearths for the night in just a little while. If you're ready to be served?"
By the various expression around the table, Jason could tell that he wasn't the only one who'd forgotten about eating while listening to Captain Wardes expound on his military experiences. He suppressed a chuckle as several head nodded, and felt his stomach rumble as dishes began to be brought in.
At the captain's urging, Jason took a short stroll before bed, to stretch his legs and encourage blood-flow. He'd just returned to the hall where their rooms were when he spotted Louise, waiting just outside her room. She looked up as he approached, and had a pinched expression.
"You okay, little mistress?" he asked quietly.
She nodded quickly. Then, just as quietly: "Jean-Jacques doesn't like you very much, you know."
A pit suddenly appeared in his stomach, but Jason nodded back. "I gathered."
"He'll get used to you, in time," Louise assured him. "I did, after all. But you must stop asking him questions."
She held up her hand, palm out, as he opened his mouth to reply. "I know," she told him, still quietly but emphatically. "I know you're curious about everything. That's good, most of the time. You aren't just an unusually clever commoner, and you do need to learn everything you can to give me the best counsel, but-"
She broke off and took a deep breath. "I haven't seen Jean-Jacques since I was six, since just before he joined the Gryphon Knights. I need time to get to know him again. Then there will be time for him to become accustomed to your unusual manner.
"For now? If you have a question, ask me. If I don't know the answer, I'll ask it out loud. Do you understand?"
The roil of emotions that he'd been dealing with ever since finding out about Wardes came close enough to the surface that his face twitched, and he longed to reply directly from the heart. But the look on Louise's face was more pleading than commanding, and she'd never promised to seek his approval for whoever she sought to marry.
So he closed his eyes and bowed his head. "Yes, little mistress."
"Thank you, Jason."
And when they'd gone into their separate rooms, and he was lying down on the bed next to the man who'd beaten him without even having to try, not one single tear dripped down his face as he waited to fall asleep.
No one would ever get him to say otherwise.
A/N:
New Spells: Windwall – Air spell, defensive use, apparently battlefield scope. Possibly what Captain Wardes used to deflect the bandit attacks in the last chapter.
Rainward – Dot of Water, and proof that Tabitha is best mage.
Shriek of the Eviscerating Storm – Wind spell of unknown but considerable potency, either Triangle or Square. Army-killer assault spell.
Brush of the Divine – lower-tier spell in the tree leading up to Shriek of the Eviscerating Storm. Most likely either Dot or Line. From context, cuts, and is thus a fairly obvious Okami reference.
Lightning – yep. Captain Wardes can cast this.