Crowned in Black: Ch 32

For the first time since I'd moved into the place, Kalla Sahasi was alive with music, laughter, color and food. We'd had victories before, but not even a single day between crises to properly celebrate shit. But this time, after the first success for the newly formed Free Army of Myszno, we were determined to throw a party - even if I personally was still too worried about Ignas, Janos, Ororgael, the Dragon Gates, and every other thing hanging around my neck to enjoy it.

The feasting tables had been cleaned off and dragged out into the Great Hall, which was full of people laughing, drinking and stuffing their faces. We’d brought out kegs of dark Vlachian ale and spiced cider, roast chickens and haunches of deer and Europasaurus, small sauropods about the size of bison. There were cheese and potato dumplings covered in onions and lashings of sour cream, and vegetables in every shape and form: baked, pickled, mashed and fried. The officers of the Free Army were taking the chance to let their hair - and fur - down. Ur Gehlan was trying to teach five or six Yanik how to Cossack dance, mostly unsuccessfully. Lord Soma was roaring with laughter at something Rutha was saying, her thin face alight with humor for the first time in months. Meahwhile, Vash and Taethawn were surrounded by a cheering crowd of soldiers as they engaged in the national sport of Vlachia: a drinking contest.

"Drink! Drink! Drink!" A chant went up for Vash as he glared shrewdly at Taethawn, pouring himself another shot of plum Palinka: booze that smelled like overripe fruit and burned like gasoline. Vash swayed a little as he topped off the shotglass, thumped his chest, then picked it up and threw it back to cheers from Team Human. The Meewfolk yowled and hissed and laughed as he slammed it down, belched loudly, and grinned at Taethawn.

"Your turn, pussy cat." He shoved the quarter-full bottle toward him.

"Don't you call me a pussy, you... you damned sssskinned monkey." Taethawn had to shake his head to orient on the bottle, but he wasn't about to be defeated by a man nearly a foot and a half shorter than he was. He snatched the palinka by the neck and poured his own shot glass, squinting at it. When it was brimming, he set the bottle back down in front of Vash, drew a deep breath, then banged his fist against the table as he drank it down. His bloodriders yowled with approval as Taethawn smacked his glass down and burped.

"I shwear on the Black God’s taint, I’ll die from a burst liver before I’m beaten by some overgrown mouser!" Vash slurred, even as he poured again.

"You and me should do that." Suri, seated next to me at the high table, nudged me with an elbow. She had a wide, shit-eating grin on her face.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You could drink me, Vash, AND Taethawn into the ground." I laughed, sucking a tooth as I watched Vash almost overfill his glass.

Suri cackled. "And if I wasn't having to act the part of the Lady of the Manor, you know I bloody well would."

Vash's mouth twisted in a tipsy smile, and he nearly fell backwards as he toasted Taethawn and took his shot. There was no sputtering or gagging, but when he set his shotglass down, he put a hand to his mouth.

"Ahh, about to... hee... about to give in, are we?" Taethawn crowed.

"Never! I will piss in my own mouth before I su... shuu… uh... what's the... SHURRENDER! That's the word!" Vash shoved the nearly empty bottle back toward the Meewfolk. "SHurrender! Which is what that cunt Janos did today!"

"Here's to su... suu.... shuren… bad guy give up! Chon gaaaoooo!" Taethawn didn't bother with the glass: he toasted with the flash of liquor, leaned back as he set the bottle to his teeth, and promptly fell off his chair.

"HAH! SUCK IT, CAT! I WIN! I think. Oh Burna… my stomach…" Vash clapped his hand to his mouth and lurched up, stumbling into Kythias. The young Lysan caught him on instinct - only to start cursing as Vash puked all the way down the front of his tunic. The crowd of onlookers burst into laughter.

"I swear on Khors' beard," Istvan sighed. He was seated to my left, nursing a tall flagon of non-alcoholic apple juice and watching the proceedings with an expression of fond dismay. "The man doesn't even drink that much.”

"He doesn't?" I stuffed a cheese-stuffed pepper into my mouth and chuckled as Kythias, swearing at Vash like a Taltos dockworker, shoved a giggling Vash into Admiral Lostra's arms and minced his way off toward the washrooh. "I figured Vash lived off a diet of liquor, tobacco, and barbed wire.”

"He used to take a lot of things when he was young, rebelling against temple life, but nowadays he only smokes his herbs." Istvan rolled his eyes. "I WAS hoping to dance with him, but we saw what happened with poor Kythias.”

"He and Taethawn are both gonna regret this one," Suri chortled, watching on as the Admiral and one of his officers each slung an arm under Vash's shoulders and led him to the hall doors as he broke into a lewd tavern song. Taethawn's men had to carry their commander to the side of the room, where he rolled back and forth, giggling and purring.

