QUEEN OF RUIN
Renia lay in her bed that night, staring at the ceiling.
'Give Tristain a chance to impress you!' the girl had naively said. What Renia heard now was 'give Tristain a chance to see you.' It would no longer be the occasional awestruck student in the hallway or cadre of serving girls that drifted in and out of her room at all times of the day. It would no longer be just Headmaster Osmund, or Longueville, or La Vallière. She would no longer be able to tailor her approach to just one or three people. She would be deceiving an entire country into believing a fifth kingdom existed on their continent. A peer nation.
At any time, that facade could shatter.
She turned her head towards the window, seeing those now familiar twin moons in the night sky surrounded by constellations she was slowly learning the names of. They believed she grew up underneath this same sky. They believed she was like they were, born with the inherent ability for elemental magic as a descendant of the man they revered, and a believer in the same god. They believed that at any time, hostile troops searching for their missing monarch could march over the mountains. They would want to establish relations, formalize trade agreements and alliances.
They would want to see Edmund.
And she could not give that to them.
She couldn't, but perhaps…
She shut her eyes and turned away from the window. She fought the urge to seek out the golden gleam of her crown in the darkness.
Руин enjoyed taking the shapes of people. It liked searching for things to hurt her with, and to see her son across the table in the guise of an Emperor would sting. For that reason alone, she knew it would agree to such a ploy. Руин could conjure up an army. It could create perfect replicas of her most trusted generals and captains. It could create the supply trains of real food and armaments. It could create water in the desert, life from nothing, and a kingdom from a wish.
It could make her queen again.
But the cost.
She would have to go to war with Tristain. She would have to war with someone, just to pay the toll. It would take years of torment and suffering to pay that debt, she knew. She knew she must be desperate to be even considering it, and that would make it cost all the more. It would want to see her on her knees asking for such a boon. It would want her to beg. It made her do so before.
Her pride would not allow it.
But it would allow for a smaller Price.
She got out of bed, suddenly feeling tired. She did not drag her feet to the dresser where her Arcanum rested, and she did not hesitate to slip it onto her right arm beneath the cotton shift. She clenched her right hand into a fist and sought a demon.
The shadows of the room shifted. A phantom chill prickled along her spine as a breeze lazily drifted through the room. For the smaller ones, the weaker ones, breaching the barrier between her world and theirs left only small openings. For the ones with power, it required the weight of her own soul.
That familiar, low burn deep within her bones told her she succeeded.
The shadow formed before her, as big as a man wearing a grin filled with shark's teeth.
Sorceress. How may I serve?
The last time this one served, she had asked it to preserve the lives of three thousand knights.
She paid the cost with three hundred peasants.
I require complete control over the sphere of air, she told it. No more petty bargains of her blood, her pain. She would bleed dry from a dozen cuts if she continued as she was, but simply abstaining from magic was not an option. Not if she wanted to remain inconvenient for Tristain to simply suborn. Not if she wanted to remain free.
Tristain would see nothing less than a queen from her.
The demon's head twisted all the way around, with the wet cracking sound of bone. Coal black eyes opened on its carapace and she averted her gaze.
It would not do her well to stare for too long.
Duration?
Thirty days and nights.
It considered silently. She kept her breathing even and did nothing to interrupt its deliberation. Should it refuse, she had another she could call, she reminded herself. She did not need this one. She had seventy-three demons at her command. She would find a way without it. She would find a way.
It would be a substantial service, it began silkily and she almost rolled her eyes. It was always a substantial service. Only Руин dispensed with the illusions of limitation. There was only the Price. I would require sustenance.
It would be naught more than a favor from you, she countered mockingly. Is only one sphere such an effort?
It has been so long, it simpered in a display of submission. It crouched to her height, blinking a dozen eyes slowly. I merely wish to feed once again. You can spare the expense.
Giving in, she reluctantly questioned, And what expense is that?
Five, it answered immediately.
Five? She balked. That - no, fine. I am due a trip to the city. I can find the persons to...disappear.
The shadow shook in place. I wish to feed.
