Ajacii and Demons: The Ingenairii Series (5 page)

By noon they were well into the canyon, and two hours later they began to climb upwards, following the canyon road’s rise up to the plains beyond. “This is the place to ambush them,” Alec said. “They won’t have many horses, so they’ll be tired from carrying their supplies and climbing.” He looked at the rim above the canyon, and envisioned archers shooting a withering fire of arrows into a densely packed Conglomerate force.

“
That’s a good theory,” Harbin said. “We’ll see if the Countess can afford it.”

The rest of the trip was uneventful, and they walked back into the castle slightly before sunset. “I’m proud of what we did, men,” Harbin told the squad as they entered the castle gate. “You’ve all earned the right to thump your chests and wet your whistle.

“
I’m going to go talk to Major Perry; you stay available,” he told Alec in particular, and then he went his own direction.

Alec meanwhile walked about the castle, trying to find his way to return to Menard’s office. When he found it, the major domo was absent, so Alec squatted on the floor outside and waited.

“
Our illustrious regal visitor is here waiting for me?” Menard spoke as he came down the hall and saw Alec outside his office. “Are we not treating you satisfactorily? Would you like a better suite in a castle tower?” he asked.

“
No,” Alec replied as the official opened his door. “I’m happy with my bed. But I think you need a bigger army in a hurry.”

“
That’s not news,” Menard said, standing in his doorway, apparently impatient to return to his work there. “But it’s impossible to address. There is no more money available.”

“
If I deliver five thousand golds to you tomorrow, will you pay your back pay to the army, and then hire every man in the city as a short-term mercenary? If you can give Major Perry a thousand more archers next week, we can beat the Conglomerate,” Alec said in a quiet, but forceful tone.

“
If you can deliver five thousand golds tomorrow, I’ll have you married to the Countess by the end of the week!” Menard replied, starting to step into his office. “But there isn’t that much cash available in all of Krimshelm. Take your fantasies and go help the Major,” he answered, and he closed the door behind himself.

Alec snorted in angry disgust. He breathed deeply to calm down while he walked away; he reflected as he climbed the steps that perhaps if he were confronted by a stranger who offered wealth and riches, he would be just as cynical.

Back in the dining hall he sat down by himself to eat, when Macon the page came running in to join him. “I heard you burned the Conglomerate fleet! Was it exciting? Dangerous?” the boy asked.

Alec grinned at his youthful enthusiasm. “Why don’t you and I go practice with swords, and I’ll tell you about it,” Alec suggested to the young boy.

“
Can we? Really?” Macon asked, bouncing in his seat.

“
We can, but we need to go now, because the sun will set soon and it’ll be too dark,” Alec told him, and the two of them raced off to the practice hall.

Alec fitted Macon with a practice pad, then gave him a wooden sword, and soon they were moving through the traditional motions that had been drilled into Alec as a young member of the Guard in Goldenfields. “When will we start stabbing and slicing?” Macon asked after he grew bored with the repetition.

“
You seem to be learning fast, so maybe only another year,” Alec told him with a straight face, then laughed as the boy’s jaw dropped.

“
You teach a different way than I learned,” Perry said, standing behind Alec. “Page, you’re dismissed. Alec, come with me,” he turned and walked away.

Alec unstrapped his own pads and put them away, then went to Perry’s office, where Harbin stood waiting. “So you had an adventure and tweaked the Conglomerate’s tail, did you?” Perry asked.

Alec studied the man, then used his Spiritual powers to grasp the emotional atmosphere in the room. Perry was angry, and Harbin was worried.

“
We gather information about them, and slowed down their prospects of attacking Krimshelm,” Alec replied.

“
I don’t think you slowed them down. It sounds to me like you forced them to attack us,” Perry replied. “You were told to go observe, not launch your own bloody war.”

“
The only reason they’re here is to attack. We didn’t force them to do anything they’re not going to do anyway,” Alec replied. “The Conglomerate isn’t going to spend the money to ship thousands of soldiers up here, and then just ship them away. They were going to attack. Now they’re going to attack more slowly, with less equipment, and with more fear in their hearts about what we can do to them.”

