Chapter 16 #2
“I’ll let them in, shall I?” Eadwolf grinned in dark amusement. “Unless your ladyship would like to greet them at the gate?”
“Thank you, as always, Eadwolf,” said Anna, tone distracted. She was watching the small crowd gather at the entrance to her estate.
“She’ll want to talk about tomorrow’s coronation,” said Harald quietly. “Clearly we’re not the only ones maneuvering.”
“She must have the Crown,” said Brianna. “And she’s come to recruit us all. The question is: do we allow her to take the lead?”
“She’s brave, coming here in person,” said Nessa. “She could have just sent representatives.”
“Oh, she’ll have brought old Orin Vex and Newt One-Eye with her,” said Brianna. “Plus enough minor Gold-rankers to make her feel quite safe. If anything, we should be wary of denying her request.”
“You think her capable of attacking me while my guest?” asked Anna.
Brianna shrugged. “These nights? Anything’s possible. All decorum’s been drowned in blood.” She considered. “But my presence here should keep things civil.”
“Good.” Anna drew herself up. “No time to dress appropriately for the moment. Too bad. But if what I’ve heard of Lady Elara is true, she’ll not care a pittance for my informal attire.”
Eadwolf reached the gate. Exchanged words with guards on the other side, then laughed. A moment later he swung open the gate, and stepped to one side to let the members of House Veridian proceed down the drive.
“Looks like he’s taking the rear,” murmured Brianna. “Good of him to keep an eye on things.”
Anna moved forward to take point, and Harald watched as she shifted into formally being a countess. Her brow smoothed, her chin raised, and she lightly clasped her hands before her. In a moment, she exuded a natural command, calmness, and presence that felt startling.
The delegation was, naturally, taken aback by the dozen corpses. But they were disciplined. They didn’t falter or break into murmurs, though Lady Elara, at the head of the short column, took a moment to sweep the lawn with her dark gaze before dismissing the dead demons and resuming her approach.
She was a handsome woman, her black hair a cloud about her strong-boned face, with a patch of gray at the front that imparted an air of distinction.
To Harald’s surprise, she wasn’t drenched in her House colors, but rather wore a black, formal dress, high-necked, with touches of green and bronze.
She strode down the driveway in a businesslike manner, and her gaze was sharp, probing, and alive with curiosity.
“My dear Countess Sonora,” she said as she came to a stop perhaps a few yards away. “My apologies for the late hour. But it seems I’m not the first to disturb your rest.”
“Lady Verdant,” said Anna, tone mild, pleasant, with a hint of warmth. “You are welcome at House Sonora at any time of the day or night. My apologies for the crude decor. We hadn’t yet had time to clean up.”
“A dozen Handmaidens?” An orange-haired man to Lady Elara’s side raised a craggy brow. “Brianna, you’ve not lost your touch.”
Brianna inclined her head. “Would that I could claim this victory as my own. Alas. The deed belongs to Sir Harald Darrowdelve here, and his two companions: Ms. Samantha Tuppins, and Lady Evernessa Ermarine.”
All eyes turned to take in Harald and his crew for the first time. He became conscious of the black blood and ruin plastered across his frame, but a life spent in his father’s house meant that bowing in a courtly manner came easily to him even so.
“Is that so?” Lady Elara studied him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you at last, Sir Darrowdelve.
Ladies.” She turned her attention back to Anna.
“The hour is late, and the city is in crisis. You will forgive me if I dispense with the usual niceties. Lady Anna, you are no doubt aware that tomorrow evening a travesty is poised to damn Flutic into the arms of a demon queen. I, for one, do not wish to see this demonic coronation take place. If you are of like mind, I have an offer.”
Anna smiled coldly. “You will find that I couldn’t agree with you more.”
“Then I shall be blunt: the sight of these slain demons only confirms my instincts, and that is to recruit you and yours to my cause, as I intend to make war on this pretender king and slay his concubines. Though.” Lady Elara looked about the lawn once more.
“It seems the battle will not be nearly as dangerous as I thought.”
“You honor me, Lady Verdant,” said Anna. “I would gladly be your partner in this endeavor.”
The head of House Veridian smiled coldly, and her eyes glittered. “I am in possession of the Twilight Crown. Like all would-be rulers, I find myself eminently qualified to wear it and style myself the next queen of Flutic. I have, you see, one key characteristic that qualifies me to do so.”
Anna’s expression, impressively, didn’t change from that of mild curiosity. “And what is that?”
“I don’t want it.” Lady Elara’s tone grew cold.
“But I am grown sick of watching my peers squabble like murderous children. I would much prefer to devote my time and energy to uncovering the wonders and mysteries of the dungeon, but the present state of affairs is absolutely deplorable. Thus, I shall be queen, and I shall see to it that order is restored. That done, we can all, together, work toward transitioning back to some sane form of self-governance.” Lady Elara smiled.
“Thus, for now, you would not be my partner, dear countess, but my supporter.”
Harald couldn’t help himself. Perhaps it was the victory over the Handmaidens, or Lady Elara’s arrogance, or having witnessed Vic’s exasperation over how the nobility couldn’t think of real change beyond putting someone appropriate in charge.
He stepped forward. “With all due respect, my lady, you’ve not been fully appraised of the situation.”