An American Geek in a Halkeginian Court

by Inner Legions

An American commits cultural appropriation against a hapless Japanese youth. Typical, just typical. WARNING: CONTAINS RAW, GRAPHIC KIPLING. May only be suitable for mature readers.

19. Rumors of War V

Rumors of War, Part V

Jason cracked open his eyes very carefully, and immediately shut them again. The sun was up, and shining through the windows with enough vigor that it hurt even through his eyelids.

This is at least as bad as that Halloween party where we got drunk enough to try to dance Gangnam style. Didn't we learn our lesson back then? Why didn't we count our drinks more carefully last night?

But he still needed something to drink – this time without alcohol! – and to make his way to the privy before his bladder split open. So, tensing his body and gritting his teeth, he covered his eyes with his hands and opened them again, letting through just a few cracks of light through his fingers.

A slow survey of the room showed that it wasn't Louise's. Which was worrisome, but there was a bottle on a small table nearby, with a scrap of bark paper leaning on it. And that obvious invitation and clear hope of some sort of relief was what he needed to focus on.

Hangover remedy, read the note, and a sniff of the contents of the bottle revealed that it wasn't hair of the dog. Horrible-smelling, but not alcohol. So Jason pinched his nose and downed the whole thing as quickly as he could.

It was a battle not to sick it all back up, but after a little while his stomach calmed and . . . his head still throbbed, and he still needed to piss something fierce, but it wasn't as bad as when he'd woken up. And looking around the unfamiliar room once again, over there was a little alcove rather similar to Louise's lavatory back at the Academy.

A little bit later, he sighed with relief as his bladder finally emptied. Then he froze. Bedroom with personal privy. This is Scarron's bedroom, most likely. How did we end up here? Who exactly were we kissing?!

Wait, no, couldn't have been him, he went to bed earlier. But we ended up kissing whoever helped us up the stairs, and . . . why can't we remember anything after that? What happened?

But nobody appeared to explain anything. Given whose bedroom he was probably in, Jason chose to take that as a good thing.

"At least the hangover's not so bad anymore," he mumbled, yawning, as he rubbed his head. "But how can I find out-"

Duh, you idiot! [Louise][are you awake][?]

There was no reply for a moment. Then: [be quiet][,][busy][!]

Well, at least she was awake. He looked around the room again, maybe there was some water he could find to drink, maybe ameliorate his hangover just a little bit more-

[finished] Louise then sent. [and you are finally awake]

[yes][,][where did I end up][?]

[i levitated you to scarrons room].[he did not mind after I explained]

Right. 'I slept with Scarron.' Well, there's a phrase that nobody back home ever needs to hear. [is there some fresh water I can drink][?]

Louise didn't respond for a moment. Then: [they can find you something]

Going by her word choice, she isn't terribly happy with us. But it doesn't sound like she's going to explode us when we show up in the kitchen. Time to face the music.

Once Jason left the bedroom, it was fairly obvious where he was. And heading to the kitchen for that water sounded like a really good idea. But a few steps and-

"Oh, wow. I stink, don't I?"

So instead he headed upstairs to the washroom. And once he was cleaned off, he stopped by Louise's room for some fresh clothing.

[are you coming to the kitchen][?] she sent while he was changing.

[needed to clean up] Jason replied. [did you want me to show up sooner][?]

[it is fine] she told him. [you being here would not have changed things][,][but come to the taproom now]

Which didn't really explain anything, and that was starting to make him a little nervous. So as soon as he was dressed he headed down the stairs.

There he found Elena pouring a cup of water. (And thank magic that clean water was possible, at least in Bruxelles!) She looked up and smiled. "Athena said you were probably thirsty, when we heard you moving around. So I came to make sure you had something to drink!"

"Thank you," Jason told her, smiling back briefly before sipping at the water. It let him rinse out some of the nasty taste of whatever the hangover cure had been, and then he tilted his head back and chugged the rest.

We've pissed, cleaned off, changed clothes, had some sort of hangover remedy and had some clean water. We're as ready to face the music as we're going to be.

"It was wonderful!" the short blonde gushed. "She's been running roughshod over everyone ever since she got here, but your sister shut down all her scheming and got her thrown out!"

Uh . . . Jason went over to the entrance of the taproom and looked out at Louise, surrounded by the rest of the faeries. All except-

"Where's Nicole?" he asked. "For that matter, where's Scarron?"

"He's never liked having to preside over this sort of thing," Jessica replied, looking a bit sad. "And faeries always try to play for sympathy with a man. Ever since I became a faerie, I've been the one to do it."

"To . . . Elena said something about 'her' getting thrown out. Nicole, I take it?"

The head faerie looked even sadder, but nodded. "I said she could stay for a little while longer, but she said she'd not make her way on charity and left. To find new lodgings, I presume."

Jason rubbed his temples. His hangover wasn't nearly the problem it had been when he woke up, but it was still making it harder to think. "Maybe you could start from the beginning? I still don't know what's going on."

"You were there!" Louise not-quite-shouted. "In the hall, right outside my bedroom, kissing her!"

It wasn't just the sudden noise that made him flinch. Although that didn't help.

Jessica looked around at faces that had suddenly grown rapt. "And now I think it's time for everyone to go get the day started," she said. "The rest of you already know what happened."

There was a general chorus of disappointed mutterings, but the bulk of the faeries slowly dispersed. Only Louise, Jessica, and Elena hung back.

The latter beamed up at him. "And now that she's gone, there won't be any jealous comments about us!"

Jason rubbed his temples again. This is not the time for this. But is there ever going to be a good time? "Elena," he rumbled, "there is no us. I'm not courting anyone." Except Louise, and we haven't dared tell that to even her, yet.

"But-!" Elena protested, eyes growing wide. "After everything . . . you bastard!" With that she reached up and slapped him, then fled the taproom with a sob.

No one said anything for a moment. Then:

"Well, you finally told her no. Congratulations!" Jessica commented, sounding sardonically amused.

"Yeah, but-" He frowned. "Why do I have this sudden urge to go after her and try to explain?"

"Don't," Louise said forcefully. "That's how she handles everyone who contradicts her, and how she got so many tips in the race."

"And why she ends up with men angry with her, once they've had enough," Jessica nodded. "You saw it with Gaston Aubin, that night you and Scarron threw him out, but he wasn't the first."

Jason shook his head, then rubbed his temples yet again. "Whatever. I was so drunk that I couldn't even tell who was helping me up the stairs, let alone remember what happened after. So what happened?"

"You made enough noise coming up that I wanted to know what was going on," Louise told him. Then her eyes narrowed. "And when I came out of my bedroom, you were standing outside Nicole's door, kissing her!"

"I-" He winced. "I can't remember that it was her. And I can't remember anything after that."

His little mistress rolled her eyes. "Of course you can't. Nicole started, and then you toppled over, and you wouldn't wake up. Not even when I cast Awaken!"

"We all heard the thump of you falling over," Jessica put in. "When I arrived upstairs, Nicole and Athena were yelling at each other, and Athena had her wand out. So I marched over and seized the wand before Athena could use it again."

He blinked. "Athena? How, uh-?"

"I wasn't happy about having my wand taken," Louise replied with a frown. "But Jessica gave it back to me when I stopped yelling."

"Then I made them both go to bed," the head faerie nodded. "But first I had Athena float you down to Scarron's room. That way it was fair."

"Fair-?"

"Nicole claimed that you and she had been growing closer, and were falling in love," Louise said through gritted teeth. "So you should sleep off the spirits in her room."

Jason's eyes widened at that. "She claimed . . . Athena, I swear I haven't been courting her behind your back!"

"I knew you hadn't been," his mistress started.

"But you were kissing Nicole, before you passed out," Jessica interrupted. "And that lent her words some weight. Putting you in Father's room was a compromise."

Whatever was going on, it was not helping to quell what was left of his hangover. "The hell was she trying to do, anyway?"

"You haven't figured it out?" the head faerie asked in a bemused tone. "You're usually cleverer then this."

"I usually don't have a hangover from drinking. Seriously, did someone switch out the punch when I wasn't looking? I know I've said I'm a lightweight, despite my size, but a few glasses shouldn't have knocked me out like that."

Jessica stared, then giggled for a moment before getting herself back under control. "You truly thought you were still drinking punch? We finished that off while you were still telling stories. After that it was the mulled wine and brandy that we'd set to chill before luncheon."

He blinked. That means we had at least four . . . how were we still standing? Wait, wasn't there something about alcohol content increasing in the 20th century? So more like two or three mixed-

"Jason?" This from Louise. "Why are you staring at nothing?"

He shook his head. Then stopped, because that made his headache a bit worse. "Sorry, trying to think. And with that much to drink, now I'm a little surprised I managed to get up the stairs before collapsing. Since I am, y'know, a lightweight."

"I'm sure Nicole was surprised as well," Jessica stated flatly. "She was the one who kept bringing you drinks. I didn't think anything of it at the time, because you seemed to be handling yourself well enough. But, if you could handle your spirits better, what she gave you would have been enough to ruin your judgment without making you pass out. And in light of what we found this morning, that's what she was counting on."

"Ruin my-" He stopped, his eyes growing wide as he finally put the pieces together. "Are you saying that she's pregnant? And needed someone she could claim was the father?"

Louise nodded vigorously. "I made the salve this morning." Then she bared her teeth. "Nicole didn't want to use it, but that would have been confession enough." [they make us memorize the recipe in First Form][,][even if we cannot cast mix yet]

[reveals pregnancy][?]

[yes]

"So she was getting me drunk enough to go to her room more-or-less willingly, but didn't know she needed to cut me off early." More temple-rubbing. "Does she know who the real father is?"

Jessica nodded. "There was a group of nobles who came in the week before you two arrived. One of them charmed her enough that she met with him the night after that." There was a pause. "Not that she admitted anything of the sort until this morning, when Athena's salve proved that Nicole was already pregnant."

Jason sighed. "And of course he doesn't want to marry a mere commoner. Doesn't want the embarrassment of supporting her, I'm guessing?"

"From what she said, he'd love to keep her as a mistress," the head faerie replied, shaking her head. "He just can't afford it, and threatened to have her pilloried if she tried to bring suit against him."

He winced again. "Yeah, that sounds like something a noble might do, if he can't afford to support a mistress and doesn't want the scandal tainting his marriage prospects."

Louise's eyes suddenly narrowed.

"So why take the risk?" Jason went on, ignoring his little mistress. "She's always seemed sensible. This sounds more like an Elena thing."

"She was counting the days of her monthlies, and thought she still had a few days before she was risking anything." Jessica paused. "Do you know how that works?"

"There's about a week of non-fertility after bleeding stops, then a week of fertility, then another week of non-fertility, and then the monthly. If I recall it correctly. But that week of fertility can shift a few days either way, so counting on the rhythm of a woman's monthly isn't completely reliable."

The head faerie nodded. "Close enough. And you're right, it's not entirely reliable, even if a woman is fortunate enough to have a regular pattern like you described."

"And potions to prevent conception aren't easy to acquire," he mused. Because if they were, Nicole would have damn well made sure she was using them. And hell, back on Earth we didn't have very good contraception until we developed both the pill and latex condoms. Sheep guts for condoms, etc. And an adequate dosage of tansy would make the woman pretty damned sick-

"Jason, you're staring at nothing again."

"Sorry." He shook his head. "Athena, you wouldn't happen to know a salve that reveals if a woman is presently fertile, would you? I'm sure that's another one Roxane would love to learn."

"No," Louise replied, still scowling. "Do you truly think Mother and Father would approve of me learning when I could get away with dishonoring the family like that?"

