In the meantime, here's the next chapter dedicated to all the readers who are trapped by snow, ice, and frigid temps!
----------
Unfortunately, when the meal was finished, I and my All the Temple leaders except Reverend Father Grey Shadow took their leave with our rough plan to investigate the powdered soma tears. More was to be discussed, and none of it would be pleasant.
Prince White Eagle had the royal guards stationed outside of the room send for the midday meal. The queen invited mine and Luc’s wardens to dine with her.
I couldn’t object. Rather, I didn’t want to object. Jonata, Long Feather, and Yar deserved the respect and honor the queen extended to them.
wardens would have to go to the home Temple of Balance. The last place in the World I wanted to be. They had survived the trip to Jing and back. I hoped Balance Herself would grant them a small mercy and spare their lives until we returned to Orrin. I was under no illusion the danger in Standora was less than it had been during our voyage to Chengzhou.
The prince and the Reverend Father asked benign questions about our experiences in Ryukyu, Jing, and O’ahu, such as the cultural differences in their Spring Rituals. The cuisine we had tried during our voyages. The trading Captain Titus had done on behalf of Duke Marco and prices.
Once the meal arrived and the door closed, Grey Shadow warded the room again. Long Feather automatically seized my plate and sampled everything before he returned it to me. Yar did the same for Luc.
To my surprise, neither the queen nor the Reverend Father said anything. The prince consort smirked, but that was all.
“I’ve spoken with Emperor Po since you left Chengzhou. You two made quite an impression on his people.” The queen sliced off a bite of kelp bass on her plate. “Why hasn’t Alara asked you to teach your lightning ability here in Issura?”
“My apologies, Your Majesty.” I inclined my head. “I knew I forgot to tell her something before we left for Jing.”
“No need to dissemble, Anthea.” Grey Shadow smiled at me. “Talbert told me of your efforts to teach the Orrin clergy. Nor do I blame the seats in Orrin for their silence on the matter. However, White Eagle and I have the same suspicions as you do about who the traitor in the capital is.”
“What about you, Your Majesty?” Luc asked the queen.
She finished chewing and swallowed. “I don’t believe a damn thing Alara tells me, any more than my mother believed her. Neither does Crown Princess Allegra. I don’t know what’s worse, a Reverend Mother of Balance who is wholly incompetent or one who is demon dealing.”
“A good Temple staff can compensate for an incompetent seat.” I poke at my own fillet. “Mine certainly did for years as Chief Justice Penelope sank into senility.”
“Anthea, is the food not to your liking?” she asked. “I can have the kitchen prepare something else.”
“It’s quite delicious, Your Majesty,” I replied.
“Or you could admit you’re tired of fish after spending most of the last six months on a ship,” White Eagle teased.
“In truth, the issues with my own Reverend Mother are killing my appetite.” I laid my fork on my plate and pushed it away. “Nor do I like the senet game I have to play because I don’t know who to trust.”
“If you feel you need to truthspell me, I willing submit to you,” Grey Shadow said.
“And I will, too,” White Eagle murmured.
“I don’t feel comfortable—” I started.
“But I want you to feel comfortable, Anthea,” the queen interjected. “You’re one of the few subjects I do trust right now. I’m in the same position as Po. When my own cousins plot to feed my subjects to the demons, I need all the help I can get. And if it means having you truthspell me, then that’s what I’ll do. Because I do need you.”
Her impassioned plea took me by surprise. I looked at each of my superiors in turn. “I can’t simply oust Reverend Mother Alara any more than you can, Your Majesty.”
“And if I don’t have all twelve Temples working together, Issura is lost.” Her gaze was intense. “Just like Jing would have been thanks to Empress Yu’s former consort, the School of Sorcery, and Po’s own idiotic cousins.
“In other words, you believe Reverend Mother Alara is behind Reverend Father Farrell’s increasingly odd behavior and his current addiction,” Luc said.
The queen nodded. “There had to be something within him to work with, so I can’t blame everything on her. But in short, yes, I believe she is encouraging his excesses so he’s distracted from whatever she is doing.”
“The demons excel in giving humans exactly what they think they want,” I said softly. “But humans often don’t know the cost of their desires or ignore the ramifications.”
“Even so,” the queen replied. “However, neither Farrell or Alara carry any trace of having used demon magic.”
“That doesn’t mean they aren’t demon dealing.” A shiver ran through me. “Samael DiRoy used a human grimoire to summon demons, but he didn’t use demon magic. He commanded them to do his bidding. It’s entirely possibly both Reverend Mother Alara and Reverend Father Farrell could be doing the same.”
“What are you most worried about, Anthea,” Grey Shadow asked.
‘Other than getting my throat slit in my sleep at my home Temple?”
He nodded.
