A Dagger of the Mind (The Imperial Metals) (16 page)

Chapter
27: The Army of Grimsor

Grimsor, Selene, and Helios ascended the Obelisk, the throne of the Kingdom of Logeross. Atop the sheer stone spire, a platform balanced, overlooking the land. From the raised throne, it was said the ruler could see a hundred miles in any direction. There were no stairways. No railways. The only way to visit the throne was to Shadow Travel there.

The Obelisk was built when Grimsor came into this world, two thousand years ago. The Order of Starfall fought him, but little did they know that four of their own were fighting on his side. Frost, Argos, Helios, and Selene murdered all their former colleagues, securing the Kingdom of Logeross for their new master.

And eventually, all the people of that Kingdom bowed to their new deity-king. Yes, many were Turned. But some willingly joined the vast ranks of the growing army. They felt powerful. Like they were part of something greater than themselves. They only had to ignore the atrocities they were called upon to commit.

And so, Grimsor conquered Kingdom after Kingdom, spreading across the vast stretches of Khiransi. But when he vanished, his empire fell. Each of those countries reverted to its own leadership. Logeross fell into the hands of Argos, Helios, and Selene.

Of course, that had been thousands of years ago. They destroyed any records of the old Demon, hoping that none would be prepared to stop him a second time. They had a long journey to get their leader back. They had to accomplish tasks that would take millennia. So they ruled their lands quietly, bending all their resources to their purposes.

Selene and Helios became the leaders of Logerros. Argos was sent out into the world, to learn of foreign lands ripe for conquering. And he found the Turin, angry from their unpleasant past. And he molded their will to his. And he lost himself in their ways.

But Selene and Helios kept their minds focused. They became despots of Logeross. Husband and wife. Kind and benevolent, but without any patience for disobedience. Punishments were swift and cruel. And the crimes were many. Again, the people of Logeross were not inherently cruel people. But whereas Argos had only molded a generation of Turin to fight in his war, Selene and Helios had kept up the act for two millennia.

And now that Grimsor had returned, he took his throne in Logeross. The people accepted him as their new leader. The God who stood above the King and Queen, Helios and Selene.

“Oh Great One,” Selene reported to Grimsor. “Our armies are almost prepared. To which border shall we move first?”

“Our first target shall be the Rone,” Grimsor growled from atop the dais.

“Master,” Helios pleaded, “The Rone are across the sea. It will take time to build enough ships. And to conquer them from this far away. Would it not be better to start on this continent? To look to one of our neighbors to expand our borders?”

“I have already started to unravel the leaders of Rone,” Grimsor snarled. “But they still stand the greatest chance of stopping us.”

“Why is that?” Selene dared to ask.

“Frost,” Grimsor said. “I see now, in the Dreamscape, that he laid out his plans to destroy me long ago. To the bloodline of their Kings.”

“But they have no Kings,” Helios pointed out.

“They don’t know that,” Selene retorted, trying to gain points with Grimsor by putting Helios down. “They think there’s still a Prince.”

“It doesn’t matter what they think!” Grimsor shouted. “It is not a coincidence that the Countess Vye is from Rone. Even if the line of Kings is dead, I will not leave it to chance that Frost didn’t have some other plan. We will travel to Rone and we will destroy them! Do you question my judgement?”

“No,” the Sun and the Moon said together.

“Get to work,” the demon demanded. “I will continue to wither their defenses with my mind.”

Chapter
28: The Kiss

Twenty
Years Ago...

Lady Vivian quickly became a skilled rider. She would ride her favorite horse out by the docks, so she could see the water, and Michael would take a white bronco to accompany her. They enjoyed a series of sunsets together, and Vivian always loved watching one of the large galleons make port. It always seemed to her that the ship would crash right through the pier, but it made the turns just right each time, and Vivian would always give it her own personal round of applause.

Michael was further fascinated by the stories Vivian would tell when they shared a meal. She would always talk about his father, but would never call him, “The Count” or even, “Alexander.” She would always refer to him as, “Alex,” which Michael found a little disconcerting. But the stories gave Michael an insight into his father he had never experienced before.

One day, after returning from an excursion by the Port of Hartstone, Vivian was telling Michael about the time that “Alex” had met her in Arwall.