"Ah." [although kirche probably]

[kirche is a zerbst][,][and germanian to boot].[we tristainians are civilized]

"I don't know if we could permit the faeries to use a salve like that," Jessica said, sounding a bit regretful. "The only reason Ima isn't selling herself to customers left and right is that she knows her mother will kick her to the streets if she comes home pregnant. And she isn't the only one who'd take advantage of that knowledge: I know that Therese, Liliane, and myself have all preserved our virginity, but most of the rest haven't."

"You've-" Jason broke off, flushing. "Sorry, that was probably going to sound a little insulting."

She smiled, but it was lacking in good humor. "I have to. Every faerie I dismissed for getting in the family way would throw my peccadillos in my face, if I had any for them to throw."

"You were quick enough to use the Charming Faerie Bustier on Jason!" Louise accused.

Jessica blinked for a moment. Then she laughed, for a good long moment.

"Athena," she said, once she'd subsided to chuckles. "I wasn't looking to have an affair with your brother."

"You were cheating!"

"Yes! Wouldn't you cheat, to marry a man as kind and clever?"

"I-" Louise suddenly broke off, and flushed a deep red.

The head faerie smiled gently. "Don't worry. I won't try to steal him again. Not right away, at least! But if you plan to visit your friend Ann this summer, you'll both be welcome to visit any time."

She turned and headed towards the kitchen, then stopped and called back. "I imagine you two need to clear the air. But we'll be ready for some ice when you finish."

With that she was into the kitchen and out of sight.

Jason sighed. "I truly didn't realize how heavily I was drinking. I've heard that chilling brandy can help hide its potency, I guess that's part of why I didn't notice. But I am sorry."

Louise resumed her scowl for a moment, but then shook her head. "You're lucky Jessica didn't spread it around, how spirits affect you particularly hard. If Nicole had known the correct dosage to leave you conscious-"

"Wouldn't that be a nightmare! Waking up in her bed with my pants down around my ankles-" he shook his head. [i am never that fashionable]

Louise blinked, then stared incredulously. [fashionable][!]

[where i am from][,][some young men consider it the height of fashion to wear their trousers below their testes].[although my parents would have taken a hammer and nailed my trousers to my waist if I even considered something so tasteless and silly]

[your parents had the right of it] she sent back, eyes still wide in disbelief. [what kind of heathen foolishness][?]

[complicated history].[but young men will do anything][,][no matter how stupid][,][to try to seduce women]

Louise shook her head. [you truly come from a nation of commoners].[nobles have more grace than that]

He chose not to mention various names in rebuttal. "Anyway, I'm glad you saved me from that. It would have thoroughly muddied the waters if I'd lain with her while in a drunken stupor."

"And at least she's gone," his little mistress said with savage satisfaction. "She won't be able to try that again, wherever she's gone to rot."

Jason gave her a disapproving look. "You don't need to be so happy about it. You know she can't go back to her family, so now she's stuck between a rock and a hard place."

"That's her fault," Louise said, still sounding grimly satisfied. "She knew what she was risking, with no one to save her if her luck ran out, and she still decided it was worth it."

"Yeah, but you heard Jessica. Most faerie give into temptation now and then-"

"And some don't!" came the reply in a hiss. "Nicole should have taken her cue from Jessica! Neither could afford to have their luck run out, but Nicole thought she was clever enough to cheat the odds. And she wasn't, in the end."

He sighed. "I can't dispute that. But now she's stuck, like I said. And she's stuck because a young noble wanted to dip his wick, and then refused to take responsibility. Threatening to have her pilloried is also cheating. And rather vicious, if you ask me."

"I wasn't asking," Louise growled, her face starting to grow red again as she glared up at him. "She tried to trap you. She's a commoner, so she already knows she'll reap what she Brimir-well sowed! Leave. Her. To. It."

"But what if we asked Ann to-"

"We will not! A-and if y-you're so c-concerned, after all sh-sh-she tried to d-do-!" With that, his little mistress turned on her heels and stalked towards the kitchen.

Jason stared after her, his head suddenly pounding again, then- Wait, did we really just push her to stuttering? Oh, shit.

He took off in pursuit, and managed to enter the kitchen just in time to see Louise stomping up the stairs.

Fortunately, this time he wasn't drunk, and the headache remedy had pretty much settled his stomach, so he was able to take the stairs two at a time, almost catching up by the time they were at the third floor.

"Athena, I-"

"Y-you b-be q-quiet!" she stammered, still clearly enraged, and at a gesture from her wand, the doors to both their room and Nicole's flew open. Another gesture and his things flew out of their room and into the former faerie's, traveling with such force that they hit the far wall before falling to the ground in a heap.

"There!" Louise snarled. "I-if you c-c-care so m-much, y-you can w-welcome her b-b-back when sh-she sends for her th-things!"

With that, she stalked into her room and slammed the door closed.

"But-" Jason started towards the door, hand raising to knock-

"I'd give her time to cool off, if I were you," Jessica said behind him.

He whirled around and saw the entire cast of faeries, standing at the head of the stairs and watching the proceedings. "Uh-"

"Don't worry," the head faerie went on. "I didn't let anyone eavesdrop on you two. But that was very visible, when you both raced through the kitchen."

Jason groaned and buried his head in his hands. "She's really upset about what Nicole tried to arranged."

"We know," Margaux replied. "You were still passed out, but once the morning came around they were back to yelling at each other. Otherwise Scarron wouldn't have left so quickly."

"Grandest fight ever, faerie to faerie," Therese said haltingly. "That is to say, without blows."

"Nicole's never needed to hit someone to be nasty," Elena sniffed, then smirked. "But Athena wouldn't back down, no matter how mean she was."

"Woulda had a knife'n her long ago, she were workin' for mammy," Ima nodded. "Done it m'self, if she'd spoken to me like that."

Jessica shot the slum-bred faerie a sharp glance. "But you've learned better since, of course."

"Loads better!" This with a vigorous nod, albeit somewhat ruined as Ima continued in a sarcastic tone: "Proper folk'd rather shiv each other with words, 'stead of handling things honest."

The head faerie sighed. "We'll keep at your lessons, then. But they're right, Jason. Asking Athena to feel charitable towards Nicole, after what they said to each other? If that's what you did, I'm not at all surprised she reacted like this."

He groaned again. "So what do I do now?"

"Well, when Nicole comes back for her things, do you want to welcome her in?"

Jason's head snapped up to stare at Jessica, who returned his gaze steadily. "What?" he asked, his voice cracking as a bit of panic leaked through.

"Ah," she nodded. "You weren't stepping out secretly."

"No. N-no, we weren't!"

Shrug. "It did seem possible, the way Nicole was telling her story. I didn't think it was too likely, but I wasn't sure." There was a pause. "You'll know far better than I, what your father is willing to offer in support of a son who lacks magic."

Jason sagged slightly. "Right." Not that we know at all what Daddy Vallière might shell out for, but given what Jessica thinks she knows- "I'd rather not have that kind of misunderstanding, thank you. So is there maybe somewhere else I could sleep, at least until Athena calms down?"

"You can sleep-!" Elena started, before Margaux clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Scarron was disgruntled enough, when we left you with him last night," Jessica said, her lips quirking. "I'd rather not impose on him again. No, we'll move Nicole's possessions out right now, and let you stay in her old room. At least until you figure out a suitably grand apology for your sister."

He groaned yet again. "That's going to take some work."

The head faerie snorted. "We know. Now let's get to it."

---

[Louise][i am]

[not talking to you][!] she interrupted. And there was no more reply afterward.

---

Fortunately, the Brute wasn't needed that night, so Jason was able to hide away, washing dishes, until the Inn closed.

But trying to go to sleep in Nicole's former bedroom felt rather lonely, especially now that he'd been sleeping next to Louise.

Finally, he shook his head, lying there alone in the darkness. Hell, odds are good she's having just as hard a time falling asleep as we are. [we have never talked about the support your parents would provide if i acquired a dependent].

There was no reply.

He lay there, waiting, and there was still no reply.

Finally, he gave up, and curled on his side so that he could pretend Louise was behind, just a few inches away. [i am sorry] he sent. [sleep well]

Still no rep-

[how can i sleep with you yammering on like that][!]

[sorry again].[will be quiet now]

There was a pause, just long enough for Louise to huff out her breath in exasperation.

[when they sent me the wand][,][the one that doesn't like me][,][mother and father also arranged for you to move to married quarters][,][as soon as I find you a woman]

That shot a chill through him. [oh] Well, of course they weren't going to like the thought of a grown man sleeping in the same room as their baby girl. If being a familiar wasn't such a big deal, it'd have already happened.

[and let me be clear][,][i do not approve of nicole][!]

[i was not going to ask you to]

[good][!][now let me sleep][!]

---

The next morning, as he exited the washroom, Louise came down the stairs, obviously intent on using the facilities herself. They stopped dead, seeing each other, and neither spoke for several long moments.

"You look like you didn't get enough sleep," she observed sourly.

And you look like you've been crying, but maybe we shouldn't mention that. "How could I, knowing that I'd enraged you so?"

"Hmph!" She started past him to the washroom. "Agnes will be here soon, so make sure you're ready to go!"

Agnes! "Shit, I forgot all about that. Did she bring your potion yesterday?"

"Obviously!" came the scathing reply. "I can move around, can't I? Now go get dressed!"

[you still want me to come with you][?] he asked, as he started back upstairs to get properly dressed.

[you listened to de montferat][,][so you need to report to henrietta directly].[you are still my familiar][,][so do not forget your duties][!]

[i will not][,][little mistress]

---

As soon as they were all in Agnes's safehouse, Henrietta looked from Louise to Jason and back again. "What happened?" she asked. "It may be tradition that as one of the Line of Water I don't have my own familiar, but I still know that familiars and their masters shouldn't be so uncomfortable around each other."

They shared an uncomfortable look for a long moment, each saying nothing.

"We . . . had a disagreement about something, and I didn't support Louise like I ought to have," Jason finally said quietly, turning back to the princess. "And this time I really ought to have. But it doesn't have anything to do with the hunt for Reconquista."

"That's good to hear, I suppose," she replied. "But I'm not just asking about it because of the mission. Louise has been happier ever since she summoned you. I like having my childhood friend freed from always fearing that everything would turn out badly. So whatever you did, don't let it sour things between the two of you forever."

Jason nodded. "I'd bare my throat to her wand, if I thought it would be enough of an apology."

"Good. And Louise Françoise?" The princess turned to her. "Don't hold it in like you always do around your parents. If Jason erred, chastise him. Even punish him, if you need to! But have it out with him, so that you can move on and not have it fester."

Louise looked like she wasn't sure if she wanted to rage or cry. But after a moment, she got her expression under control and gave the princess a curt nod.

"And now that's that's settled," Henrietta went on, looking just a trifle smug, "what is this thing you needed to tell me in person?"

"I needed Jason to tell it, because he's the one who heard it, and he wasn't available. Otherwise, monthly or not, we would have met yesterday."

"I'm not questioning your dedication. You, um, are feeling better, I hope?"

"I don't feel like a commoner wallowing in her own filth anymore, if that's what you mean." She shook her head in revulsion. "And they have to do it every month. Ugh!"

"We don't have much choice, if we're not fortunate enough to have a relieving potion available," Agnes put in drily. "Speaking of which, her Highness was able to find a recipe that requires no more magic than Mix."

"You had to go looking for me?" Louise's eyes grew wide. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to place more burdens on you-"

"It was no burden," Henrietta assured her. "I am still required to study magic, after all. Spending a few hours comparing potion recipes in the palace library was a welcome relief from having to master Twisting Edge."