Not clean, then. It wouldn't be unfortunates drawn into their nightmare, it would be here. Like the village.
Renia swallowed around the lump in her throat. Unbidden, her eyes traveled to a sliver of moonlight shining on her white bed sheets.
The mess demons made was...distinctive.
She closed her eyes. Demons played tricks, yes. They cajoled, they wheeled, they squirmed through every loophole, every crack, every ounce of leniency, but in the end, a bargain well made was one well kept.
That did not make them safe.
Five people.
It wished to be given five people.
Cheap enough.
It would be getting them to deliver themselves to her that would be the challenge. Children would be easiest, but she -
There were other ways.
I will have complete control over the sphere of air for thirty days and nights in exchange for five people, she acquiesced.
Its head turned back around and she saw it grin once again.
Always a pleasure, Valeriya, it purred, pressing close. You always deliver.
After it vanished back into its ruby, she let out a small, mirthless laugh as she thought about Louise.
"Yes, I always do, don't I?"
She had an interesting guest that morning.
"Agnès de Milan," the woman said curtly. Orange blonde hair and sharp green eyes in a parade position stood at the head of her table. She was dressed in what Renia hesitated to label parade armor, simply from the vestiges of Louise's memories telling her that extravagant and impractical was simply the style here. She could tell the terseness wasn't a result of an emotion, but rather simply her personality. Like that of a bared battleaxe. "Chevalier in service of Princess Henrietta."
The woman seemed tired. It was in the way she carried herself a bit too stiffly, too tensely. It was in the way her eyes roamed the room a bit too quickly. It was no pretense, she could tell a search for threats when she saw one. However, her eyes moved too fast to say that the woman was actually thinking about what she was seeing. It was a novel feeling, having her bare right arm searched and the scars summarily dismissed by those eyes. Yes, it was nothing more than habit.
Two nights without sleep, Renia deduced. Perhaps three. Not enough for an experienced soldier to noticeably degrade, but enough to prompt that tendency towards overcompensation for a perceived deficiency. Four nights would be pushing it, unless Tristain was capable of producing exemplary knights.
She doubted it, but she was aware of her own biases in this area.
"Her Imperial Majesty," Marie began in the Imperial fashion and only stumbled slightly over the foreign word Tsarina and Renia was caught completely off guard by the thrum it sent through her hearing that again.
Empress.
So that was why the girl had asked for that piece of trivia. Technically incorrect, as she was Queen Regent no longer, but then, no one here needed to know that. And no one here would know that.
"Lady of Karbadia, and others." Marie finished primly and ignored the gimlet stare Agnès de Milan settled on her with ease.
"Very well done, Marie," Renia said with a satisfied smile. She must do something nice for the girl. That she would be attending the trip to the city was a given, perhaps a small purchase on her behalf? A ring or...a necklace. Gold and silver. Yes, that would do nicely. "What is it Princess Henrietta wishes of me?"
Affecting humility was no great feat, and was rewarded by the way Agnès' eyes darted to her face in surprise. No seasoned diplomat this one, which was interesting in and of itself that the princess would chose to put her on display rather than choose one of the many noble daughters attending the Academy to deliver the message. She must trust this soldier a great deal, to overlook such things. It also meant the girl fell into the 'controlling' category, refusing to compromise in favor of certainty.
"She wishes to join you for lunch today, if that is agreeable."
No diplomat, but careful enough with her words to avoid any insinuation of an order. No recommendation of company, topic, place or even food.
"That does put me in an awkward position," Renia admitted easily. "For, you see, I was to make a day trip to the city today with a few companions."
She did not offer tomorrow or that evening's dinner. She simply watched as Agnès closed her tired eyes with a small sigh.
"That will not be an issue."
Renia smiled, pleased. The girl was the controlling sort, but also more than a little anxious to meet her. That could be worked with.
"Excellent."
As soon as the door closed behind the Chevalier, Marie turned to her and hissed, "The princess!?"