Everyone at my table was mostly sober, with the exception of Gar. He'd hit the brandy from the start of the feast and was lying facedown on his unused dinner plate, snoring against his forearms. Suri and I were mostly sticking to water and a bit of beer. The stout was delicious - velvety, chocolaty, with a creamy finish - but I just couldn't stomach it. I knew Ignas was being guarded by Masha, Captain Vilmos and Simeon in his semi-secret quarters, but I didn't feel right getting shitfaced while he was so vulnerable. Karalti was at the feast table, stuffing her face with buttered crab with an expression of sublime contentment, but she and Suri had also been mostly avoiding alcohol. We all knew that the victory at Vastil Pass had been provisional. Suri and I were both restless.

"Want to go for a walk?" I asked her. "I feel like some air."

"Sure." Suri had gone for a simpler outfit than was typical for her, a long gold dress that was slit up to the thighs on both sides. She loved to shed her armor and get dressed up for parties, but like me, she seemed wary and distracted.

We slipped out through a side door so as not to draw attention. The air was brisk, with the bitterness of winter. It was only about four weeks away, and soon, the entire south-east of the province would be snowed under.

“What’s eating you?” I asked Suri. “Same thing as me?”

“Probably,” she replied. “Much as I enjoyed watching that bigarse ship go down, can’t help but feel anxious about the rest of Janos’ army just… sittin’ out there. Parked in front of our door, so to speak.”

"Yeah. Same. We have to acknowledge that this victory is provisional," I said, shaking my head. "Much as I'd like to be jumping in the air and clicking my heels together over this, the fact remains that two thirds of his force is still out there. I'm hoping our messages to the 3rd Fleet have lowered morale and sown discord, but without a spy in their ranks, there's no way to tell."

"Yeah, for sure." Suri looked like she was thinking about it. "Those Dakhari ships are old royal fleet. I don't think he hired pirates: I think the Sultir gave him some ships with crew. They weren't flying royal colors, but... they weren't acting only like mercs, either. Too brave."

"I swear that once this shit is handled, our next target is the fucking Sultir," I said firmly. "Not only is he an asshole, and not only do you deserve to claim your birthright, but the royal jewels of Dakhdir contain one of the Keystones."

"They do?"

"Yeah. Remember what Samayan said? The avatar? He said the Koori Neelam of Infinite Wisdom was in the crown of the Sultir."

“Infinite Wisdom? The Sultir? Could’ve fooled me.” Suri made a thoughtful sound. "Wouldn't know though, because I've never seen the guy up close, but if that's true... then yeah. He isn't gonna give that up while he's still alive."

"I don't think we should tackle Dakhdir until we've got the dragons." I reached for Suri's hand, and as hers drifted over, linked my fingers with hers. "The Sultir has a big, BIG military. It might not be as technologically advanced as Vlachia's, but I'm willing to bet they have more soldiers and special units we don't know about that could kick our ass. Mages who can take airship shields down the way we did today, or magical elephants or something."

"I don't know for sure, but the first one makes sense. Mages are controlled by the state in Dakhdir," Suri replied, gazing out over the edge of the skydock. "They have to live in mage towers under guard. So you're probably right, and they're expected to serve the military in times of war. Probably drilled in warfare all the fuckin’ time, too."

"Right. Well, we shouldn't have to wait long, at least." I rubbed my mouth. "I want to tackle Cham Garai tomorrow. If we can get the dragons, so much of the world opens up to us, literally and figuratively. I just hope nothing cocks up. Ignas will die if we get bogged down in Ilia."

Suri came to a slow stop. "Then lets do the Dragon Gate of Endless Night first. You already know where that is, don't you?"

I looked back at her, still holding hands. "Yeah, but-"

"Think about it, lover. The reason all those people are partying in our castle right now is because they think they're protecting their Volod from a traitor." Suri drifted in closer until our chests touched. Without thinking, I slipped an arm around her waist. "The fact we rescued Ignas - the fact he's alive - is inspiring all sorts of good shit. We got young men and women signing up for the Free Army like mad. We’ve got the 4th Fleet, still fresh. Morale is fuckin’ sky-high. If Ignas dies, we lose that energy. But imagine how motivated your forces will be if they know that our side has fuckin' HEALING MAGIC. Imagine how fearless they'll be if they know our healers can literally seal their wounds, fix broken bones and shit. Janos might still have more troops than we do, but ours are gonna be worth ten of his."

"You're asking me to something I absolutely hate." I laughed. "Risk failure."

She smiled back, and bumped her forehead against mine. "This from the man who jumps off tall things for fun."

"Yeah, but that's a different sort of risk. It's only me going splat if I fuck up." I pressed my brow back against Suri's and closed my eyes, breathing in her rich amber and honey perfume. It was dark and deep and intense, just like her.

"That's what you think. How many people do you think you'd affect now if you died? Really died?" Suri said. "Those people up there: Vash, Istvan, all those officers. Kitti. Karalti. Me. You're all linked with us now. If we lost you..."

I laughed again. "C'mon, if there's one thing you'll be able to find in a JRPG, it's a short, dumb Asian jock with a goofy hairstyle and a big sword, wielding the powers of the universe."