"What does that one do?" Jason asked.

"It's a refinement of Water Lash, but it's only known to the Throne of Water," Louise told him. "It turns water into a spinning blade. If her Highness masters it well enough, it'll cut through almost anything, and nothing will be able to parry it."

"I know for a fact that Mother spent no more time learning it than she absolutely had to," Henrietta said in a sour tone. "But if I'm not diligent in my studies, it's just one more proof that I'm spoiled, immature, and unfit to handle my responsibilities." Then she shook her head. "Still, I did find the recipe you needed. It's more intricate than the usual Lunar Reprieve recipe, but commoners should be able to acquire all the necessary reagents. I hope the hedge-mages you're starting to train appreciate it."

"They will," Agnes replied. "The best a commoner woman can hope for is that her monthly won't be too much of a problem. Not having to suffer it at all is an advantage of working in the Palace that I and the other commoner servants deeply appreciate."

"Well then," Henrietta smiled. "Tell us what you have discovered, that you need me to hear it directly from the witness!"

Jason nodded, handed over his notes, and laid out the whole situation: How Turenne de Montferat had falsely claimed increased taxes, set high enough to eventually drive the Inn out of business. How they had spied on him(albeit leaving out the involvement of Roxane and Ima), and how Jason had listened to the conversation between de Montferat and the Reconquista agent. And how, the next day, a courier would deliver the hopefully-damning message to the crooked tax collector.

"We should have told you a couple of days ago, but by then Louise was having her period, and now here we are," Jason concluded.

Henrietta's expression had grown more and more severe during his recounting, and by now her face seemed the proverbial thundercloud.

"That, that . . . that sanctimonious traitor!" she snarled. "That insufferable-"

Then she broke off, as she realized Jason and Louise were staring at her. "I apologize. It's just that he's one of the ones who stays at the cathedral all day, and if you do anything out of boredom he'll always be among those who are there to chide you for impiety. Finding out that he's been ruining the lives of the commoners he holds in our trust, and playing at piety all this time . . .

"And Reconquista has influence with the Regency Council?! This will not be born. We will ferret out their web and uproot it!

"Agnes, I want soldiers nearby, so that-"

"Your Highness, wait a moment," Agnes broke in.

"What?!" Henrietta snapped.

"We can arrest de Montferat whenever we need to, but by Jason's testimony, he is not Reconquista. Merely controlled by them, at the moment. We need that courier and that letter. Especially if they've discovered a way to hide seals.

"But if the courier knows his job, then if he sees anything out of place as he approaches de Montferat's residence, he'll abort the delivery, and do it another day. And they'll be far more cautious about it, afterward. We have but one opportunity to strike while they do not suspect that they have been found out."

"Then what should we do?" the princess asked, sounding sulky.

Agnes looked to Jason and Louise. "You two got in, hopefully unnoticed. Do you think you can do it again?"

Naster and familiar exchanged glances, and gave Agnes simultaneous nods.

"Do you want us to send a messenger when the courier arrives?" Louise asked. "We can try to subdue them, once the letter is unsealed, and then you could come in and take charge." Then she gave the princess a pained smile. "After that, if all has gone well, Jason and I should fade away from the investigation. Mother and Father must not be informed of my doings for the last three weeks."

"If all goes well, I would like to be able to reward you," Henrietta replied slowly. Then she grimaced. "But I see your point. I should not like to have to justify asking all this of you to your mother either. But for now . . . oh, the Regency Council is in for such a shock!"

"Think you'll be able to pull off raising that army?" Jason asked.

"Quite possibly, but it won't be as easy as we hoped," the princess replied.

"Learning the skills of a soldier, and learning them well, takes a great deal of time," Agnes stated. "I've spoken with some people I know regarding the prospect. They said it was an interesting notion, but soldiers need to learn the skills of soldiers, not civilian commoners."

She paused, then went on. "They also said that if we're truly intent on it, then the best way to teach civilian skills might be to train the conscripts in skills that help maintain barracks and field camps in top condition. Then perhaps build on that, time permitting. But first they must be soldiers, otherwise we are frittering away the treasury in a time of danger."

"That's . . . yeah, thinking about it, that sounds about right. On the other hand, that still means training in useful skills. Cobbling and tailoring for keeping them dressed and shod, crafting with wood and metal for weapons and tools. Heck, knowing how to work with stone means you can help fortify your barracks or your camp without having to wait for an Earth mage to decide it's worth their time. And wars aren't just about battles. Holding territory means garrisons, so they might as well learn how to harvest nearby wilderness in case supplies are cut off."

Agnes nodded. "My acquaintances had similar ideas."

"If we are able to conscript from the slums and prepare them before Reconquista attacks, we will prepare them as thoroughly as we can," Henrietta said, sounding very firm. "Both to give them the hope of a better life after they are released from service, and to make them as effective a weapon against Reconquista as possible.

"In the meantime, though, we must secure de Montferat, the letter, and the courier. Agnes, did you have an idea for that?"

The blonde bodyguard smiled slightly. "I would suggest that we wait at the Laughing Princess. They know me by name, so have your messenger ask for me, and they'll get word to us."

Henrietta looked disgruntled. "Just because you know the owner of that tavern-"

"Yes, your Highness," Agnes interrupted. "Precisely because I know the owner. It's not very far from where de Montferat lives, if I recall correctly, and I can get us in through the basement without anyone spreading the word that you are there."

"Me?"

"Who else? You must be on hand to arrest a tax collector, even if 'Athena' and Jason subdue him first. But if whispers spread that one so highly ranked is nearby, the courier will be warned, and will wait for a later day to deliver his message. And likely with greater precautions, that we won't know, and won't be able to plan against."

Henrietta still looked disgruntled, but nodded.

"So, we've got a plan?" Jason asked. "Louise and I send our own messenger, break in, subdue them, and then you two show up to take over?"

"If all goes well," Agnes nodded, looking grim. "If we truly still have the advantage of surprise, then the plan is simple enough that it may work."

"You think we might not have surprise?" Jason asked. "We have been keeping a discreet eye on the townhouse, and de Montferat hasn't done anything unusual."

"This is a contest of spies and agents," the bodyguard pointed out. "You don't know whether you've been found out until someone makes an overt move. We must hope that Brimir favors her Highness over Reconquista, and yet we must still be careful not to give ourselves away. Consider this possibility: If her Highness had made it known to any but ourselves what she planned, then the influence that Reconquista claims to have over the Regency Council would have allowed them to find out, and delay this program of subverting tax collectors until you two grew dispirited and left."

"I haven't told anyone, though," Henrietta said. "And no one has ever broken the cipher that Louise and I use."

"No one has revealed that they have broken the cipher, your Highness. Hopefully this means no one has, in truth, but we cannot be entirely certain of that."

"No," Louise shook her head, "I think we can be confident that the cipher hasn't been broken. If some of our communications had ever been revealed-" she trailed off and winced.

Henrietta echoed that wince. "Void above, Louise is right! Our mothers would have been most upset with us. So we may be confident the cipher remains unbroken."

"Then we may hope to have surprise. And therefore there is hope that the rest may all go well enough. If Athena and Jason can successfully subdue the traitors, then I know where to go for soldiers who I can count on react quickly."

The princess drew in a deep breath, "Then, have we done all we can to prepare, without alerting de Montferat and Reconquista?"

Agnes nodded. "Yes, your Highness. I believe so."

"Very well." Henrietta stood straight up, and when she turned back to Louise and Jason she was every inch the princess. "Go and do as we have planned, and Brimir's good fortune smile on you both." Then her face softened with a smile. "And do be sure to make things right between the two of you."

"We will, your Highness," Louise was quick to reply, and Jason followed that with a deep nod that was nearly a bow.

---

[let us find a spot for some privacy] he sent, once they'd parted ways with Henrietta and Agnes.

[why][?] Louise asked.

[because we are not sharing a room anymore][,][so if we are going to talk we need a bit of privacy]

She sighed. Then she looked around, and led Jason to an ally. One casting of Light later, to be reasonably sure they were alone, she turned to face him.

"Well?" she asked. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Jason took a deep breath. "First, let me say that I still don't like it that the consequences are going to fall down on Nicole, merely because the man who seduced her is a noble and can use his status to ignore his moral responsibility. But that's not because it's about her, it's because he's ignoring his share of the responsibility. He's going to be a father, and he doesn't care about his child because half its blood is going to be commoner blood! How can I do anything but pity the woman and the child that he abandoned?"

"Even though she tried to fix her situation by making it look like you were the likely father?" Louise demanded hotly. "You still pity her after that?"

He winced. "That does complicate things-"

"'Complicate' things?!" she interrupted, and if she wasn't stuttering, there was enough fury in her glare to make him lean back. "Fine, I'll make this simple for you!"

"All my life I've been the one who doesn't fit, who doesn't belong, who isn't good enough. Mother didn't have me because she wanted another child, she had me because the Queen wanted a Vallière of age to be friends with her daughter. I was always too young to do anything with my sisters. Father loves me but he cossets me. He doesn't cosset Eléonore!"

She still wasn't stuttering, and she wasn't shouting, but the increasing intensity of her voice made him step back. "And then my magic wouldn't work! No matter what anyone tried, I couldn't cast a single spell! I was in-"

A shudder wracked Louise's body, and she bit off whatever word she'd been about to use. "I was lower than even a hedge-mage! I entered the Academy with nothing, and had to endure Zerbst's taunts every day!"

A single tear traced its slow path down her cheek. "And then, after a year of humiliation, I summoned you. A colossal joke that nobody believed was a familiar. Mr. Colbert even cast a spell three times to confirm that you were to be my familiar, he had such little faith in me. And my magic only 'improved' by making things explode! But then you-"

Another tear appeared, and she angrily wiped it away. "Familiars who are good at seeking are supposed to find the reagents their masters need. Instead, you brought me the ideas I needed, even though they were absurd." More tears appeared, and began flowing freely. "You did what no one was able to do. You helped me unlock my magic! You gave me hope!

"You're my familiar. You're supposed to be mine! Mine alone! But everyone we meet wants to take you away from me!

"Zerbst kidnapped you, just because you were mine! Your maid didn't want to give up her maidenhead to you, but she would have, as the price of her sanctuary. Mother and Father arranged matters with the Headmaster, to grant you married lodgings once I found you a woman. And now . . . and now!

"Elena wouldn't stop touching you, and I heard how she kept pushing. Jessica used her day with that Brimir-damned Bustier to try to charm you. And Nicole's solution to her . . . situation was to try to trap you into thinking you'd fathered her bastard!

"Everywhere we go, everywhere I turn, there's someone looking to steal you from me! I will not have it! You are not to leave my side, and I forbid you to pity someone when her scheme to rob me fails!"

On the one hand, he was having to blink. Clearly, the alley was far too dusty a place to be having a heart-to-heart. On the other hand, his little mistress's attitude reeked of caste superiority.

But on the gripping hand, we love her. And nobody's perfect. And we kinda need her to be irrationally possessive of us, when the time comes to pit whatever she feels for us against-

"Well?!" she demanded, glared up at him and breaking into his train of though. "What do you have to say?"

"Uh-" What can we say?

Yeah, can't think of anything either. Hell, this is the time in a story when the man would grab his girl and-

Ah.

"Set aside Siesta. That was just pure misunderstanding, and I think we got that cleared up."

Louise's glare didn't change. "Go on."

"And I did finally tell Elena off, since we're going to have to leave soon and I don't have to worry about grudges affecting us here." Jason took a deep breath and continued quietly. "The other three? They all cheated, one way or another. Which means they didn't think they could actually win my heart, if I was in my right mind."