"Peace, child," Renia murmured into her tea cup and chose to ignore the tone. Her apprehension was understandable. Marie had seen her at her lowest, on the verge on dying to poison. She'd seen first hand how mortal Renia was. And in return, she spent the time and effort building the girl up to forget about that inconvenient detail. The princess, on the other hand, was a more immediate threat. Marie had spent her entire life under the thumb of the noble class, and the royal family was at the top of that hierarchy. "Have you not learned how to act among nobility?"
The mild rebuke stiffened Marie's back, bringing something of a nostalgic pang to Renia's heart. Edmund had done the same when reprimanded. Where had that boy gone? "You're right, of course. I apologize for my outburst."
"Be sure to remember and you will do just fine," she said absently, setting her cup down as her eyes drifted to the window where the morning sun was still rising above the horizon. Her room was finally finished, give or take a few extra pieces the Headmaster felt like foisting off on her. The room itself was a strange amalgamation of several rooms, a dining area and sleeping area separated by carved wooden liners, with a space set aside for some function by the fireplace. All of it was wood, decorated with animal and plant carvings and modestly trimmed in silver. Dark wood pieces had been phased out for brighter cherry wood until everything matched. Her mirror caught a few early sun rays, reflecting onto dim spots of light on the gray stone walls.
It reminded her of Dallin's quarters, in some small way. The boy who grew up a farmer's son had never been comfortable with the extravagance of several private rooms and simply had the furniture moved instead. Most of which he moved himself, to the servant's horror. The schizophrenic mess of a room had nearly given the chamberlain a heart attack, she recalled.
Her fingers ghosted over the ruby sealing the cursed wound over her heart. Her apprentice had shown his true colors eventually. Eldbert's whelp. Eadred's grandson. Edmund's nephew. The boy she failed to murder.
Perhaps it didn't start with her son.
Perhaps she had gone wrong years and years before.
Marie made a questioning sound and Renia brought her mind back. It drifted away again almost immediately, comparing silver trimming to pearl insets. Wood carvings to jeweled engravings. Bright linens to shimmering silks.
She would have it again.
"Don't trouble yourself, Marie," she whispered. "Just thinking of home." She dropped her eyes to her tea cup and after a moment's thought, she set it aside. "I was considering the crimson and gold dress today," she began with a weak smile. "This seems like an occasion for the crown, I think."
Marie launched into a gushing discussion of her gowns that she only half-heard.
'Give Tristain a chance to impress you,' Vallière had said.
It would have its chance.
She was, after all, its captive audience.
When she saw their method of transportation, her nose wrinkled long before she picked up the familiar stink of animal.
Horses and carriage.
Of course it was.
Their designated driver, or whatever he was called, straightened at her approach, absently straightening his leathers and coat as his eyes trailed the gold of her dress across her shoulders and down her right arm of her golden Arcanum. She had her crown transfigured into a thin golden circlet with a small peak at her brow from which the two golden chains holding a small ruby in the center dangled. Marie decided to match her as best as she was able, wearing the red and white gown Renia had made for her on a whim born of extra leftover material and her hair in a braided crown. For once, Louise de La Vallière was not wearing the school uniform Renia had grown familiar with, but fidgeted in a tasteful cream colored dress with pink hems by the carriage.
She looked uncomfortable in it, or perhaps just uncomfortable with the situation. While not at the point of having bags under her eyes, there was a certain haggard cast to her face that told Renia the girl had been up most of the night worrying.
"It's not you," Renia said with a small laugh. "It has simply been a very long time since I've rode a horse and carriage."
Not since she was a girl.
"How long will travel take?" She asked the man by the horses.
For a moment, he looked absolutely struck dumb at being addressed directly. "Uh, two hours, your - your highness?"
She resolved to think of it like the annual trip to the Winter Palace in the countryside. Annoying, but infrequent and hopefully worth it.
"I would have thought you traveled often?" Marie asked her casually, and Renia caught the flash of what almost looked like envy on Louise's face. She would have to watch that, Renia thought idly. It wouldn't do to have her two girls at odds with one another.
