Crowned in Black - Chapter 4

When renovations had started on the castle, the Ducal Suite of Kalla Sahasi had been one of the first apartments to get cleaned up. There were no more faded green-and-silver brontosauruses or lace doilies. Now everything was done up in the sky blue and black colors of House Dragozin: polished blue and black marble, black tile floors, dark glossy wood. The dreary old portraits of dead nobles were gone, replaced by landscapes salvaged from the ruins of the old gatehouse. The sofa and chairs were upholstered in black leather, with blue and white cushions, and the Bolza sauropod crest tapestries on the walls had been changed out for dragon-themed hangings. Almost all the work had been done by grateful NPC volunteers in Karhad. Some part of me still felt I didn't deserve it.

Karalti went ahead into the bedroom while I did my admin for the day. First up was the Kingdom Management System, the special menu used to manage Myszno. The system showed that all my major NPC allies were now assigned to quests based on the orders I’d given them, except for one. Interestingly, Ebisa was free: and now listed as a recruitable ally of Myszno. Curious, I brought up her NPC Profile, and when I saw her stats, I whistled. Ebisa was a solid Level 50 now, the highest level NPC other than Ignas I'd ever known. Her Dexterity, Wisdom and DPS were through the roof. She was a straight up Assassin class, and some of her combat abilities were terrifying. She had a 15% chance to instantly kill any enemy she fought.

"Glad I never had to fight you in Taltos," I murmured to myself, querying how to recruit her. To my surprise, I got a quest alert.

Recruitment Quest: A Prince's Counsel

Ju'chi Ebisa, the loyal assassin, advisor, and spymaster of Volod Ignas Corvinus II, prides herself on her independence and toughness. But even the strongest warriors can be struck down by grief, and Ebisa is no exception. She is somewhere in your castle: find her and speak with her. Perhaps you can be the one to put some of her concerns to rest.

Reward: New recruitable hero.

That was a strange little quest. I'd never actually gotten a specific 'recruitment quest' before, though all the people in my court now were, technically, NPCs I'd recruited through completing missions.

"Hey, Karalti: if you were an extremely dangerous Mercurion, and you wanted to go somewhere to brood broodily, where would you go?" I called back to the bedroom.

"Uhh..."Karalti thought for a moment. I could almost hear the gears grinding from the other room. "I dunno. The cistern, maybe? Or the bell tower. Not the new one; the batty-bat one."

The bell tower? I could see that. "I'll check. I want to catch her before I go down for the day, but if she's not there, I'll come back and sleep."

"You better." Karalti harrumphed. "I made us a nest in here and everything."

"A... nest?" For one panicked moment, I flashed back to our lovemaking in the grotto several days before. "You uh... you're not like... uh...?"

"Not like UHHH what?" She replied peevishly. Karalti was still close to the tail-end of her heat, and she was hormonal.

"You're not fertile, right?" I nearly squeaked.

Loud, rasping draconic laughter pealed from our bedroom. "No, silly. Or at least, not with you. Even like this, I'm still a dragon."

"Thank god." I dashed some sweat from my forehead and leaped to my feet. "Be back soon, okay? Love you!"

"I love you too!" She trilled reassuringly. "Don't fall off the skydock!"

The 'batty-bat tower' was the old watchtower over the castle's skyport, the dock over the cliffs where airships could moor. There was a newer tower, more like a magically-fueled lighthouse, which was used for signaling traffic. The old tower only had a bell and had fallen into a semi-dilapidated state. It was a pretty good place to go and sit and think dark thoughts, so I sprung up along the outside from scaffolding to scaffolding, ran along a beam, jumped up to a broken wall and pulled myself into the choked-off stairwell, heading up to the top. I was not surprised to see Ebisa's thin silhouette crouched on one of the balcony rails, her elbows resting on her knees, her mask pushed up from her face.

"Kind of a stereotypical assassiny place to come and think, isn't it?" I asked her, trying and probably failing for humor.

"It's away from people," she replied bluntly.

Most Mercurions were finely sculpted works of art, crafted from metal, silicone, and intricate clockwork. Ebisa hadn’t quite reached the ‘work of art’ stage. Her creator, another Mercurion, had been working with whatever materials were available to him in Taltos, and so the King's Blade had the look of a partly finished sculpture or painting. She had six red chunks of ruby mana set into her face in place of eyes; a bony, sharp face with a thin slash of a mouth, and a short, feathery cap of backswept hair. She was compelling, in an alien sort of way. But by the standards of her own people, she was considered freakish - and illegitimate or novel creations like her were normally killed in spasms of mob violence. Her aversion to being unmasked around other people, Mercurion or otherwise, was understandable.