The expression on her face flickered. "And?"

"And I already promised that I would ask your approval before courting anyone. I'm not breaking that promise."

His little mistress sagged slightly as her glare broke into something more sorrowful. "That's-"

"Wait, I'm not done."

"What?"

"Louise, right now nobody's cheating. My head is clear, and I am in control of what I do next."

Her expression was now thoroughly confused. "So?"

"So this is what I have to say." With that, Jason stepped forward, picked Louise up by her waist, and held her against him.

By what was surely some strange happenstance, certainly none of his doing, no sir, her face ended up level with his, not even an inch away, and it was no trouble at all to close the gap and press his mouth against hers.

And of course Louise stiffened in shock, her hands immediately going to his shoulders as if to push away . . . but then they softened, and wrapped around his back in a gentle caress as she leaned into his kiss.

For what seemed like an endless moment, everything was still around them, and their hearts seemed to beat together as one.

But finally she broke away, and laid her head down on his shoulder, her lungs heaving as she gasped for breath.

As it had back when she'd changed into one of his shirts, the feel of Louise nestling herself against him sent an indescribable shock through his body. And this time, Jason thought, smiling, Siesta's not here to interrupt the moment.

But Louise's breathing was calming, and then he felt her twitch. Uh-oh. We'd better say something lighthearted, and fast, before she starts to worrying about caste taboos.

But at least there was something obvious to say. "Little mistress," he murmured, "I must confess that I've kissed you once more without permission. You may need to punish me again."

She twitched again, and then started giggling helplessly.

Her giggles turned into full-throated laughter as she slid down to land on her feet . . . and then he had to keep his hands on her waist just to keep her steady until her merriment subsided.

"I think," Louise finally gasped, looking up at Jason with a smile that was about as goofy as his returning grin, "that I'll let it slide. This one time."

He nodded, fighting to turn his smile into an expression of mock seriousness. "Your justice is cruel but firmly fair, little mistress."

That set her off laughing again, and this time he joined in, as they leaned against each other for support.

---

Moments after the two returned to the Inn, Jessica came out of the kitchen. Then she stopped short, looking the two up and down, her eyes lingering on the hands that they'd held ever since leaving the alley.

Louise followed Jessica's gaze with a quizzical expression, then blushed and immediately let go of Jason's hand.

"Your meeting must have gone very well," the head faerie said, eyes dancing with amusement as she walked over to join them.

"Quite," he replied as his little mistress blushed anew. "Unless things go horribly wrong tomorrow, de Montferet won't be a problem for anyone in this bourg ever again."

"Now that is excellent news!"

"Yes, but you mustn't go spreading it around," Louise cautioned, finally getting her blush under control. "We can't risk any word to get back to him of what's coming. This is . . . Ann's going to be able to take this all the way to the Crown, if we get them both."

Jessica nodded seriously. "Anything I can do to stop losing money. If we can get a less thieving tax collector, the Inn won't need to struggle anymore, once we've recovered. Not with the ice-cream and the new take-away meals to draw customers in."

"First we need to consult with Roxane, I think," Jason said. "Athena, I can't recall. Did you pay off Ima yet?"

"She'd be fussing every day if I didn't," Louise confirmed. "Yes, we'll speak with Roxane, and then I'll Mix everything we'll need for tomorrow. After that, we can both be in the taproom once the Inn opens."

"And while she's doing that," Jason said with a smile, "I'll go move my things, such as they are, back to Athena's room."

Jessica shook her head. "No, you can stay where you are, at least until we find another faerie to replace Nicole."

"But-" Louise started to object.

"Athena," Jessica interrupted drily, "I had no problem with you staying in a room with your brother. But Jason isn't your brother, is he?"

They both gaped at her.

"W-what do you mean?" Louise got out.

"Just a number of things I've seen and heard, over the last three weeks. And Siesta let slip a couple of details that seem rather odd if you two are siblings. Although I admit I've heard odder, when it comes to noble peculiarities. But taken altogether . . . was that rumor true, that Jason is a foreign demon, bound to serve you in human form?"

His little mistress glanced sidelong at her familiar. "There are times I wonder myself. But if you want to know the truth, you have to promise not to tell anyone. If it gets out . . . my parents must not know that I've been working here as a faerie."

"I imagine they would get upset, yes. I've yet to have a noble secretly here who was willing to have their family find out." Jessica smiled. "It'd be poor gratitude to let your secret out, and I truly would like the answer to the riddle that you two pose. You have my word."

Louise nodded, and leaned in. Jessica copied her, while Jason watched with a wry smile.

"He's not my brother, no," his little mistress said softly. "He's my familiar."

"Your-" Jessica jerked back in surprise. "But you're only fourteen!" she exclaimed, albeit in a whisper.

"No, I'm sixteen," Louise correctly crossly. Quietly, but crossly. "My sisters looked a lot like this until they were about eighteen, so I have to wait at least a year before finished growing up."

"So, you've been sleeping in the same room as an unrelated man all spring?" Jessica asked. Then her eyes widened. "And I can't even gossip about it?"

"You promised!" Louise hissed, blushing once again. "And Jason had to sleep in my room, it's not good for familiars to be separated from their masters for so long every day."

"Oh." Jessica glanced at him and smirked. "Is he a good kisser?"

"He's a-" Louise's eyes widened, and she shut her mouth quickly, blushing even harder.

"I've tried to be a comforting and supporting presence for Athena," Jason broke in, doing his best not to smile. Yes! She likes kissing us! "Not a lecherous one."

Not yet, anyway.

The head faerie rolled her eyes. "What kind of story does that make? If you're allowed to be with her-"

"Do you remember how I said things were rather tangled, with me and Athena? It would be a very bad thing, if she had to worry about pregnancy."

"And I don't have to worry about that," Louise stated firmly. "Jason knows not to get drunk – at least when he isn't being plied with drinks by scheming tarts! – so he hasn't tried to overpower me."

[aside from the kirche incident] he pointed out.

[she does not need to know about that] came the reply, and Jason had to admit, at least to himself, that Louise was probably right on that score.

"What's it like, then?" Jessica asked. "Being a familiar, I mean?"

"It wasn't what I expected to be doing with my life, that's for certain," he replied. "But think about walking down the street one day, and suddenly you're whisked away to a land you've never heard of, and ceremonially handed over to someone else.

"And that someone, whom you've never met, is supposed to be your new best friend for life, and take care of you – oh, and they're in charge."

Louise rolled her eyes. "Not that he's obedient. And when he is you can tell he doesn't mean it."

Jessica's eyebrows had shot up during Jason's description. "You mean you were stolen away by a noble? Like a week ago, when Athena-"

"That man did it deliberately. Familiars, on the other hand, aren't human, aside from myself. Athena wasn't trying to kidnap anyone." He reached out and tousled Louise's hair fondly until she ducked away. "Still, there I was, a stranger in a strange land, and she was my source of food and shelter. I'll admit I was rather annoyed by it all at first, but after a day or so we started getting along pretty well."

His little mistress shook her head, but smiled at him. "I wasn't expecting Jason to be much help: We still haven't found out what his auxilia are, except that we can understand each other. But he's always there to help, any way he can. That's worth more than I'd have believed, before I summoned him."

"Hmm." Jessica gave them both a narrow look. "And now I need to try to remember everything you told me, because I don't think you lied very much. Just told the truth in a way that I'd misunderstand it."

Jason laughed. "Guilty as charged."

---

"Can't say I expected things to turn out as they did," Roxane commented, when they tracked her down to confer. "Nicole's always been smart about not letting herself fall for a man like that."

"Everyone makes mistakes, now and then," Jason said tiredly. "And the asshole who did get her with child has a moral duty to care for her, for all that he's ignoring it."

That got a cynical laugh of the beggar/thief-turned-faerie. "Live on the streets a bit, that'll rid you of foolish ideas like that. Them toffs-" She broke off and looked around quickly. "Those nobles, I mean. Don't tell Jessica I called 'em 'toffs', like Ima still does."

"We won't," Louise promised, lips quirking just a bit.

Roxane nodded. "Thank you! Anyway, they're looking to marry well or not at all, and they want a catch with a lot of magic or a good living. A girl who has to cadge tips isn't in their league, and most of the ones who come here don't have the money to keep a mistress on the side."

Jason clenched his teeth, biting down on how he wanted to respond.

But apparently enough leaked through on his face to catch Louise's attention. "What?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Are you still-"

He shook his head. "We've gone around that subject enough already. But I'm sure your parents warned you that there were boys out there without the integrity to face the consequences of their deeds."

"They did." Louise growled. "But you're right, we've argued enough about that already. It's time to focus on how we need to take de Montferat prisoner tomorrow, along with the courier."

"Don't know how much I can help with that," Roxane admitted. "I can get you through a window, but they'll notice if they're in a room nearby."

"What about the window upstairs?" Jason asked. "Athena, you can use Levitate to get us downstairs once we're in, without risking our steps being heard on the floor."

"She can?" the redhead asked, sounding surprised. "You nobles are powerful, aren't you?"

Louise nodded, looking more than a little smug.

"But I'm not one for fighting," Roxane continued. "Always ran, if a fight looked like to happen."

"That's fine," Jason told her. "We need to send you to bring our reinforcements. Then you can get back to the Inn, if you like."

She nodded, looking relieved. "Where should I go to find them, then?"

"Ah, there's a tavern called 'The Laughing Princess', apparently. Ask for Agnes, she'll be waiting for someone looking for her."

Roxane blinked, and then an incredulous look came over her. "The Laughing Princess?" she asked in a lowered voice. "You know what that tavern's for, doncha?"

Jason and Louise glanced at each other, then shook their heads simultaneously.

"It's for women who've no use for men," her voice dropped to a whisper, "so they do for each other!"

Both mistress and familiar stopped cold for several seconds. Then Jason shook his head. "Eh. Not our business, what Agnes gets up to."

"But you want me to go there!"

"To pass a message. Didn't say you had to linger, or return there once you're done."

Roxane grimaced. "Better not. Anyways, if you're bringing others in, I figure you want something t' take care of the dogs, right?"

"Uh-" Shit, how did we forget about the dogs? Oh, right, because we had the alchemy that makes them ignore us. Which we can't give to Henrietta without getting our party thief into trouble. "Yeah, we need something to keep the dogs quiet."

She nodded. "I can make somethin'. Doesn't even need magic, but'll put them to sleep for a while. Set it out once the marks are in place, you follow? So the courier fellow doesn't notice anything wrong?"

Aha! They do have some mundane chemistry going on. "That sounds about right. Aniseed without magic to attract their attention?"

There was another nod. "An' drowsy syrup to put 'em napping."

---

Ever since Jason had kicked the Romalians out the customers in the taproom had been politer and rather less troublesome than usual. But that night the atmosphere was tense, back in the kitchen where the customers couldn't see. The remaining faeries were practically on tiptoes around Louise and Jason through the evening.

"Nicole's been here a while," Margaux said, in a rather subdued voice, when he pointed it out to her. "She's careful, and clever, and everyone learned not to cross her. Except Elena, and that one doesn't learn too well, if you know what I mean."

"I've noticed a certain persistence, yes."

"Well, what's everyone supposed to think? She handles nobles better than any of the rest of us – except maybe Jessica, who's been a faerie since before she had even as much bosom as your sister! – and then Athena has her gone the day after they fight over you!"

"Oh." Jason grimaced. "Give credit where it's due: If Nicole wasn't pregnant, she wouldn't be gone."