He stood still and awaited Perry’s reply. “That’s all absolutely true,” the officer surprised Alec by agreeing after several seconds of silence. “But we’re still never going to have the forces to defeat them. Now they’re just going to be more angry when they do win. And they will win in the long run.”

“
If I can get the money to hire new archers, to set up an ambush, would you put them in place at the canyon we scouted?” Alec asked.

“
I know the road, and the canyon is the right place to do it, but there isn’t that kind of money around, so your ‘what if’ game is meaningless,” Perry answered. “Stick to being a soldier. You’re dismissed,” he told Alec.

The sun had set, and the passages around the castle were dimly lit by torches as Alec left the office. He stopped at a corner and debated what to do. He had to go to Vincennes to recover the gold that sat in the banks there, he knew, and he had to deliver it to Menard as fast as possible. The banks in Vincennes were already closed for the night, but there was no reason for him to wait until morning to return; he could leave now, spend the night in Vincennes, then withdraw the money at the earliest moment. With that decision clear in his mind, Alec began the series of jumps his Traveler powers needed to manage his return to Vincennes.

Chapter 3
– A Jagine in the Palace

Minutes later Alec was back in the apartment he shared with Bethany and Rahm. Bethany was alone, sitting at the table, contemplatively eating a bowl of soup, when Alec appeared before her, causing her to shriek.

“
Alec? Welcome home! I’m so glad you’re back,” she shrieked loudly as she raced around the table and leaped into his arms. They exchanged a hearty hug.

“
How have you been? I’m so glad you’re back; it will be a relief to have you back in the court; you can’t imagine how pompous and overbearing Stocker is without you around to scare him. When were you called back?” Bethany asked.

“
I haven’t been called back,” Alec admitted, watching her face sag at the admission. “The countess of Krimshelm needs a lot of money to pay her troops. I was going to give her a big share of the money we took from Krimshelm, since it was hers to begin with. So I came back to go to the bank tomorrow; I wanted to see some friendly faces for a change, so I came back tonight.”

“
So the Princess didn’t recall you? You’re not officially welcome back?” Bethany clarified. “I wish you were. I knew I hadn’t heard you were returning, but I hoped maybe I missed it somehow.”

“
How is she doing?” Alec asked. It was the only question that mattered to him, and it showed in his face.

“
She’s doing well as the Princess. She takes charge and gives sensible orders and usually cuts off the longwinded bores before they waste the whole day talking. Everything she’s been through has changed her; you’ve changed her by acting decisively when you had to, and by showing her you could avoid action when you needed to – she told me that herself. She grows better as a ruler all the time,” Bethany said, as they both sat down at the table. “But as a person, I know she misses you. Even though she has been lauded by the court for your departure from the city, she misses you in her heart. You should go see her tonight after everyone else is gone. Rahm is on guard duty tonight; you could get in without a problem.”

Alec closed his eyes, tempted by the idea, a germ of which had been rooted in his mind when he decided to return to Vincennes. He knew though that he had left Vincennes resolved to go away and stay away; he’d understood the reasoning of his banishment to Krimshelm, but his feelings had been bruised nonetheless. Going away had seemed like it might allow him to grow used to his estrangement.

But now, hearing Bethany talk about Caitlen had forced him to face the reality of how much he missed being with the girl, missed seeing her walk, her face, her unconscious habit of running her fingers through her hair when she was trying to concentrate, even watching her handle the mechanics of governing. There was a way to visit her he realized, one that would minimize the damage she would face if his visit was known. “What would people say if the Princess took a Jagine to her room with her?” he delicately asked Bethany.

She looked at him, her head tilted, studying him. “I think most would say good for her, a few would say it’s about time, and a few would say it’s a terrible thing,” she answered at length.

Alec closed his eyes and focused his Healing energy inward, recreating the blue pigment he had used while running away with Caitlen in the beginning of the winter.