“That we’ve already lost this war,” I murmured. “We just don’t know it yet.”
##
The queen and the prince consort had very few other questions about our journey to Jing and back. Mainly, they wanted clarification of things Po had glossed over. They asked if I’d tried teaching my lightning ability to anyone else with talent in Orrin, besides vetted clergy. I pointed out I had to be careful who I approached. Grey Shadow offered to discreetly send clergy and registered talents he screened down to Orrin for training, which I agreed to.
He reminded me of High Brother Talbert. Not in looks or demeanor, but in their quiet, steady confidence of doing what was necessary to protect Issura and its citizens. Grey Shadow also insisted on us joining him for the midday meal tomorrow along with his team investigating the concentrated soma tears.
The queen and her husband insisted our little party take one of the royal carriages back to the harbor to collect our things and give Captain Titus leave to return to Orrin. As I expected before we arrived, Titus was reluctant to abandon us in Standora, even though the queen had placed her flagship, the Mars Regina, at our disposal once the investigation was completed.
Therefore, Titus, his second mate, and I had a spirited conversation in the cabin that had been our home for most of the last six months while Luc and the wardens collected our things. From the smell of the cabin after being in the palace, we also needed baths and a laundress.
“Chief Justice, the duke gave me very explicit instructions to return you, High Brother Luc, and your wardens home, come storm, pirates, or demons,” the captain forced out from between his clenched jaws.
“Not to mention, how are the Mars Regina’s crew going to react if skinwalkers or demons attack their ship?” Second Mate Little Squirrel protested. “We have more experience.”
“Queen Chiara outranks Duke Marco, and I’m sure the Regina’s captain and crew would act with the same courage you all have,” I smiled at them both. “May I ask a few favors from you?”
“I can’t talk you two out of whatever the queen talked you into, can I?” Titus crossed his arms.
“The queen has commanded us to assist in a project,” I replied. “That is all either I or High Brother Luc can say, Captain.”
Titus grunted. “I just pray to the Twelve Duke Marco has me truthspelled before he beheads me himself.”
Luc chuckled. “I’d be more worried about what Lady Katarina will do if I were you.”
“What are these favors?” Titus finally asked.
“Would you deliver messages to Justice Yanaba, Chief Warden Little Bear, Duke Marco, High Brother Talbert, and Magistrate DiCook?” I turned to Luc. “Did you want to send a message to acting High Brother Jeremy?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “Captain, you do realize we are entrusting you to deliver these messages personally?”
Titus smiled. “I would have done so without you having to ask me. We can get underway with the late afternoon tide.”
“Thank you.” I embraced Titus. “For everything.”
“Both of you and your wardens didn’t become part of our crew,” he murmured in my ear. “You became part of our family.”
We released our holds. Little Squirrel grabbed me in a tight hug while Titus and Luc grasped each other’s forearms. The captain and second officer repeated the same gestures with our wardens.
“Give me half a candlemark, Captain,” I said. “And I ask that the crew is gathered on the deck so we may say our goodbyes to them as well.”
Titus nodded, and he and Little Squirrel departed, closing the cabin door behind them.
I dug my stamp set and remaining parchment from one of my bags. Luc sat beside me at the cabin’s table. I stamped out my messages while Luc sealed each message with wax and my personal sigil. He borrowed my stylus and ink and wrote the name of each recipient so Titus would know who got each note. In between dealing with my correspondence, Luc wrote his own letter to Jeremy. I would have to wait and extend my felicitations to the rest of my friends and acquaintances when we returned to Orrin ourselves.
In the meantime, our wardens double-checked to make sure we had all our belongings. I replaced my stamp set in my bag and withdrew the gold pieces Po gave me plus those Luc and I had set aside for the original plan of docking in Orrin.
The Twelve had watched over the crew of the Mars Tranquilus during our entire voyage. Both the emperor and I wanted to give them small tokens of appreciation. However, gold could never replace their bravery and fortitude in our mad dashes across the Peaceful Sea.
When we exited our cabin, Titus and his crew shocked me by standing at attention.
I cleared my throat. “Emperor Po and Empress Shi Hua as well as High Brother Luc and I extend our gratitude to all of you for risking your lives and your spirits on this mission. Whether you realized it or not, you performed a great service to the Queendom of Issura and the Jing Empire, and you helped bring us a step closer to defeating the demons once and for all. These are a very small token. Our true appreciation for your courage cannot be measured.”
Most of the crew turned orange in embarrassment at my words, but a few remained golden with pride in their accomplishment. I presented each member of the crew with two gold pieces and bowed to them. When I finished, a cheer filled the air.
I couldn’t blame them. We were all alive and home when the odds had been sorely against us.
However, I couldn’t escape my next challenge, and I wished with all my heart to stay aboard this ship and sail home with it.