“So the next dance was supposed to be this very fast two-step. The lute player played the first few notes, but before the fiddle came in, Alex waved his hands at the stage, and the music stopped. Everyone there groaned, because the diddy was popular at the time.

“Anyway, Alex goes up to the stage and asks if they can play, ‘Marietta,’ the waltz. I didn’t realize at the time, but Alex’s wife… Sorry, your mother, had just left the dance with a bit of a headache. Anyway, he had been making eyes at me all night—”

At this, Michael laughed.

“What?” Vivian said.

“Nothing, nothing,” Michael said, smirking. “I just can’t imagine my father ‘making eyes.’”

“Well, he did,” Vivian continued. “He’s actually very charming.”

“There’s another word I never associate with him.”

“It’s so strange to me that you don’t get along well with Alex.”

“We’re not that much alike.”

“No,” Vivian said. “You’re not. I’ve known fathers and sons, and mothers and daughters for that matter, who didn’t get along because they were too alike. But you and Alex are very different. Yet, I like you both, for different reasons. It’s so odd to me that the two of you aren’t…compatible.”

“We get along alright,” Michael protested as they reached the stables. They dismounted and Michael handed the horses to Kern.

“I suppose,” Vivian said. “I just…thought you’d get along better.”

“That’s something that you and I have in common,” Michael said. “But as long as he keeps treating my Mom like shit, it’s not likely to happen.”

Vivian’s face lost all its color, and she bowed her head and turned away.

“Viv,” he said. “Now, hold on a minute. I wasn’t talking about you.”

“Yes you were.”

“Alright, maybe a little. But it’s not you. You’re not the problem.”

“Aren’t I? You think I’m the reason Alex treats your mother this way?”

“No,” he said, “You’re just the instrument of his treatment.”

“Now I’m just an instrument?!” Lady Vivian said, before turning and running out of the stables.

Michael pursued her until he caught her just inside the Castle. They were near the Candle room, in the basement.

“Listen to me!” he insisted, grabbing both her arms. She relaxed in his grasp. “Just listen. It’s not fair to any of us. It’s not fair to my Mother. It’s not fair to me, because my parents spend more time arguing than loving each other. And it’s not fair to you, because you are being treated like an instrument, when you should be loved for being beautiful and kind.”

“I’m not beautiful,” Vivian said. “I’m just…full-figured.”

“You are beautiful,” Michael said. “Forget the eyes, and the ears, and the nose, and the hair, and everything else. Forget it all. You are beautiful, as anyone can tell when they look at you. And you’re a warm, gentle person. And someone out there should love you for these things.”

By now, he was no longer holding her arms, but was cupping her face in his hands. She looked up at him, her eyes watering, her mouth smiling. And her lips… Well, they would have looked good to anyone now.

Michael leaned in and kissed her. She kissed back, with a sort of passion she had never felt before. The kiss became more and more passionate. They both stumbled, until she fell against a wall, and Michael kept pressing himself against her, not hard enough to hurt her, just hard enough to let her know what he was thinking.

Michael’s right hand was sliding up her dress, reaching her rather prominent bosom, but it was his left hand that would get him into trouble. It was opening the door that they were standing beside. Once opened, Michael skillfully took Vivian by the hand and swung her into the room.

There, they continued The Kiss. The Kiss would continue, in one form or another, for the next hour, as both Michael and Vivian struggled to remove their clothes, find all the right parts, and, to put it gently, fuck each others’ brains out.

Chapter
29: The Letter

It was late in the evening when Landos knocked on the guest quarters of the Baron Dubon von Wrims. Krugg, who had returned from delivering Duncan to the Turinheld, answered the door. As always, he averted his eyes as soon as he identified the guest.

“Come in, come in,” the Baron called from his study desk. “Krugg, some tea, yes Magistrate?”

“Thank you, Baron. And call me Landos.”

“If you will call me Dubon.”

“Agreed.”

The Baron stood, pulling his seat out for Landos. Landos settled in to find the Baron’s good parchment and his best ink and quill waiting before him.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Landos asked.

“If you need privacy, I can step out of
zee room,” the Baron offered.