"I did, but we have other means of getting from place to place by land." These people didn't even have a word for a locomotive or an engine. It would be decades before they could even conceive of it. If they ever did. "You do have the advantage of your airships," she admitted because it was true. Impossible to replicate, but she could imagine. "If we could duplicate your feat…"
"Perhaps that is something we could discuss later on?" A new voice joined the conversation and everyone turned.
A girl roughly sixteen, seventeen years of age walked up to them in a deep burgundy gown that matched the shade of her hair and deep blue eyes reflected in the sapphires adorning her silver circlet. Chevalier Agnès de Milan walked behind her right shoulder with a stern, almost scowling expression.
Louise let out a strangled squeak. "Princess Henrietta!"
"Louise."The princess smiled warmly telling Renia everything Louise's memories didn't about their relationship. "Oh, you look wonderful!"
The girl turned red. "I pale in comparison to you, your highness."
"Please don't," Henrietta said softly. She looked over them all, even Marie before meeting Renia's eyes proudly. "We are all going to the city as friends, aren't we?"
Oh, she liked this one.
Renia reached out and gently tugged on a pink lock of Louise's hair.
"She means relax, child. You are far too tense." Louise inhaled a deep breath and then slowly let it out. Then again, until the tension humming in her neck and shoulders loosened. Renia smiled at her. "This is supposed to be something fun, yes?"
"Yes!" Henrietta offered with a nod. "This was an excellent idea, Louise. Thank you."
Between the two of them, the girl had no choice but to smile.
"Now then," Henrietta said with a soft clap. "For most of us introductions are not necessary, although…" She turned to Marie with a soft smile. "Might I know your name?"
Like Louise, Marie also squeaked. "Marie... of Guéret, your highness." She shook her head then, frustrated with herself. "I attend her imperial majesty."
Upon hearing no last name, Henrietta's expression barely flickered. It was subtle, but Renia thought it might have been surprise.
"A pleasure to meet you," she said without missing a beat. "And how would you like to be addressed, your imperial majesty?"
"Tsarina," Renia almost blurted out. Almost. She admonished herself just the same for the lack of control. "Tsarina or Empress will do perfectly."
"Tsarina," Henrietta repeated experimentally. The cadence was off, but Renia would never begrudge someone that. "Henrietta will be acceptable, from all of you."
Agnès sighed. "Princess…"
"That goes for you too, Agnès," the girl said impishly. "Even if you never will. Now, shall we?"
At the very least, the seats were just this side of comfortable, but she was sure after two hours on the road that balance would shift. For now, she let herself sink into the cushions. It was infinitely more luxurious than the carriages she had ridden as a child, and that recollection was enough to settle her annoyance.
Louise looked around the carriage thoughtfully. "What...do you ride in instead?"
"Hm? Oh, поезд." She smiled at the blank expressions she got from the girls. "It is a carriage made of steel with the power of four hundred horses to carry it."
After a moment, she drew on her new gift and carefully bent the air to reflect the light into an image in the palm of her hand. Everyone leaned in, eyes wide at the vision of a typical Rutenian train winding steel railroad tracks belching thick black smoke. It was a black, hulking picture of engineering and moving parts, but she softened it by showing them within the carriage, to the dark wood tables and booths covered in soft cushions as a musician played on an ivory piano.
"A trip such as this would take minutes. In two hours, I could travel the country to the Winter Palace."
"Winter Palace," Henrietta asked curiously. Out the corner of her eye, Renia caught Marie smiling to herself at knowing more than the princess did.
"Yes, the Winter and Summer palaces as well as the Fall Estate." Changing the illusion took nothing more than concentration. She did not ask for access to the sphere of air, but control. It was much like riding a horse. Once you learned, you never forgot. Learning the beast took longer."There is a Spring Manor but," she shrugged helplessly. "Emperor Edwin the Indolent attempted to build it during a famine. There were riots. That was - " Sixty six years ago. "Over two hundred years ago now and it remains unfinished to this day."
Which was a shame. The manor itself had promise. Even with only two wings out of five finished, it was a true masterpiece left to linger in a barely livable state. Eadred had been terrified of being seen as inheriting his father's legacy.