"Mmm. Just bad luck on her part, then?" Margaux grimaced back. "She wouldn't have gone after you if she hadn't been desperate."

He rolled his eyes. "I'd find that a little insulting, except she already explained her plan to marry a journeyman and use her dowry to help him get set up on his own. Makes her an equal partner, even, and after getting shafted by her sister-in-law, I'm sure that's pretty important to her. And marrying me wouldn't let her be an equal partner, since I'd be bringing noble patronage into the marriage."

That got him an approving nod. "You're right about what she wanted. Nicole and I weren't friends, precisely, but I know the men she's been keeping an eye on, if one of them'd not found a wife by the time she'd built her dowry large enough. Likely sometime next year, if you're wondering."

Jason shook his head. "Such a damned waste. She's smart enough to plan for the future, she should have been smart enough to not chance losing it all."

"Easy enough to think it won't happen to you, when you get lonely. Especially if you count the days of your monthly, like half the faeries do. It can shift, you know." Margaux pointed out, then smiled wryly. "If I didn't have a man to wait for, there's been times I might of taken that chance myself. It gets lonely sometimes, always flirting but never being able to mean it seriously."

He nodded. "Yeah, I can see that." Then he let all his breath out in a huff. "And as slender as Nicole is, she'd start to show sooner than most. Guess she felt pressured to come up with something, once she learned that the father wasn't going to support her."

"That's surely the truth of it," the little faerie agreed, grimacing. "Always sad, when a faerie has to go like that. And Jessica hates to have to do it. But Nicole got the same lecture I did, and I'm sure the same one Athena got. We can't be seen as a whorehouse, if we want to stay out of the slums. And if you've talked to Ima and Roxane, I'm sure you've heard enough to know that Jessica's right, we don't want to end up in the slums."

"You're right, we got that lecture." Jason hesitated. "There's no way for her to induce a miscarriage? I hate the thought of doing that deliberately, but being pregnant now puts her in a situation where she won't be able to care for her baby very well."

"There's . . . medicos who can do that," Margaux said slowly. "Or so I've heard. But I've also heard they're as likely as not to leave one with a ruined womb, after. I've even heard they do that deliberate, if they think they can make a girl pay to keep quiet about why she isn't conceiving." She shot him a look. "Do nobles have a potion for that?"

He shrugged. "No idea. Athena doesn't sleep around, and the one student at the Academy that I know has to be doing something to avoid conceiving isn't a friend. And Athena wouldn't want me talking to her anyway."

That got a bark of laughter out of the verdetress. "No, she wouldn't, not if that student is such a wanton that you know she has to have something to keep from getting in the family way. Your sister was powerfully jealous when she thought Nicole might have gotten somewhere with you."

"Uh, well-"

"I'm just saying, better make sure Athena comes around and approves of Jessica's cousin before you do try to marry her. Just in case she decides to ruin that one's life, too."

Jason laughed helplessly. "You've got a point, there." And that's true even if matters aren't quite as Margaux seems to think. Hell, if we're going to have a relationship with Louise, we'll need to talk it out and get her on board with the program of elevating us to the nouveau riche, or however high we need to rise as a parvenu to be able to marry her. And after that kiss, we probably can't keep up the pretense that there's nothing there for too much longer.

---

They'd made an early night of it, what with needing to be up early enough to go to de Montferat's place before noon, but Jason's bed was just as lonely as it had been the previous night, and sleep just wasn't happening.

Rather funny, if you like irony. Which we do when it isn't happening to us. We've always thought that the whole idea of a lonely bed was about not getting laid, but here we are, missing Louise's presence next to us before we've so much as felt her up.

If only Jessica hadn't . . . oh, dammit, why does it take us this long to work out the important things? Who cares if Jessica catches us and gets upset, we'll need to be leaving in a day or two anyway!

[Louise]

[Jason][?][what do you want][?][trying to get to sleep]

[so am i].[no luck].[you][?]

There was a pause, but eventually she replied. [no]

[tell you what][,][peek your head out the door].[if the hall is clear][,][i will tiptoe back to your room]

There was a longer pause.

[oh][!][it will not matter if we are caught][,][if we have to go back to the academy soon][!]

Jason grinned. [yes][,][kicking myself for not thinking of that earlier]

A third pause, and then: [no one in the hallway][,][hurry][!]

With that he was off the bed, and out the door as quickly as he could without making a sound. Louise's door was open just a few inches and her eyes, peeping out to make sure the coast was clear, lit up as she saw him emerge.

He suppressed a sudden desire to rush over to her, and instead made his down to her door with the same careful, silent treads that had served him well, playing the Brute down in the taproom.

His little mistress pulled the door open for him to enter, then as soon as he closed it behind him, and before he could so much as put a hand on her waist, she cast Levitate and floated up with a smile to kiss him. This time it was his turn to wrap caressing hands around her back and the nape of her neck.

But then, after several seconds of renewed and blissful contentment, she stiffened and floated back and down to the floor. "We, we shouldn't be-"

"Louise," Jason interrupted in a low voice that very nearly purred as it caressed her name, "if you needed to punish me for kissing you earlier, I believe that's your prerogative as my little mistress."

She blinked, and then her face twitched, as if she was trying to adopt a solemn expression but couldn't quite manage it for the smile trying to emerge. "That's right," she started in grave tones before a giggle ruined the effect entirely. "I hope," more giggling, "you've," giggle-giggle, "learned your," giggle, "lesson." Giggle-giggle-giggle.

"Oh, I don't know," he replied in that same almost-purr, scooping her up in a bridal carry and making his way over to her – their – bed. In moments she was deposited on the side against the wall, and then he joined her, and a blanket was pulled up to cover them both. "Here I am, sneaking into the bed of a noblewoman. Against strict orders, even! You may need to punish me again."

By some strange coincidence, their heads were once more level with each other, just as they'd been when he'd picked his little mistress up by her waist in the alley that afternoon. Her breath was hot against his lips as she sighed, her eyes enormous as she looked over at him in what little light was coming from the moons through window.

"You are being a disobedient familiar," Louise murmured in her bedroom voice. Then she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his own for several more seconds. Then one of her hands wormed its way between them, pulling open the ties of his nightshirt, so that when she buried her face into his shoulder, she was pressing against his skin rather than the fabric.

"What kind of horrible master am I, punishing my familiar so much?" Her voice was muffled, and it tickled like butterfly kisses where her lips and breath moved against the dusting of hair on his shoulders, but she was clear enough for all that.

"Nothing like that, little mistress," he murmured reassuring into her ear as he wrapped his arms around her and held her against him. "Her Highness told you to punish me if you needed to."

Louise snorted against him, then lightly nipped his shoulder. "You know that's not what she meant," she murmured back.

"Eh, I'm just a clueless foreigner. And if my assumptions are offensive to her Highness you can always punish me for that, too."

She snorted again. "You'd have me up all night, punishing you. We need to get to sleep."

"Fair enough." Not that it would be too hard, now. The room smelled of Louise, the bed smelled especially of Louise, and his little mistress smelled of Louise most of all. He'd had no idea how much he'd gotten used to that, since being summoned, until he'd suddenly had to do without for a night. "Although speaking of being a clueless foreigner, I had a question come up while talking to Margaux tonight."

"Wha's that?" Louise replied rather sleepily, before yawning. Her breathing was slowing too, so apparently she was relaxing in his embrace even faster than he was relaxing in hers.

"Couldn't answer her properly, because as your brother I ought to know, but are there not any potions to induce a miscarriage? You'd think that would be in demand, to let people cover up foolishness."

"Don't know of any," she mumbled. "Be a dichotomy of life and death. Occulted reactions, opposing reagents. And it'd be a scandal . . ."

Louise trailed off, and her breathing evened out as she fell completely into sleep.

Alright, I guess that's enough for us to go on, if it comes up again. Jason yawned himself, closed his eyes, and followed her into slumber.

---

He woke with an urgent groan, shuddering as-

And then he was mortifyingly aware of the sudden stickiness in the front of his underwear and pajama bottoms.

He jerked back, almost falling out of bed, pulling away from Louise in one convulsive movement. She didn't wake, but instead let out a distressed little sound, her hands reaching out-

But not before he was able to roll out of bed entirely, landing on the ground with a soft thump. And a puff of air from under the blanket, carrying the scent of-

Ah. We weren't the only one to have a nocturnal adventure, then. Because the mixed odors weren't just from his . . . emissions. Which perhaps explained why his own dream had been so vivid. He already knew what his little mistress looked like undressed, from the first night when he'd been summoned, and scent was close enough to taste that his subconscious had been able to supply a damned convincing simulacrum, when dream-Louise, her hair once more pink and no longer green, had pulled off her chemise and smilingly offered herself to his kisses.

Shaking his head to try to clear it of lingering pseudo-memories of silvery giggles, silken-soft skin, and gasping delight, Jason stood up and made his way to the window, glancing out at the sun.

Almost when we were going to get up anyway. Good enough. And now we need some extra time to clean up, and so will she.

But when he opened the door, it pulled on a little rope, not much more than a string, that had been tied to the handle. And that string led to-

His face flushed crimson as Jessica exited her room, rubbing her eyes sleepily and in her chemise. But her expression firmed up as she saw him standing there with the guiltiest expression he'd worn in a very long time.

"I thought I told you to stay in Nicole's old room," she said quietly, walking over.

"I know, I know," Jason replied, flushing anew. "But I couldn't sleep, and Athena couldn't sleep, and we both needed to be well-rested for today."

"So you snuck into her room, but just to sleep?" Jessica's tone and expression were both rather more than skeptical.

"Just like we have every day since we've arrived!" he pointed out, albeit several notes higher than normal.

That brought a scowl to the head faerie's face. "That was when I still thought you were siblings," she pointed out. "Now that I know better – I wanted to talk to you, you know."

"Oh!" Then: "That's how you knew I was with Athena? You went into Nicole's old room and found it empty?"

"That's right," Jessica nodded. "So I knew to trap the door with a rope and a bell, since you're almost always up before Athena." She paused, then: "You said you need to leave, once Turenne de Montferat is dealt with. You'll be going back to the Academy for the summer, then, when Athena isn't visiting Ann here in Bruxelles?"

He nodded.

She smiled. "Then, maybe I'll come visit Siesta, once things have settled down here."

That pronouncement made Jason freeze.

Seeing which, Jessica laughed, stepped up on tip-toes to kiss his cheek, and turned to walk back over to her own room.

"Go get cleaned up," she called over her shoulder. "You've work to do, and you don't want to get caught because you were smelling of . . . sleep."

Face flushing crimson once more, Jason fled to the washroom.

---

A little while later, coming out of the washroom, he ran into Louise. Who still smelled of their mixed . . . sleep. She blushed as she met his eyes, then squeaked and fled into the washroom before he could do more than smile.

[pleasant dreams][?] he asked, smirking, as he went back up to their room. It also smelled quite obviously of . . . sleep, now that he was cleaned up, so he opened the window to let it air out.

[Jason][!][do not tease me about that][!] she protested. Then: [where did you learn a bedroom voice][?][the faeries did not teach you that][!]

He chuckled out loud, although of course she couldn't hear him. [from the legend of a goblin king with a voice as smooth as honey mead][,][whose royal presence was enough to turn any young maiden into a grown woman].[our devices can capture sound][,][so i had something to compare my voice to when i practiced]

[oh] She paused. [you do not mean a real goblin].[they do not sound like that at all]

[just a story].[anyway][,][can i borrow your fancier wand today][?] It really did feel better, all cleaned up, as he pulled on his dayclothes for the skullduggery ahead.

