Midnight Quest (44 page)

“Hmm…quite a few games and books in this room.”

Jewel perked right up. “Games? I haven’t played one in ages.”

“Ohh?” he sounded slightly surprised by this. “What games do you fancy?”

“Board games are my favorite,” she admitted. “With the way the board has grooves in it, it’s easy for me to play. I can play cards, too, as long as they’re marked for me.”

“In that case, I will pick up a deck next we be out,” he promised. “For now, let us see…we have a few options. There be Tactics—”

“Tactics?” Jewel repeated in delight. “There’s a Tactics board in here?”

She could feel Rialt’s incredulous look at her. “Lass, you play?”

“Of course!”

“Without even able to see the board?!” he protested.

“Rialt,” she responded with forced patience, “I can memorize every step of a castle’s layout and you’re surprised that I can memorize something that’s only forty-eight squares?”

“…you know, lass, put like that it seems simple. Alright, then, let us play.”

Rubbing her hands together briskly with anticipation, she quickly turned and cleared off the table in front of her. “Don’t give me a handicap,” she warned as she set books aside. “You’re going to need all the help you can get.”

“Ohhh, challenging me now, be you?” The wooden board made a quiet thunk as it was set on the table. The chair made a soft whooshing sound almost immediately after as Rialt’s weight settled into it. “So, which will you be? Queen or king?”

“King.”

“Should no a woman playing automatically be queen?”

“Why?” she asked innocently.

“Eh…I can no think of a reason,” he admitted. “Alright, king it is.”

They set up the pieces on the board in silent camaraderie. As Rialt played the side of the queen’s board, he was the first person to move a piece forward.

“Ah,” Jewel snapped her fingers. “I almost forgot to tell you. For me to keep track of what you’re doing, you must tell me which piece you moved and to which square.”

He let out a soft chuckle. “And here I thought you can track it all by ear.”

“I’m good,” she admitted dryly, “but not
that
good.”

“Alright, then. Infantry to square 18.”

The object of the game was to move the king (or in Rialt’s case, the queen) to the center of the board with at least six pieces surrounding it in order to win. There were many opening strategies and tactics to start this process off, and so the first few moves were automatic and without any surprises. Then they started to get a feel for how the other moved, how they thought, and the game became much more challenging.

Jewel lost all track of time as they moved pieces back and forth, sometimes losing or gaining pieces in turn as the game played out. Aside from them talking back and forth about which piece was moved where, there was absolutely no sound in the room.

That’s probably why the quick knock on the door startled her so badly that she nearly leaped out of her skin. Jewel put a hand on her heart, sure that it had tried to leap into her throat.

Chizeld’s voice came from the doorway, “The hour is late. Wasn’t sure what the situation was in here.”

“I will tell you,” Rialt grumbled. “She be beating me!”

“Beating?” Chizeld repeated in bemusement as he walked further into the room.

“The lass has a head for strategy as I have no seen afore,” Rialt continued to complain good-naturedly. “Here I sit, with two good eyes in my head, and she keeping it all up in her noggin, and still she can think three moves ahead of me!”

“I’m used to memorizing things and having them moved about on me,” she explained again, only this time smugly. “A game like this isn’t a challenge. Now, put me in a castle full of people that are moving in every direction, people that like to change where things are put no less, and
then
I’ll lose track of things.”

Chizeld stood next to the table for a long moment before asking, “How did Jewel drive the queen into a corner like that?”

“No idea,” Rialt bemoaned. “I sat there and watched her all the while, and I
still
do no ken.”

“Plans for how to get out?” Chizeld inquired in bemusement.

“No idea on that, either.”

Chizeld suggested, “How about a rematch?”

“Only option at this point,” Jewel agreed sweetly. “I’d take the center in three moves anyway.”

“I be rusty,” Rialt sighed. “And here I thought to take it easy on her.”

“Perhaps I should take it easy on
you
?” she offered with that same sugary-sweet tone.

“I would no mind.”

“Flirt tomorrow,” Chizeld suggested dryly. “Sleep now.”

If they really
were
going to get married tomorrow (although Jewel somehow doubted that Alexandra would be ready to marry them on the spot) then he was likely right. “Alright, bed it is.”
Very
reluctant to part from Rialt, she stood only to hover in place.

“What?” Rialt asked gently.

“This feels strange,” she complained. “I’ve been with you almost constantly for two months!”

“I know, I know.” He snaked an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a warm hug. “Why do you think I be insisting on marriage so soon, eh?”

Chizeld grabbed her around the waist and pulled her free. “Flirt tomorrow,” he repeated sternly.

“Ah—” she protested inarticulately.

Grabbing her by the elbows, he stood behind her and frog marched her out of the room.

Rialt sniggered as he followed along behind. “You make a good chaperone, man.”

“Someone has to,” Chizeld muttered under his breath. “Good
night
, Rialt.”

“Yes, yes, I be going. Sleep well, heart.”

Jewel flushed slightly when she realized he was now calling her by endearments. “You too, darling.”

Chapter Thirty

“I
knew
something was going on!” Alexandra exclaimed in delight, clapping her hands together.

Of course she did
, Jewel mentally grumbled to herself.
Everyone
seemed to know except her. Sighing, she shook the matter aside and focused on the question she’d asked—the unanswered question. “So, will you marry us?”