Henrietta slowly brought a finger up and poked the illusion. The image of a half-built manor three stories high covered in scaffolding and tarp came apart in flutter of wind. She nodded to herself, as if she had just confirmed something.
"Would you show us other things from your kingdom?"
Renia hesitated for only a moment, before she let herself smile at the longing she felt.
Her kingdom.
A beautiful cathedral appeared between her hands. It's tall and colorful spires atop white brick towers standing tall with flags fluttering in the wind above large round stained glass windows. She chose the angle that depicted generic images of the saints in multicolored glass, instead of the large front window dominated by the two faced goddess.
"How about the Grand Cathedral of Serov?"
Much to her pleasant surprise, the city didn't smell. It was actually a rather pleasant city, fully deserving of its title. She heard some nations had cities that could boast higher numbers than Rutenia could, but she had never seen them and didn't care for boasts. The streets were full of people, and every merchant they met had tried their best to impress. She was sure the dual crowns had more than a little something to do with their motivation.
She smiled as a woman handed her the necklace she had pointed to, and without further ado she handed it to Marie.
"Emp - Tsar - I -" The girl started and stopped.
"Please," Renia murmured. "Take it with my thanks."
Recreating the Imperial Ruble had been child's play, as had estimating the rate of exchange from Louise's memories. With the princess of Tristain there along with her, no one thought to question the golden coins stamped with different faces.
They moved on, Louise once more taking the lead.
"This is the Steel District," she began with a flourish of her arm. The street was lined with armorsmiths and blade forgers. Shops with large display windows filled with swords and axes and halberds of all kinds alongside hauberks and helmets. Louise excitedly pointed out a shop dedicated to sword-wands, strange rapier like contraptions that could be used as foci for spell casting.
Renia smiled at her enthusiasm. "I can see why - "
With a step, she suddenly became aware of something that should not be.
Her companions noticed, slowing to an eventual stop as she stood frozen in the middle of the street.
"Empress Renia?" One of them asked as she strained her senses. The trail was faint, or perhaps muted was a better word. As if it was bound, but that she could feel it at all said that the binding was unraveling. It implied the presence of another like her.
A sorceress.
"I sense the presence of a spirit," she replied absently as she scanned the store fronts.
"Here?" Louise screeched, because it could only be Louise with that pitch and Renia shook herself free of her hesitation.
"A spirit here," she confirmed.
More than a spirit.
A demon.
"That is how your magic works, is it not?" Henrietta ventured, looking around as if she could spot the elusive feeling prickling the back of Renia's neck. "Through spirits."
Renia didn't answer the implied question. "Marie. Find a dining establishment and warn them of our arrival. I would have you with me Louise, but I am unsure of this one's...temperament. To be in a place like this is not a good sign."
The girl frowned, but nodded. "I understand."
Renia turned then to look at the princess. Like Louise, the girl had a light frown on her face, as if she wished to argue but was not finding the words. Henrietta glanced back at her armored shadow as if seeking reassurance, only to find her Chevalier gripping the handle of her matchlock with a white-knuckled grip. The two spoke through their eyes alone, before Henrietta sighed and Agnes relaxed minutely.
"I shall accompany Marie then."
Renia flashed her a grateful smile. With that, the princess guaranteed she would keep her memories untouched. "It will have no victims. You can trust me with the safety of your citizens, I assure you."
Henrietta's face turned stern. "I will hold you to that, Empress."
That sent a flash of amusement through her. By all means, Renia thought. Try.
Implying, of course, that she would trust Renia with the safety of her people. An implicit entrusting of authority. It would be enough. And to be truthful, the girl could trust her with the safety of her citizens.
All but five of them.
She turned on her heel and approached the stores. The feeling got stronger with each step, guiding her to one store in particular with overwrought decorative pieces of armor and weapons in the window. Her steps were confident and unfaltering, because it didn't matter what manner of demon awaited her. She had nothing to fear.
The real threat was never the demon.
But the sorceress.