"Well, I'm technically a half-dead, blood-addicted gyroscopic mutant. So not really much of a people." I motioned to the balcony. “Mind if I join?”

Ebisa shrugged, then turned her face back toward the view. And what a view it was. The southern cliffs looked out over the city of Karhad. Night was falling and the lamps were being lit, a wave of light slowly kindling over the healing city. Parts of it were still ruined from war, but every night, the lights seemed a little brighter.

"You know what happened to Ignas isn't your fault, right?" I gingerly went over and hopped up to perch beside her.

There was no emotion in her voice when she spoke. “I should have been there.”

“I know you feel like you let him down, but he had you stay back for a reason,” I replied. “You were his insurance policy. He knew that if something went wrong, that if he was betrayed or captured, then he had the absolute best person available to pull him out. That’s you, Ebisa.”

Ebisa looked down. She couldn’t blink, or even really scowl… her face didn’t move much.

“Ignas is smart,” I continued. “We have to act quickly, but we also have to trust his decision to leave you behind. He taught me almost everything I know about politics and strategy and shit… he would have surrendered only because he believes we can get him out of there. And we will. We’re working on getting logistical support from the Revalan resistance right now. Then you, me, Vash, Karalti and Mehkhet are gonna go save his ass.”

There was a pause, where Ebisa showed no reaction at all. But then she dipped her head, and turned her face toward me. "He’s proud of you, you know."

Whatever encouragement I'd been about to try died in my throat. "Wait. Ignas? Why? For what?"

"He’s talked about you with me. Cares about you. Thinks you’ve come a long way since you first met." She paused for a moment, lifting her chin to survey the valley beyond. "He… told me that he’s proud of me, too. For choosing to serve the realm. For not caving to bitterness and walking a path of evil. It is so easy for a ju’chi to fulfill the destiny they are told they possess.”

I didn’t really know what to do with that revelation. Ignas, proud of me? “Yeah. He’s the real deal, for sure. I feel a lot of things for Ignas, you know? Admiration, mostly. Some suspicion, I won’t lie. He’s a king, after all.”

Ebisa snorted. “He would see that suspicion as a sign of wisdom.”

I laughed a moment. “Yeah… guess he would. He’s taken a lot of time to mentor me, actually. I feel like he really wants me to succeed as Voivode.”

“He does.” The Mercurion went still again, head poised, gazing out over Karhad. “I am… scared… of what Lucien Hart will do to him.”

"Is he that bad now?" I asked. "Lucien, that is."

"Yes."

That one word - and the certainty in Ebisa's voice - sent a chill down my spine. From the first day I met him, Lucien had given me the creeps. He wanted to know if I'd killed people while I was in the Army, and the vicarious excitement in his eyes and voice had set my teeth on edge. "I figured he had fantasies about killing people for revenge and shit, but was too soft to ever actually do it himself."

"Perhaps he was soft in the past. But now, the man is a butcher and a torturer," Ebisa rasped. "A creative one, if the reports from Ilia are to be believed. Entire villages destroyed. In one town, every man, woman, child and animal was found chopped to pieces, piled into a mountain outside the town’s chapel. Dragons have been snatching maidens and taking them to the Eyrie. The girls turn up dead and mutilated days or weeks after. He reportedly captured a disobedient lord and his family, blinded his wife, and paraded her on a leash for a week before he had his dragon eat her and the children in front of him before he was executed."

I listened to the list of horrors in stark disbelief. "I knew Lucien was bad, but… fuck. We're moving as fast as we can, Ebisa. That's the only reassurance I can offer."

"Indeed. I fear the worst, Dragozin. For Ignas. For Queen Aslan and the crown princess, Sohvi." Ebisa reached down to run her fingers over one of the dagger hilts at her hip. "But I have more than one regret."

"Janos?"

She nodded. "I failed to notice the pin you spotted. Once you pointed it out, I saw him cover it. There was no mistaking his guilt, yet… my hands froze. I told myself it was unwise to butcher the Crown Regent in front of the entire assembly, but..."

"Yeah." I sighed, squatting back on my heels. "At the same time, though, if we HAD killed him in Vulkan Keep, what then? Would we have killed the entire Kingsguard as well? Staged a coup? If we'd taken him out, we'd have destabilized the entire nation. Every lord, lady and opportunistic warlord would watch the center of Vlachia collapse... we'd have absolute chaos on our hands. At least this way, the country remains stable until we can bring Ignas back."

"If we can't, the Corvinus line ends, and the dynasty of Lanz begins. Baldr Hyland knows he can't conquer Vlachia through military might. He found another way. If Janos ascends the throne, we will be a puppet state under the Ilian Empire."