“No, that’s not necessary. So... Do I just...start writing?”

“Whatever makes you feel comfortable. I will tend to the fireplace, so zat it is ready when we need it, hmm?”

“Thank you,” Landos said. And he began to write. It all came flowing out of him at an alarming rate. Confessions about his love for Sarah. About their affair before Michael died. Their affair afterwards. Their child. The lies upon lies they had told to protect that first one. And the man who had died, alone in a cold prison, so that the secret would never get out.

Even though Sarah would never see this parchment, Landos felt as though he was opening his heart to her. And the memory of her sweet smile kept his hand steady. The memory of her embrace comforted him. The ecstasy of her love, strained though it seemed at the moment, gave him courage.

He finished that page and a second sheet, feeling slightly guilty for using so much of the Baron’s good parchment. But it felt so wonderful to release all these secrets, even to the imaginary version of Sarah.

“There,” Landos said. “I’m finished.”

“You have written a good deal,” the Baron commented.

“I had a lot to say.”

“Tell me, are you in love with zee Queen?”

“I’m sorry?” Landos realized he was trying too hard to sound shocked.

“It is OK,” the Baron said. “I remember, when I met my first love, I was shy for many weeks. It did not seem appropriate zat I should love her. And I was embarrassed. You have grown so close to zee Queen over zee years. Perhaps now you love her, and know not what to do, since you cannot be with her.”

Landos nodded. What harm could there be in such a confession?

“It’s true,” Landos said. “I am in love with the Queen. When those around me wonder why I haven’t taken a wife, it is because of her. Because I can love no other but her.”

“Perhaps she loves you as well,” the Baron mused.

“Perhaps,” was all Landos was willing to say on the subject. In his heart, he thought she did. Though the events of that day seemed terrifying to him.

“Oh, here comes Krugg, with zee tea,” the Baron announced. “We will abandon zis topic, yes?”

“Thank you.”

Krugg set the tea tray down on the desk, serving a cup to Landos and then to Dubon. He cleared off the ink and quill and spare parchment, considerately leaving Landos space to rest his mug.

“Shall we proceed with zee burning?” Dubon asked after he had taken a sip.

“Please,” Landos was too eager to destroy the evidence. He folded the letter, approaching the fire. But Krugg whispered in the Baron’s ear.

“Landos, it is too hot,” the Baron protested. “Here, Krugg will help you.”

Krugg took the letter from Landos, skewering it on the fire poker, and handing the iron back to the Magistrate. Landos shoved the incriminating letter into the roaring blaze like he was roasting a marshmallow of sins.

The flames licked the parchment, coating it in fire, consuming it. Small flakes of ash flittered away, black and charred. His confession was gone forever.

Chapter
30: The Path of Dreams

“Drink this tea,” Frost said.

“Why?” Vye asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, smiling.

“I worry about everything.”

But she took the tea anyway. It tasted sweet, but she couldn’t detect anything else strange about it. At a gesture from Frost, she took a seat on the floor beside their usual crystal ball.

“Now,” Frost said, “The tea is going to ease you into sleep in a few moments. While you’re falling asleep, I want you to concentrate on a place. Any place with which you’re intimately familiar. Someplace safe, preferably. Can you think of such a place?”

“Yes,” Vye said.

“Close your eyes and imagine the place,” Frost instructed. Vye closed her eyes and thought of the one place that had always been a safe haven for her, even since she was a little girl.

“I can see it,” Frost said, and Vye had the impression that his eyes were now also closed. “We’re in a clearing in the trees,” he said. “I can see a castle up the hill, the House of Vye, I take it. And there’s a little rope ladder going up one of the thicker oaks. Am I seeing the right place?”

“Yes,” Vye said, concentrating on it even more.

“The details are filling in,” Frost said, “That’s very good. Keep concentrating on it. Think of the smells, the sounds, the colors. Very good, I’m getting a stronger and stronger sense of it. Alright, now, in your mind, pick a point of view. Pick a place in this location that you could be standing, and an orientation you could be facing.”

Vye did so. She chose to be sitting against her favorite tree, the one that faced south and lookup up the hill at the House of Vye.