Bethany clapped her hands. “That is so fun to watch! It’s perfect! Let me escort you to the palace to present you to the Princess!” she insisted, and so they walked together through the streets of Vincennes, people looking at Bethany appraisingly as she was accompanied by a Jag. They were admitted to the palace that Caitlen had insisted on re-occupying, and Bethany showed Alec the way to the private wing, where the scars of the occupation were being covered and hidden by paint and repairs.

“
Just down this hall,” Bethany gestured, and as they turned a corner they saw Rahm and a companion not far away, standing outside a large door, while in front of the two Guards Caitlen stood holding hands and chatting with a handsome stranger who Alec did not know.

Before either Bethany or Alec could digest the situation, Caitlen caught sight of them, her attention drawn like everyone else’s to the bright blue hue of Alec’s skin. “Bethany? What are you up to?” she asked, motioning the two of them to approach.

“
We’re just passing by,” Bethany said, as Alec tugged on her hand to pull her away from the awkward scene.

“
Come here!” Caitlen called. “Bring your friend! We want to see what you’re up to,” she said with a cheerfulness that sounded forced to Alec’s ears.

He and Bethany exchanged glances, then both sighed as they walked to see the princess.

“
This is the chief of your bodyguards, isn’t it?” the stranger asked Caitlen, motioning towards Bethany.

“
This is,” Caitlen concurred. “And there’s hardly anyone I’d trust more to protect me than Bethany. Bethany, this is the Viscount Whilky, from Wellings,” the princess made the introduction. “He’s been at court for a few days now, here to discuss how his county can contribute to our work.

“
And who’s your friend?” Whilky asked. “Shouldn’t he have bowed to the Princess by now, or do his talents exempt him from good manners?” the man asked with an air of superiority.

With gritted teeth, Alec bowed slightly, jealous and offended that the nobleman was here in the private wing.

“
We’ll be leaving now. We were just taking a tour of the palace,” Bethany said, and she started to drag Alec away.

“
Won’t he even talk?” Whilky asked. “Let’s have some entertainment for the princess. Make him sing a song for us!”

Alec was looking at the man through slitted eye lids, close to letting his frustration and disappointment emerge in violent action against the arrogant nobleman. With another deep breath he focused on his Spiritual power, seeking serenity.

“
No, he won’t sing,” Bethany shot back, nearly as upset as Alec by the situation. “His accent is too strong to really do our songs very well,” she shot a triumphant glance at Caitlen, then felt awful, as she saw the realization dawn on the princess’s face of who the Jagine with the accent really was. Caitlen’s polite smile was replaced by a look of stricken panic.

“
Your highness, would you like to have my Jag tonight?” Bethany asked, impulsively seeking to fix the blunders that were piling up in the marble hall.

“
What?” Whilky sputtered. “She doesn’t need a Jag tonight,” he insisted.

“
I’m sorry Whilky, but I think I do want to try the Jag this evening. I’ve never really had one before,” the princess apologized to the nobleman. “Can we have breakfast tomorrow to wrap everything up? Bethany, would you escort the Viscount to his suite?” the princess dropped the nobleman’s hand, and stretched her finger toward Alec.

Alec refused to take her hand. Instead, after a moment of hesitation, he brusquely shot past her, opened her bedroom door, and disappeared inside the room. As Bethany started to take Whilky by the arm to lead him away, Caitlen abruptly rushed into the room as well, shutting the door behind her so that the two of them were alone.

“
Alec? Is it you? Oh, this is the best thing I’ve known since you left,” she rushed over to hold him, and Alec heard her in his mind as they made contact.
Oh my love, you are what I’ve needed. I’ve wanted to see you and talk to you and touch you; every hour you’ve been gone I’ve thought of you
.

“
I’m only here for a few hours,” Alec said out loud. “The Countess of Krimshelm needs money to pay her troops, so I came to take some from the bank for her. And then I came to see you because I missed you. I haven’t had a handy member of the nobility to entertain me in the evenings,” he told her jealously.