[you can][,][why][?] she asked.

[so i can act as a decoy].[if we have to fight then i will distract them and you explode them]

Louise didn't reply immediately, and he smiled, imagining her exasperated huff.

[you can borrow it] she finally told him. [now get ready][!][almost done washing up][,][not much time to spare][!]

---

The moment they left the Inn, Roxane stiffened and looked around.

"What's wrong?" Louise asked.

"Always feel like I'm being watched, when I start one of these jobs," the not-quite-ex-thief admitted. "Worse than usual, today. Prob'ly from bein' outta practice."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Is anyone watching us?" he asked quietly.

"No so I can see," Roxane replied, shaking her head. "Just nervy, I reckon."

"Well, we set out a bit early, so if you want to lead us around in circles to shake anyone off our trail, there's time to do that."

"Think I'll do that," the coppery redhead agreed, looking around again, before leading them down the street away from de Montferet's townhouse.

---

"Remember," she whispered as she handed over a vial and a large piece of leather, "don't pour the vial over the leather until you're ready to put the dogs to sleep. They'll ignore you until then."

Jason nodded. "What now?" he whispered back. The redhead's nerves had eventually settled, and there wasn't anyone in the alley but the three of them, but the dearth of shadows due to the approach of noon now made him feel a bit exposed and vulnerable.

"Now? Now I go up the wall, and peek over until the courier shows up. Then you two do what you have to, I reckon."

With that, Roxane scrambled up the wall.

Louise watched her go up, then looked to Jason. "Do you . . . have you ever done this before?"

"No," he shook his head. "Didn't even go on raiding culottes when I was a student. Too busy for that kind of silliness."

"What kind of raids?" she asked, gasping in outrage.

He shrugged. "You heard me. An aggressive way to flirt, I guess. There's a lotta people at the university who seem to think it's a time to play around and be silly, rather than study."

Louise grimaced. "Eléonore said something very similar, last summer. But she also says that when a student tries to talk with you, it's best to have a sharp rock Levitating in the air, pointed towards him. Otherwise he won't take you seriously."

Jason chuckled. "I won't say she's wrong, most of the time."

---

They waited for some interminable period. It surely couldn't have been more than half-an-hour, but the alley was hot and the air felt oppressive, so it seemed like longer. But eventually Roxane waved for them, and Louise Levitated the two of them up to join the ex-thief.

"I just saw the courier come!" she hissed. "A different man, at least, and de Montferat had to tell the dogs not to attack. Quick, we gotta get to the window!"

Louise nodded, and quickly floated herself and Jason over the wall and towards the nearest window on the second floor. There they waited while Roxane dropped down, raced over, and hurried up the back of the townhouse to join them.

Then she pulled some tools out of her clothes – yeah, she was definitely a burglar, and being a beggar was just a cover – and had the window open in moments, all without making hardly a sound.

"Forgot you could just float over," she whispered ruefully, then twitched. "Feels like we're being watched again."

"Wouldn't they be shouting, or raising an alarm, or something?" Jason whispered back. "If anyone could see us at this point?"

"They would, but-" Roxane twitched again, looking around. "Still can't shake the feeling.

"Well, the sooner I'm gone the happier I'll be. Give me back the vial and leather. I'll get the dogs and go for Agnes." Then, as he complied: "Brimir's favor to you both."

And with that she was down the wall, landing without even a thump that they could hear.

Louise looked to Jason. "Are you ready?" she whispered, sounding suddenly nervous.

He nodded, pulling out the borrowed wand and holding it in his left hand, as his heart started to pound. Win or lose, this should be over in minutes.

Her next casting of Levitate was almost unvoiced, and as they drifted through the interior of the townhouse, a pair of voices downstairs became audible, if not intelligible.

Jason tightened his grip on the wand as they went through the door into a short hallway, and Louise looked around for the stairs. Once she had them located, they resumed drifting through the air.

[this is getting harder] Louise told him. [will need a moment to recover when i let go]

[fine] he thought back. [will distract them like we talked about]

The voices – now on the verge of comprehensibility – suddenly stopped.

A chill swept over Jason. Had they been noticed, somehow? [go go go][!][get us down there]

Louise nodded, her face starting to look strained, and they picked up speed as they started down the stairs.

But then, just before they reached the bottom of the stairwell, she lost control of her Levitate, and the two of them dropped the last couple of feet.

Jason's heart raced even faster as he grunted from the impact of landing on hands and knees, and Louise cried out softly, but there was no time to attend to her as he whipped up his head to see two men standing there in the room before them.

The larger of the two was looking up from reading a letter – the letter! – an expression of shock on his wide, flaccid face, and the other was turning around quickly in response to the crash.

"What is this-" the likely de Montferat began, but Jason scrambled to his feet and brandished his borrowed wand.

"Klaatu barada nikto!" he shouted, waving the wand furiously.

De Montferat raised his own wand, backpedaling, but the courier only stood there calmly, as nothing happened.

"See, Turenne?" he said. "Brimir's protections are proof even against unknown spells. Put your faith in us. By Brimir's favor, Reconquista cannot fail."

[you okay][?] Jason asked Louise, while the courier was speaking.

[catching my breath] she responded.

"I – but who are they?!" Turenne de Montferat demanded, sounding rather frightened. "How did they get in without the dogs sounding an alarm!?"

"I should like to know that myself. But they're mages, and don't enjoy the protections I can afford you. Subdue them and we shall find out."

De Montferat nodded shakily, raising his wand once more . . . but before he could cast anything, Louise shouted the words to Firebolt, and an explosion crumpled the courier.

"Brimir!" gasped the tax collector, turning his attention past Jason to Louise.

"The letter!" she hissed, "don't let him-!"

Jason's eyes widened in alarm as de Montferat's eyes suddenly gleamed. The heavy-set tax collector held the courier's letter aloft, pointed his wand at it, and-

But even as he was casting, Jason charged across the room, and crashed into de Montferat just as the mage's Firebolt went off. The collision jostled his aim just enough that only one corner of the letter went up in fire, and the letter fluttered to the ground next to the Reconquista agent.

Jason pushed himself back to his feet, groaning, to see de Montferat scrambling over to where his wand had apparently landed. He staggered over and grabbed the wand just as de Montferat lifted it, and the two snarled at each other as they each tried to hang on to it. It was obvious that Jason was stronger, but the tax collector had started out with a better grip on it, and neither had a clear advantage in the struggle.

"The letter!" Louise gasped once more, and behind him Jason heard her dart across the room, followed by several light stomps on the floor.

"She doesn't even know Extinguish?" de Montferat sneered. "Commoner stock, barely more than hedge-mages, both of you!"

"Whatever," Jason snarled back, "gets the job done!" With that he let go of the wand with his right hand – de Montferat immediately yanked hard on his wand, eager to take it back and end the fight – pulled his arm back, curled his fingers into a fist with his thumb below the fingers instead of inside them, and punched the other man in the face as hard as he could manage.

The rotund mage immediately crumpled, his hands letting go of his wand to cradle his face, while Jason turned and tossed the captured wand over his shoulder in Louise's general direction, before gingerly massaging his right hand with his left. If we're going to make a habit of hitting people, we need to get our hands toughened up. Then he grinned, despite the pain in his hand. But hey, we proved Coach Darby right. We could have made the team as a linebacker, if we'd been willing to put in time to exercise.

"You savage!" de Montferat got out, still cradling his face, as blood dripped down between his hands. "You commoner-born swine! When my entourage learn of this . . . you two may have been something among whatever peasant filth you came from, but you have no idea what it means to cross a de Montferat! And when we're done with you, we'll turn over your families along with whatever's left of you to the Crown. It'll be the short drop from a hangman's noose, I swear to Brimir!"

"Brave words, from a thief and traitor!" Louise snarled back. "You defile your position of trust and honor from Her Majesty, and you dare threaten us!?"

"Defile my-" Despite his obvious pain, de Montferat started laughing. "I turn over every penny the Crown requires of me. You think they'd believe I take more than what I need to support me and my enforcers?" He laughed louder. "You think they'd care? Void Above, you two are new to Bruxelles!"

The tax collector straightened himself up, then froze. Jason glanced over to see that Louise had her wand pointed directly at the man.

A third bout of laughter came from de Montferat, albeit more of a chuckle. "Clear enough you've potential, little girl. That's the first time I've seen a spell able to break through the protections those men carry."

"Then you know they'll go through yours just as easily," Louise said, coldly and firmly.

"Mine?" de Montferat gingerly lowered his hands away from his face, and turned to look at her directly. "I don't even have Shield cast, let alone carry whatever nobilia Reconquista gives their agents to protect them. You think I'm with these traitors?"

"You receive their agents, take their instructions-"

"They'll kill me if I don't go along with them!" he insisted. "They don't care about me, they're just after what someone in my position might be able to do. And I haven't had a hope of getting out from under their thumbs, but . . . but now you're here, with a new kind of spell that they don't know how to counter! Brimir has surely heard my prayers for deliverance!"

"What?" Louise asked, sounding confused.

Jason couldn't blame her. The sudden shift from threats to what sounded like the start of a recruitment pitch was rather jarring to him, too.

"This is the perfect opportunity to free myself from their threats, and for you two to find a place for yourselves in Bruxelles! Not only do we have a message from Reconquista that the Crown would find most alarming, we've taken an agent of theirs prisoner to hand over as well."

"We?" Louise repeated, flatly.

De Montferat nodded quickly. "Take service with me, and I promise there will no inconvenient questions about how you broke into my residence, or how you managed to know about Reconquista's activities. As your patron, I can shield you from unwanted royal attention. And I'll see to it that you two have proper training in magic, to whatever level you can attain! Almost as good as the Tristain Academy, I swear by the Right Hand of Brimir, and you won't have to pay an écu for it!"

He turned his head to look at Jason and smirked. "Although I'll thank you to keep up with the pugilism, boy. I won't be the only one shocked to see a mage who's also handy with his fists. Better yet, keep your wand hidden and no one will guess you're noble until you pull it out!"

"Turenne de Montferat," Louise ground out, "you are entirely mistaken. You are our prisoner, bound to face the Crown's justice!"

That wiped the smile off de Montferat's face. "Is that how you want to play it, little girl?" he asked, with a dangerous glint in his eyes. Then he exploded into motion, reaching out with one arm to push Jason away as he rushed past him to reach Louise before she could get a spell off-

But Jason's reflexes had been seasoned by the last few weeks as a bouncer, where not every drunk could be scared off by hamming it up as a demon pirate. So he was able to seize de Montferat's outstretched arm, letting the man's momentum turn him around and behind the mage, where he could shift his grip and bind de Montferat in a double shoulder lock.

The tax collector squawked in outrage, struggling as he tried to free himself, but now Jason had both greater strength and better leverage on his side, and the other man's efforts were in vain.

"As neatly as any drunk at the Charming Faerie Inn," he growled softly, causing the other man to freeze. "Do you really think, de Montferat, that we will abandon our old friends in your favor-"

"You work with that degenerate?" de Montferat burst out. "Don't you know? He keeps his tarts hidden away from any man with the gumption to reach out and take one of them! He's no friend of any man. Join me and I'll let you have your pick of them! Any three for your household, save the daughter. She'll be mine when he's finally ruined."

Jason raised an eyebrow, then looked over at Louise. "I don't know, Athena. What do you think? Really, I'd be satisfied if just one faerie stayed with me, as long as she was the right one."

She rolled her eyes, but a smile crinkled her lips. "We have him taken prisoner, and secured. I don't think we need to toy with de Montferat and his absurd proposals."