“Alright, now, open your eyes,” Frost said, though his voice sounded further away. Vye opened her eyes and was surprised to find herself sitting against that very tree.

“We’re here?” Vye said.

“No,” Frost said, “You’re Dreamscaping.”

“I am?”

“Yes, you are. It’s not that different from other things you’ve done. When Halmir taught you to Shadow Travel, you had to locate a place in your mind, and you could move your vision without moving your body. Is it that hard to imagine yourself here, in this clearing, a place you know extremely well.”

“I suppose not,” she said, standing. “So, what year is it?”

“I don’t understand the question,” Frost said. “It’s five-ninety-seven RC, according to the calendar.”

“But look at the rope ladder. The ladder is still there now, but it’s all frayed and worn. It looks brand new.”

“Ah, you want to measure time in the Dreamscape. Well, it’s not quite that easy. The Dreamscape includes memories and places. You’re remembering the idea of this place, the absolute form. This isn’t a representation of it from a certain time, but an amalgam of all the times you’ve known the place. If you had so wished, the rope could appear frayed. If you had so wished, there could be a unicorn here.”

“It looks
a lot like it did in my childhood,” Vye said.

“Probably your strongest memory of it.”

“What would happen if I went into the Castle?”

“Well, that’s the fun part. You’re not just dreaming now. You’re controlling your dream. Virtually anything can happen that you can imagine, but only certain things can affect the waking world.”

“Such as?”

“If you find someone in the Dreamscape who is also dreaming, there are two things you can do. One is to get information out of that person. The other is to evoke a feeling or emotion.”

“And I can contact anyone this way?”

“Anyone living.”

“Like, my brother.”

“Yes, you could try to contact your brother.”

“How?”

“Just try to find his dream. If he’s sleeping right now at all,” Frost said.

Vye focused on the idea of her brother, reaching out as she had so many times with her magic. But this time, the antenna weren’t seeking across a field or a room. They were floating out in the ether, trying to discover where her brother was.

When she thought she had found him, she blinked. And when her eyes opened, she and Frost were in the Castle Hartstone. In the banquet hall. Luke was eating a full meal with Vye, his dead brothers, and their dead parents.

“Who are all these people?” Frost asked.

“My family,” she said, “But only Luke and I are still alive. My parents and our older brothers died years ago.”

“He is remembering them,” Frost said. “And he has made you younger.”

“That’s how old I was when I left to train. It was the last time I saw my brothers before they died.”

“He is worried for you,” Frost commented. “He is worrying that he has lost you, along with the rest of your family.”

“Luke, can you hear me?” Vye asked.

“Of course I can hear you,” Luke said, tearing into a leg of lamb with his teeth. “Have some soup.”

And Vye found herself sitting at the table, at the seat her younger self was sitting in moments before.

“I don’t understand,” Vye said to Frost.

“Well, he’s dreaming right now,” Frost said. “But he can’t control his dreams.”

“Can he hear you?”

“Yes, but he won’t be able to make sense of any of it. And if he does, he won’t be able to remember much.”

“I need to get him a message, to let him know I’m alright.”

“You can try to tell him,” Frost said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Luke,” Vye said, surprised when she turned back to her brother, because he was now the younger version of himself, “Luke, listen to me. I’m going to be alright. I’m away right now, but I’ll come back, and everything will be alright.”

“We need you back, Julia,” Luke said.

“I know, I’m coming,” she pleaded. “I just have a few things to take care of, then I can come back.”

“Beware of the fire,” he said.

“What?” she said, but her brother only smiled. “What did he mean?” she asked Frost.

“I don’t know.”

“Luke, what did you mean?” but he wasn’t there anymore. “Where’d he go?”

“It’s unclear,” Frost said. “It’s possible that he went to a different dream, but more likely he just woke up.”

“What now?” Vye asked.

“We’re going to practice,” he said.

“But you heard him,” Vye said, “I should be returning.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Frost said. “You’re in a dream now. And it will last until you wake up.
Waking up from within the dream can be done, but it’s tricky. So, you might as well practice Dreamscaping while we’re in here.”

“Do you think he got the message?” Vye asked.