"The day that beaky-faced douchelord becomes Volod is the day Myszno declares independence from Vlachia," I said, curling my hands on my thighs. "And I bet there's a lot of provinces who'll join us. I know that’ll weaken Vlachia, too, but it's better than the alternative."

Ebisa grunted her agreement. "So. How do you plan to find Ignas? The Revalan Resistance?"

“Nethres, that Starborn Valkyrie, is a member of the Kingsmen in Ilia. She works for Prince Illandi,” I said. “She thinks Illandi will know who can help us in Revala. Rutha will have already sent her back to Ilia by now. She’s going to PM me as soon as she learns anything.”

“I am not confident." Ebisa frowned. "Resistance fighters won't know where Ignas is being imprisoned."

“I’m more concerned with finding a way into the country, setting up a temporary C.o.O, and then putting out feelers.”

“C.o.O?”

“Center of Operations. Sorry. But yeah, once we have a place to operate from, we can find a way into Lovi and start gathering intelligence. That’s going to be one of the things we need you for, if you’re willing to let me lead you.”

The Mercurion lifted her head. "For the time being… you have my blade."

[Would you like to recruit Ebisa the Red?]

I telepathically swiped for yes, and watched as her profile joined the list of Heroes available to deploy on the KMS. She automatically joined the Ignas rescue quest.

"Thanks. I'll be glad to have you on our team." I thought about clapping her on the shoulder, then decided against it. "How are you and Rin doing?"

"Rin and I? I don’t understand."

I blinked. "I thought you and she were uh..."

"No." Ebisa made a dismissive gesture of her head. "I aid Rin because we are both the orphaned daughters of Kanzo. She would like it to be more, but I am not capable of it."

"Oh... sorry." I thought back to the times I'd seen them embrace under the shadow of one of the airships in Taltos, or sitting shoulder to shoulder as they figured out some crafting puzzle. "... Are you sure?"

"Sure of what?" Ebisa’s head swiveled toward me sharply, like an owl's.

"That you're not capable of having a close relationship?" I was definitely overstepping by this point, but... welp. “I mean, you and Rin seem really close.”

“Should I unlearn a decade of hardship to become something soft and romantic?” she laughed bitterly. “Perish the thought, Dragozin. I know my place in this world."

"Your place as advisor and enforcer to one of the most powerful kings in Archemi?" I grinned. "Because that's a hell of a resume."

"You're trying to fix me," the assassin replied, after a pause. "But you can't. I am a plain, sharp dagger in Ignas’ hand. Rin needs someone able to care."

There was a lot to unpick in that statement, given how much she obviously cared about Ignas, but I decided against it. "Well, just so you know, I think you're pretty great. Loyal, tough, skilled-"

"Thank you.” She cut me off, sounding even more closed off than before. "Please leave me for now. Contact me for the operation, and I will serve."

"Sure." I shrugged and hopped to the ground, heading for the stairs. I didn't want to leave her like this, but there was only so much I could do.

Karalti was waiting for me in bed, which was pretty much just a giant box filled with clean, warm white sand. As a Napathian dhampir, I was kinda-sorta undead, and like all vampires of my lineage, I had to sleep in a box of desert sand to feel rested when I woke up. Fortunately, dragons also liked to nest in sand, so Karalti didn't mind. She had made a round depression in it big enough to fit us both.

"Heya, Tidbit." I greeted her, leaning the Spear of Nine Spheres beside the door. "I found Ebisa. She was in the bat-tower. Lurking, like you said."

Karalti uncurled and yawned, flashing needle-sharp fangs behind her pretty human lips. She held her arms open for me. "Mmm... that's good. Was she okay?"

"’Okay’ is probably a too strong a word. But she's on the team to rescue Ignas." I unequipped my armor and underclothes, and it vanished into the magical void of Inventoryland. Karalti crooned with pleasure as she took me into an embrace, dusty and smooth from the sand, and pressed her small hot body against mine.

"Once we bring Ignas home, I'm sure she'll feel better."Karalti curled in against me, nuzzling up under my jaw. "Try not to worry about him too much - if anyone can rescue a king, it's us. We're the best."

I stroked Karalti's hair and tried to relax... but I was haunted by Ebisa’s stories of what Lucien had gone and done."You know, all this time, I've been thinking of Ororgael as the worst person we have to deal with. But you know, I'm starting to wonder."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."I frowned up at the silk canopy overhead. "Ororgael is your average ruthless megalomaniac, but he's not really the kind of guy to torture someone to death for funsies. Lucien though... I've been underestimating what he's capable of."

"Mmm. Well, now we know better, right?" Karalti peered up at me with her lovely violet and silver eyes, one slim hand resting over my chest.

I laced her fingers through mine and turned to smooch her on the forehead. "Yeah... yeah, I guess we do."