The tax collector growled, and started struggling again. "You fools! You have me, but for how long? My entourage will wonder why I have not joined them today, and-"

There was a sudden knock on the door, cutting de Montferat off.

"Athena," Jason said in a deliberately nonchalant tone, "why don't you see who that is? Since I'm somewhat occupied at the moment." [and keep your wand handy in cast it is not her highness]

Louise nodded, and left the room towards the front of the house. There was the sound of a door opening, and then a large thump on the ground. Which was a bit nervous-making, could it really be more Reconquista-?

But then his little mistress returned, smirking, with two hooded figures.

"Who are you?" de Montferat gasped. "And what have you done with my dogs outside?"

"They're sleeping soundly," Louise reported. "So they won't interfere. As for who these are?"

She waved her wand with a flourish, and a quick Levitate removed the hooded robes from the two, revealing Agnes and Princess Henrietta.

The tax collector sagged in apparent relief. "Your Highness, these ruffians have been trying to kidnap-"

"Turenne de Montferat," Henrietta intoned solemnly, sounding every inch the princess, "your crimes against your bourg are already made known unto me."

"No!" He gasped again, turning pale. "I swear, Highness, I have always served you loyally. Command this commoner to release me, and I will show you!"

The princess gave him a disbelieving look, and nodded to Agnes. The servant crossed over to the unconscious agent, and quickly rifled through his clothing, before picking up the nearby letter. She skimmed through it, nodded, and brought it over to Henrietta.

"As your agents warned," Agnes smirked. "A letter with instructions from his new masters. Despite the burn damage, there's more than enough to condemn him."

De Montferat sagged once more in Jason's grip. "A-agents?" he croaked. Then he redoubled his efforts to escape, until Jason frowned, let one of de Montferat's arms free, caught the noble's neck in his elbow, and applied pressure until the tax collector slumped into unconsciousness. Er, hopefully unconsciousness. Just because he'd read about bits of Brazilian jiu-jitsu didn't mean he'd ever practiced the style.

Then he grinned. "Highness, your arrival was timely and most welcome. Were you able to arrive safely and unseen?"

"Agnes discovered a woman spying out our path, and she had to act quickly to subdue the spy and alter her disguise, but other than that-"

"Wait, alter her disguise?"

"She was carrying a sack of something when she came in," Louise confirmed. "That must have been the spy."

"I've found it useful, being able to hide someone, as Jason hid you to go to our meetings in the slums," Agnes remarked. "Or for hiding a prisoner. A bag carrying an overlarge faggot can be emptied out in a nearby alley, and then used for more urgent purposes."

"Oh, like I did with-" Jason stopped, frowning at the bodyguard. Who at almost five-foot-nine was certainly taller than most women, but- "Exactly how strong are you?"

"A lot stronger than she looks." Henrietta smirked, looking up from reading the letter. "You have my permission to engage her in a few bouts of staff-pulling if you wish."

He glanced from the grinning princess to her bodyguard, who was not smirking, but whose eyes gleamed. "Sorry," he declined, offering a wry smile, "but I don't know what you did to make her stronger than she looks, and I didn't bring any Gauntlets of Ogre Strength along with me when Louise summoned me."

The princess laughed. "Agnes isn't as strong as an ogre. Not yet. But she was certainly strong enough to carry the spy. We'll need to waken and question her by and by, but for now let us attend to this letter."

"The letter is what you needed?" Louise asked. "Agnes said it was enough to condemn de Montferat, but is there more?"

"Oh, yes," Henrietta breathed, as she resumed reading the letter. "Details on where to bring something unnamed, but of considerable importance. Taken directly from the person of a Reconquista conspirator, who was taken into custody in my presence, and de Montferat's lies protesting his innocence shall not stand against my personal witness of his treachery." Then she looked up again, and her grin turned impish. "Mother is always concerned, when I'm able to slip out of the palace. This time, she'll not be able to take me to task for it."

Jason laughed, and Louise giggled. "I almost wish you could tell Queen Marianne that you were with me," she admitted. "It would be like the old days."

"It's tempting," Henrietta nodded. "But like you said, now it would be best to minimize your involvement. You can count on me not to spread the word that a Vallière has been flirting with men like a commoner tavern wench."

"That's good . . . wait!" she narrowed her eyes. "You'd better not be planning on holding this over me, like the time we almost-"

Then she broke off, glanced at Jason, and kept her mouth shut.

"You haven't told him that one?" Henrietta asked, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"I don't think she's told me any stories about the two of you, embarrassing or not," Jason noted.

"Well, we'll have to fix that some day. But no, Louise, you did this favor at my express request. I'll be rewarding you when I can, not holding it over you."

"Good."

"In the meantime, we have a townhouse to search, and then we need to bring whatever records we can find over to the Purse."

"To the purse?" Jason asked.

"For auditing," Henrietta nodded firmly. "De Montferat is a tax collector who has abused his bourg, and we must know the extent of his crimes. We'll have these two put to the question, as well, but that's not a task fit for a noblewoman's eyes."

Fit for-? Oh. Torture. Yikes. And he knew just enough to comment there, too. "Well, with two of them working together, at least that makes the interrogator's job easier."

"How so?" Agnes asked. "Will it not be twice the work?" But something in her tone said she already knew an answer to that question, and wanted to see if he knew it too.

"Yeah, but you already have enough to condemn them, so the only reason to interrogate them is military intelligence. Like where to find more Reconquista agents."

"Go on," the bodyguard said, nodding.

Jason swallowed. "So, since they don't have to survive interrogation, keep 'em separate from each other, don't let them know what the other is saying, and interrogate until their stories match. If they haven't had time to put together a cover story, then matching stories probably mean true stories. And the courier ought to know where Reconquista agents are, so every time he sends you on a false trail you can punish him until he starts telling the truth."

Agnes blinked, then slowly smiled. "Miss Vallière, if you're ever weary of Jason's services, her Highness wouldn't mind borrowing him."

"I wouldn't?" Henrietta glanced at her companion, looking bemused. "The Regency Council barely tolerates you having access to me. Another commoner?"

"Your pull with them should climb after this. And I think he'd shape up nicely, with a little training."

"I'm happy with Jason where he is," Louise broke in, sounding cross. "And we just had a situation at the Inn, so I'd rather that commoner women stop trying to take him away."

"Oh, you haven't mentioned this!" the princess exclaimed, sounding far too interested. "Do tell!"

"Uh, before we get started on gossip, can we see about securing the prisoners, and maybe finding wherever the loot's hidden?" Jason asked. "I mean, we've got time, there weren't any meetings planned after this one, but-"

"He's right," Agnes interrupted. "Noble gossip later. Search now."

Henrietta sighed dramatically, but then pulled her wand and cast a spell on de Montferat and the Reconquista agent. "There. That will keep them sleeping until they're woken up, just like the spy in the other room. Now where would they have hidden everything?"

The townhouse was not large, so the search that Agnes lead them on was short, if destructive. Corners were explored, covers were ransacked, cupboards and desks and wardrobes were rooted through . . .

And then, after they'd gone upstairs, Louise went through a door and came right back out, looking suspicious.

"This is just a closet," she said, her eyes narrowed, "but the room through that door," nodding at the next door over, several paces down the hall, "isn't large enough for the distance in between. There's enough space for a hidden room, I'm sure of it!"

Agnes immediately came over, studying the wall betwixt the two doors, running her hands along it before rapping sharply on the wood. "If there is a secret room," she stated, "it's well-muffled. Likely to prevent discovery."

"Can you find a hidden entrance?" Henrietta asked.

"That's what I'm looking for, your Highness. But with how the wall is carved, the seams of any door would be well-hidden."

"We can always have Louise blast through the wall with some explosions," Jason suggested.

The bodyguard grimaced. "If I can't find anything, perhaps. But it would risk damaging whatever is being hidden away-"

She broke off as one of the carvings on the wall rotated in response to her probing. It rotated back as soon as she moved her hand away.

"Clever," Agnes breathed. "With the carvings rotated in place, the outline of the door is broken up, and all-but-impossible to discern."

"But of course you found it anyway!" Henrietta exclaimed, beaming.

"Only because we knew it was there to find. A routine examination would not reveal it." The tall blonde probed some more. "These six carvings help hide the door, and I'm sure they're part of the lock for it. And with something like this, de Montferat would have devised a unique spell for unlocking and opening the door, so your Highness can't simply Empower the door open like a normal lock."

"Then what do we do?" Louise wanted to know. "Should I try to explode it, like Jason suggested?"

"If we can't find any other way. But first, let's try to force it open. Jason, you hold these three carvings, and I'll hold the other three. Your Highness, if you and Miss Vallière will push gently with Levitate?"

"You sure they shouldn't pull?" Jason asked, pushing one of his carvings into the 'unlocked' position with his shoulder so that he could hold the other two with his hands. Across from his, Agnes was doing much the same.

"There's no scuffing on the floor," the bodyguard replied. "So the door almost certainly moves inward. Your Highness, we're ready."

Henrietta nodded, and cast Levitate, with Louise following suit.

For a long moment, nothing happened.

"Perhaps it does pull-" the princess started, but then a loud metallic twang was heard and the door began moving inward.

"I think we maybe broke something," Jason said, as he and Agnes let go of the carvings. The door moved inward a little more, and then swung open.

"De Montferat will not have the leisure to complain," the bodyguard replied, stepping through the thick doorway into the darkened room beyond.

She sniffed the air, then snorted in disgust. "This was a waste of time."

"How do you know?" Henrietta asked, casting Light and following Agnes into the room – only to stop short. "Oh."

"What is it?" Louise asked, trying to crane her neck to see over the other girls.

"It's," Jason started, then stopped for a moment. The faint scent of blood and sex coming from the room, the bed with its red silk sheets, the planter hanging from the ceiling, the, um, exotic attachments on the far wall . . . "It's where de Montferat brought commoner girls to play with. Although he wasn't the strongest of men, so he must have had some way to overpower them-"

"He did," Agnes snarled, stalking forward to the bed, plunging a hand under the sheets and retrieving a set of manacles. "A malefactor's restraint, I'm sure." She held it up and examined it closely, before nodding sharply. "It's even the same design as the one Dion de Sauvage had in his hidden room."

Louise stepped forward, and her eyes widened as she took in the details. "This – that man was going to hide me away in a room like this?" she asked in a horrified tone.

"I'm sure he'd have taunted you with his wand at some point," Jason said in reply, trying to sound reassuring, "and then you'd have been able to turn the tables on him. And that's if the three of us didn't turn the Sauvage properties inside out to find you first."

"Fortunately, your familiar proved able enough to guard you on his own," Henrietta put in, "so you were not faced with the ordeal of Dion's Sauvage's extended company. But let us attend to the here and now. Turenne de Montferat has no warrant to possess such nobilia, and neither did Sauvage. Agnes, you are certain they're the same design?"

"Yes, your Highness. I spent enough time checking it against the Crown inventory to recognize the craftsmanship."

The princess looked grim. "Then there's a rogue ennobler catering to nobles of such . . . tastes. Make a note of it, Agnes, for us to attend to when the security of Tristain is not at risk."

"Yes, your Highness." The bodyguard looked around, then stalked over to one of the walls, running her hands over the designs. "Miss Vallière, is this where the closet was?"

Louise nodded faintly.

"There will be peepholes here, so that he could watch and gauge the mood of his victims." Agnes then crossed over to a chest against the far wall. "Your Highness, if you will Empower this open?"

Henrietta complied, the lid popped open . . . and after a careful look the bodyguard shut it firmly. "There is nothing that pertains to Reconquista in this chest."