“It depends. Some people remember their dreams. Some people just remember the emotions. They wake up comforted, disturbed, happy, sad, or confused. They don’t remember why, but it was the content of their dreams. I don’t know what kind of dreamer your brother is, but I suspect he will wake up with a feeling that you’re going to be alright.”

Vye was comforted by this,
and since she couldn’t wake up at the moment, she decided to practice with Frost.

At first, they practiced locations. They started with places she had lived in, or spent a lot of time in. Then they tried locations she had only been to occasionally. Finally, Frost had her track down an inn she had been to only once in her life.

Vye found herself sitting in the common room of the inn. It all looked so real, but when she looked closer, she could see that everything lacked detail. The walls were clean and even. The tables had no marks or cuts on them. She could only barely remember the layout of the room, so some of the furniture kept shifting every time she turned her head.

“OK,” Frost said, “That’s not bad for a place you’ve only been to once.”

“It was also about eight years ago.”

“Then it’s excellent. Now, I want you to find the innkeeper.”

“I can’t remember who the innkeeper was of this place. Did I mention it’s been eight years?”

“Yes, but people are attached to places. You remembered that clump of trees by your childhood home very well. The innkeeper will think of this place as their home. So, see if you can find someone who has a very strong attachment to this location.”

It took some concentrating, but Vye figured out the shortcut quickly. She didn’t have to scan the minds of every living mortal on the planet. She just had to start from the inn and then branch out. The first two people she met were the keepers, an elderly couple.

When Vye opened her eyes, they were sitting across from her in the common room. The man was slurping his way through a bowl of stew. The woman smiled, a welcoming brightness on her face.

“Welcome,” she said, referring to her Inn. To her, it didn’t seem strange to find herself in her own common room, sitting across from Vye and Frost. Her own dream was putting her at ease. Unless someone challenged reality, she would take for granted everything she saw and heard.

Frost instructed Vye to update her image of the Inn. She asked the woman to fill in the details. Remind her what was hanging over the fireplace. Describe the drapes over the window. Enumerate the cracks in the tiles. As the room looked more and more complete, Vye realized the four of them weren’t alone.

There was no smoking door, or a popping sound, or a flash of light. But from one minute to the next, Vye noticed there were other people filling in the seats around the common room. Some eating. Some sharpening knives. Some smoking pipes. The clatter of silverware and the murmur of conversation filled the room.

“What’s happening now?” Vye asked.

“Other dreams are joining yours,” Frost explained. “Some of these people are probably staying at the Inn tonight. They’re dreaming about it. Some of them might just be regulars. They might not be here right now, but they come often enough that your dream felt like a comfortable home for their minds.”

“But I wasn’t looking for any of them,” Vye argued.

“No, but, as I said, it’s all one Dreamscape. If they were having a dream of the Inn, they would be here. And now that your recollection is closer to the genuine article, they’ve found you. Which is why you must be careful when you dream of places that are familiar to our enemies.”

“Thanks for the warning,” Vye said. “Anything else I should be learning?”

“Eventually, I will have to teach you to Speak with the dead.”

“Are we going to do that now?”

“No. That seems to be enough for today,” Frost said with a wave of his hand. And suddenly, Vye found herself awake in the room with the fireplace.

“Wait,” Vye asked over the crackling of the fire, “I thought we had to wait for the tea to wear off. I thought we were only training because I was dreaming.”

“We were.”

“But if you could wake me up at any time... I have to get back to my friends.”

“Hah!” Frost said. “How long do you think you’ve been away from them?”

Vye crinkled her eyebrows at this question. It seemed like such a bizarre question, she wasn’t sure it deserved an answer.

“I can’t remember,” Vye answered, when she realized it might be relevant. “Wait, I remember coming here. And then we… It feels like it’s been weeks.”

“Weeks?” Frost said. “How many times have you eaten? How many times have you slept? Have you been in this room for weeks?”

Vye stood, looking around the room in a sudden surge of paranoia. She couldn’t answer any of those questions. She didn’t remember eating. She didn’t remember sleeping. She was still in the same clothes she had put on when she first arrived, but they still felt fresh and comfortable.

“Frost, what’s going on?”

“You’re still in a coma, Countess. I’m not really here at all. You’re still asleep in Castle Hartstone, and this is all a dream.”