"For fuck's sake, Hector. I'm tryna' have a lovey-dovey serious moment here." For a second, I thought Suri was about to headbutt me, but after a moment of hesitation, she leaned in to kiss me instead. We stayed that way for nearly a minute before she broke contact, sighing softly with pleasure. "Point being, you bloody idiot, that I reckon our army can take Janos' if they're motivated enough. And I also think you're right about Ignas. He's worth fighting for. We should do that first, even though it's real tempting to go for the dragons now."

I thought about it. The thought of leaving my comparatively tiny army without the fantasy equivalent of a tactical nuke for even a few more days, when Janos could strike at us at any hour, was not a happy one. But Suri was smart - smart in ways I wasn’t, and there'd been many times she'd seen things I hadn’t. This felt like one of those times.

"If we do the Gate first, we might save Ignas, but lose the province." I sighed through my nose. "But if we do Cham Garai first, I have a feeling we're not going to have a Volod when we get back. Other than me. And I just... I don't feel anywhere near ready for that responsibility. I need to spend more time with Ignas, Simeon, and Rutha so I can learn from them. They all know how to run a country. I'm just making shit up as I go along."

"I feel a bit the same way, to be honest." Suri made a face, then stepped back and turned to face the wind blowing in from the city far below. "Every time I've felt pissy about needing to wait to tackle the shit in my own country, I realize that even if I was somehow able to march up to the Peacock Throne, wring Yazeed's neck, then throw him out a window, I wouldn't have a fucking clue where to start if I sat my arse on that throne. I need to get a grip on how to run a place as well. Feel pretty useless here, I admit."

"Useless?" I paced up behind her, and hugged her from the back. "You're literally one of the least useless people here."

"You and Istvan handle everything. I train guards and keep an eye on Captain Vilmos, and that's about it." Suri leaned back into my embrace, relaxing slightly. "I've dicked around in the Kingdom Management shit, but Myszno... I dunno. Feels like it belongs to you, you know?"

"We can sort out some roles if you want them. I'm a workaholic. Could probably stand to give some of the responsibility up."

"Nah. I need to figure it out myself." She shook her head. "Not that I don't want to participate, but I think we feel differently about Vlachia. It was always a temporary stop for me. My heart's in the south. Fucked up as the place is, Dakhdir's my home, and I want to fix it."

I tensed a little. "You think that... you and I...?"

"You and I are just fine." Suri rubbed back reassuringly.

I smiled, and nuzzled her neck, but a strange feeling lingered. Uncertainty? I wasn't sure, so I did what I'd been trained to do when faced with uncertainty, and pushed it into the 'Emotions for Later' box. It was starting to get pretty crowded in there.

"Let's not think about it," I said. "You're right: we should go do the Dragon Gate. I'm going to send everyone a message and we'll ship the crew out first thing tomorrow morning."

"I dunno if you noticed, but Gar blacked out, Karalti's stuffed herself with so much seafood that she’s fit to pop, and Istvan's gonna be holding Vash's hair back while he throws up into a basin most of tonight," Suri said wryly. "So... we might want to head off in the early evening on our grand adventure to Matir's tomb."

“Good points. Also, I sleep better during the day.” I ran a hand back over my hair, then glanced aside at Suri. “Don’t suppose you feel like maybe finding somewhere semi-private and letting me see what’s under that dress of yours?”

Suri arched both brows, and turned to look at me. “Pretty sure you already know.”

“Sure, but it’s always good to keep the memory fresh.” I took her hand, and began to nudge her towards the old watchtower. “Right?”

She bit her lip - and despite her teasing, I could tell she wanted, maybe needed, to not be in control for a while. She was three inches taller than me in heels, but as I squared up and pulled her along, Suri tapped her way behind me across the stone. As we reached a shadowed alcove, I reached up to slide my fingers through her hair… then pushed her down. She gasped, sinking to her knees.

“Oww. The ground’s rough here! And you know it’s bloody cold right now, right?” Her voice was breathy, playful as she hiked the dress up over her legs so that she didn’t scuff the fabric. Her cheeks were flushing in the gloom.

“Sure I do. And you’re going to do what I want anyway.” I rested a hand on my belt and grinned. “Remember that time I put your back against a wall and went down on you? I’m calling that IOU in.”

Suri’s full lips parted, and she reached out to lay her hands on my thighs. “One round… and then we go back to my room.”

I squeezed her hair near the roots, earning another soft gasp. “Ask me. Don’t tell me.”

She leaned in against my legs, arching her back in and craning her chin to look up along my body. “Can we go back to my room after this… please?”

I unclenched my fingers and stroked her thick coppery hair back, then her hot cheek, then ran my lip over her thumb and slowly pushed it in. She shuddered, pressing her thighs together, and began to work at my belt with her fingers.

Tomorrow, I’d visit Ignas. We’d get ready to head for the Dragon Gate, and do what we needed to do, even if it killed us. But for now… what we’d achieved was worth celebrating. Just for a little while.