"And I take it that we don't want to know what's in it?" Jason asked.

Agnes turned and gave him a stare that made him shiver. "No," she replied flatly. "You do not."

"If this room does not pertain to Reconquista, then let us leave it," the princess commanded. "The smell of blood in here is not to my taste."

"Must have been to his, if he didn't Freshen it away," Jason commented quietly as they all left and closed the secret door.

"It can take more than Scour to remove blood, if it soaks in deep enough," Louise replied, just as quietly. "My parents have had to have some of their clothes burned before, when they returned home and couldn't get the blood out."

"Which still does not pertain to Reconquista," Henrietta pointed out. "And it would be best to find out today what they were so concerned about, while we can be certain of having the initiative."

"There isn't the space for another hidden room up here," Agnes declared, eyes narrow as she looked around. "But downstairs . . . perhaps. If it's small enough. Follow me."

Once downstairs, the bodyguard paced off the measurements of every room, muttering to herself, before finally stopping in front of a plaster wall in a sitting room near the center of the townhouse.

"It wasn't as easy to find, even once I knew what to look for. And there's no hint of a secret door that I've been able to see. But there's space for a small room behind this wall. Miss Vallière, if you would carefully break it down, while her Highness pulls with Levitate?"

Louise nodded firmly, and began casting a series of small explosions up, across, and back down.

A few minutes later, Henrietta was able to pull the bulk of the plaster wall away, revealing a tiny room containing three chests and a desk piled high with papers.

"Is this it?" the princess asked excitedly.

"I think so." Agnes looked all around, and then up. "Ah. There is the entrance."

They followed her gaze to a trapdoor in the middle of the ceiling.

"We didn't see anything like that upstairs," Louise complained. "Shouldn't we have noticed it?"

"Not if he concealed it as well as he did the door to his hidden bedroom," the bodyguard pointed out. "And he was motivated to guard his secrets as best he could."

"Which means we should be careful with the chests," Henrietta said, aiming her wand at each of them in turn and casting a spell that Jason didn't recognize. "There's no magic on them, not even ennobled locks." With that she cast Levitate on the chests, bringing them out into the sitting room. "You'll want more room to work with them than the secret study, I'm sure."

Agnes nodded sharply, producing a set of lockpicks as she approached the three chests. "Stay on the other side of the room until I've checked them over for any traps," she enjoined them. "The Germanians have produced some truly alarming machina recently."

But there were no traps waiting, and about a minute later the first lock clicked open. "Wait," she cautioned them. "Just in case." Then she stepped around the chest and lifted the lid from behind. But no trap triggered to catch an unwary thief, and so they all gathered around the chest to gaze into it.

Then four paired of eyes widened, as they looked inside and beheld the contents

"Something of importance indeed," Henrietta breathed as they all stared at the large gold coins filling the chest to the brim.

One of the other chests was similarly full, but the third was only about halfway full, and the treasure therein was a jumble of smaller coins, copper, silver, and gold.

Jason was the first to offer a guess. "Do you think this half-full chest could be his recent 'taxes'? And the other two are what he's been building up for years?"

The princess nodded slowly. "It seems likely. And if that is the case, then it's little wonder that he didn't come to our attention before now," she mused. "To steal, but not enjoy his ill-gotten wealth. To what end, though?"

"With his magic, a new title wouldn't cost that much in Germania," Agnes speculated. "Some gold for the title, some more gold to establish himself . . . and then came word of your impending marriage, and he'd know he'd not be able to get away with it. Reconquista might not have needed to try all that hard to recruit him."

Gold can buy you a title in Germania? That's our first real clue towards getting rank! Butthink on it later.

"Well, he shall not enjoy the reward that his gold shall bring him now," the princess said in a steely tone. "We shall need all these papers, and the gold-"

Agnes was shaking her head. "There's not enough of us to carry it, if you want to keep it all with you along with the prisoners. Not even with Miss Valliere to help Levitate."

"I do want to keep it all with me," Henrietta nodded. "Very well. Louise, can I still rely on your wand?"

"A-always, your Highness!" his little mistress declared, eyes wide. "What would you ask of me?"

"Since we cannot go to the Purse as I had planned, I shall send Agnes to bring the purse to us. And so I shall rely on your strength to see me safe, if we are accosted before she can return."

"I . . . I will die in your defense, I swear!"

"And I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't come to that," Jason added.

"Your Highness," Agnes began, looking slightly appalled. "None can deny the loyalty of Miss Valliere after her recent service to you! But she is not trained to protect you-"

"She has been trained her whole life to lay it down in the service of the Crown," Henrietta quietly replied. "I know her parents, and I know how they raised her. And sometimes risks must be taken, even with my own life, if they are for the good of Tristain. So trust her to carry your responsibility for a little while."

Agnes stared at her princess for a long moment, before taking a deep breath, in and out, and bowing low. "Yes, Your Highness. But first, we truly ought to see to the spy."

"Yes, the spy." The princess pursed her lips, then smiled brightly. "You and Jason can see to her."

He blinked. "Your Highness?"

"Agnes thinks you're worth training. So see what you can learn from her."

"Uh-" We really don't want to be responsible for killing anyone. But that's what's going to happen to any Reconquista we catch, right? So- "All right."

He followed Agnes into the other room as Henrietta clapped her hands. "Now!" she said to Louise, "you were saying something about commoner women stealing Jason? How did this get started?"

"It started just after I summoned him," Louise said darkly. "There's this maid back at the Academy . . . but we've almost become friends now. It's when we arrived at the Charming Faerie Inn that the real trouble began . . ."

---

"There aren't any other young men who work at the Charming Faerie Inn, I hear," Agnes murmured as she led Jason toward the entrance. "It must be something, to have them competing for your favor."

"Not as much as you'd think," he replied as they entered the vestibule. It was small, and sparsely decorated, but had an aura of restrained good taste. And, of course, there was the human-sized sack on the floor. "I'm called to be Louise's familiar. That's a more important relationship than any . . . if I say 'spring fling' does that translate well enough?"

"More important than taking a lover for a season? Is that what you meant to say?"

"Yeah, close enough. And I'm not looking for a wife, even if I'd make a decent catch simply by being a noble's retainer. Besides, I told Louise I'd ask her approval before courting anyone."

Agnes gave him an unreadable look for a long moment.

Then her eyes narrowed. "You know that you cannot hope to court Her Highness, of course."

Jason blinked. "I . . . isn't she engaged to this Germanian prince named Atma, uh, Weapon?"

"Atma Tharoor, you mean. And yes, she is. And I will defend her honor if it's threatened."

"Okay," he replied warily. "No offense to Her Highness, but I'm not looking to court her. Or seduce her. Okay?"

"And yet you think it is absurd that there might be any distance between your station and hers," the bodyguard accused. "You speak as one of such high station that he may condescend to converse with anyone and not risk his rank-"

"Whoa!" Jason interrupted. "I think we're dealing with a cultural misunderstanding, here. Her Highness is a friend of a friend, and Louise wants us to get along, so I can get away with being a bit casual around her. That's most of it, I promise."

Agnes eyed him narrowly for a moment longer, then shook her head. "Very well. But take care that your intentions toward her do not change."

"Honestly, I don't see that becoming a problem." Of course, if you were to ask us about our intentions towards Louise . . .

"Good. Now, did you set one of your 'faeries' to watch for us?"

"Uh, no. I would have said, once you mentioned finding a spy." He looked down at the sack. "Is she one of the faeries?"

"Perhaps. She's pretty enough for the role, I think." With that, Agnes opened the sack and shook out an unconscious form, which sprawled out limply on the floor.

Jason gaped down at the unconscious figure.

Then he raised his head. "Yes, that's Nicole, she's a faerie, or was . . . but what the hell was she doing-?"

"That's what we need to know," Agnes stated rather flatly. "I was scouting the route to ensure we were unobserved, and there she was, watching and waiting."

"That's . . . I have no idea what's going on," he admitted. "She was dismissed from the Charming Faerie Inn the day before we last met, and that's when you said you'd wait at the Laughing Princess. There's no way she could have found out about it."

"That is . . . unfortunate," the bodyguard replied, looking grimly solemn. "If she could not have learned of it by your carelessness, then she knew by some other means."

"But we've already got de Montferat secured, don't we?"

"Yes, but we want Reconquista as well, and if she is a link to them, then they may have had some warning of our interest. Or she may be an agent of a third faction that has so far escaped our notice." Agnes stared down at the unconscious form with narrowed eyes. "Which is why I've not already disposed of her. We must learn who she serves, and what they already know and wish to learn, before anything is done."

"Uh . . . as far as I know she wasn't working for anyone but herself, back at the Inn. She just needed a good dowry so she could marry well, that's all."

The bodyguard's glare transferred over to him. "Do you propose to risk Her Highness's plans on what you think you know of this woman?"

Jason opened his mouth, then hesitated, before shaking his head. "You're planning to interrogate her. Torture her."

"Of course I am. Are you saying you lack the stomach for it?"

"No, it's . . . okay, yes, the thought of torturing anyone for answers makes me want to throw up. But she can't be with Reconquista."

Agnes's glare did not let up. "Because of her pretty face, of course."

"No, because she's been too busy building her dowry. And if she was Reconquista, de Montferat would have been far more on his guard than he was against Louise and myself. The faeries all knew we were going to try to stop him from driving the Inn out of business."

The bodyguard's eyes flickered. "That may be, but nonetheless she is here. And we must know why."

"Yes, but-" Jason broke off, his mind whirling. Police get confessions all the time, simply by letting suspects 'tell their side'. No torture needed. "Look, whatever's going on, she's not trained as a spy. So . . . she's going to want to talk, if we give her the chance. So how about I talk to her when she comes to, and you watch from some position where she won't notice you?"

"And the purpose of that would be?"

"You get to hear what her story is when she's talking to someone she knows. If you think there needs to be further interrogation after that, then at least you've got a good start on it. But I really don't think Nicole has been trained to resist interrogation, so a sympathetic ear ought to be all you need to get her to spill everything."

Agnes held him under her stare for a moment longer, then grimaced. "I doubt this will work like you hope. But her Highness would be relieved to hear that all we had to do was listen to this faerie of yours. So we shall try your method first, before the real interrogation begins."

Jason nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

Agnes spun around and stalked out of the vestibule. "Thank me if it works," she called over her shoulder. "If it doesn't, you will learn how to extract a confession properly."

Damnit, he thought as he followed her, what if the whole thing about easy confessions is pop psychology? What will we do then?

---

A/N: Torture is one of those things that's unreliable, since you can get people to 'confess' to anything. There's a narrow range of utility for military intelligence, however: If the prisoners that you're interrogating are going to be executed anyway, and you have some way of fact-checking their answers, you can train them to believe that the only way for the pain to stop is to tell the truth. Again, that kind of interrogation will end up with them dead, or so crippled that they'd probably prefer death afterward. And because you do have to fact-check, it's utterly useless for getting a meaningful criminal confession.

Against anyone who hasn't practiced resisting interrogation, the sympathetic ear technique is fairly effective, and doesn't do permanent harm to the subject. But those confessions aren't necessarily reliable either, if the 'good cop' thinks he already knows what happened and guides the suspect into the 'correct' confession.

New Spells: Twisting Edge – Water spell that Henrietta's supposed to be mastering. Creates a razor-sharp disc of water.

Magic Items: Malefactor's restraint – magical manacles.

Pregnancy salve – unnamed so far, but there is a salve that can be made with Mix that reveals pregnancy.

Setting Limits: Magic to abort a viable fetus is very hard to do without causing unwanted side effects.