“Of course! It would be a great honor to do so. From what I’ve read, it’s unusual for a High Priestess of Elahandra to perform a marriage ceremony. We just don’t get the opportunity very often.”

“That’s true,” Jewel admitted. “And Chizeld—did you know he’s an Order historian?—well, anyway, he told me last night that this will be the first time in history that a high priestess has officiated for another high priestess’s wedding.”

“Hoooo, now that is
very
interesting. So I’ll be making history. Again.” Alexandra sat back in her chair with a slight bounce of the springs.

Jewel had come straight to Alexandra’s study directly after breakfast, partially to ask this favor, but also to see if the architect had given an answer yet about moving the crystal. Chizeld and Rialt had a quick side errand of sending the shrine blueprints and written instructions to Broeske Axheimer. But they promised it wouldn’t take any time at all, and they’d meet her directly. At the moment, only Sarvell and Bortonor were with her.

“I’d have to study up on the marriage ceremony,” Alexandra warned. “For that matter, I’d have to
find
it first. Is it alright if I draft Chizeld’s help with that?”

“Of course.”

“Good. Then, when do you want to marry?”

“Rialt is hoping you’ll say today,” Jewel told her dryly. “We recognize that things probably can’t happen that fast, though.”

“Heavens, no!” Alexandra protested in something close to near-panic. “I insist on preparing a formal dinner of celebration at least. I know that we’re short on time, but surely we can delay enough to do a proper ceremony for the two of you. This
is
history in the making, after all.”

Jewel didn’t have much of a romantic streak, not compared to most of the women she knew, but she wistfully admitted to herself that having at least a small celebration would be nice. “Well…just nothing elaborate. We don’t have
time
for anything truly elaborate.” She’d heard of weddings that took months to plan. As it stood, anything that took more than three weeks would interfere with their plans to return to Veris.

“Moving our crystal-friend is going to take some time too,” Alexandra concurred thoughtfully. “Hmmm. My architect-friend should be reporting to me sometime today about whether your idea is feasible or not. Let’s go look for the wedding oath and the official paperwork we’ll need to do this morning while we wait. Then once he gives us an idea of the work involved we can plan everything out.”

Jewel nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Then, let’s start digging.”

~*~*~*~

They spent the entire morning researching. The wedding vows themselves were (thank the gods for small favors) short and to the point. Alexandra even found them fairly quickly. The matter that distracted them completely was all of the history about the few priestesses that were married
after
they were called. Apparently, it hadn’t happened very often, and when it had, there had been quite the celebration. Jewel had to repeat herself several times—neither she nor Rialt wanted anything extravagant. What with moving the Jordian and Veris crystal, not to mention going back to Ramath and re-dedicating its crystal, and then charging all of them in order to put the barrier back up at full strength, they could be left without any time for the next several months to be married.

No. Jewel put her foot down. She didn’t want to travel the width and breadth of Evard again and only be engaged to the man. That would just add complications to an already tiresome journey. And for no reason, either.

The architect came in during lunch to announce that he believed Jewel’s plan would work. He also thought that two days would be enough time to dismantle enough of the slide to move the crystal through. Everyone met the news with open delight. But it also meant that their time here couldn’t be extended much longer before they needed to travel back to Veris.

So for two straight days, both women planned out a quick wedding to take place the day
after
the crystal was moved. Alexandra insisted on having nice wedding clothes made for everyone and reserving a large dining hall for a dinner. In between all of the preparations, the days seem to fly until the day had arrived to move the crystal.

Jewel woke up late, ate a large breakfast, and dressed warmly before heading out with everyone to the crystal’s location. No one was in a particular hurry to get there quickly as the water was still icy cold and they hoped that if they gave it a little more time it’d warm up.

There was a heavy fog; she could smell it in the air and feel the pressure of it against her skin. At this hour of the morning, the only sounds came from the soft lap of the water against the shore and the movements of the people around her. She paused in mid-stride and turned her head slightly to listen better to the sounds behind her. She and Rialt were toward the back of the group, and yet…

“Rialt, do you hear that?”

“Hear what, heart?”

“I thought for a moment I heard people behind me.” She paused, mouth searching for the words to explain. “They weren’t walking normally. It was more like they were trying to sneak.”

Rialt let go of her arm instantly and drew the axe at his back in a smooth, gliding motion. “Sarvell, Chizeld,” he called with unnatural calm. “We have company.”

Jewel felt a little alarmed at his actions. “Wait, I said
might
!”

“No, sweet, I do no doubt your ears,” Rialt disagreed as he stepped in front of her. “You can hear things we can no hope to. There be no reason, at all, for a man to be sneaking about the lake at this hour of the morning. How many did you hear?”

“Er…” nonplussed that her words could cause this reaction, she had to stop and force her mind to go back to that moment. “Two? But don’t take that as gospel. I can’t always hear people walk.”

She heard Sarvell step up to flank her right side, and Chizeld came up to her left. Turning, she extended a hand, searching. “Alexandra?”

Her fellow priestess grasped her hand tightly, hands cold and shaking slightly. Jewel, strangely enough, felt almost calm. Her heart still quivered in her chest, and she felt her nerves jitter at the thought of what might come at them, but at the same time…she had faced this threat before and lived through it. She did not think that
anything
could harm her, not with these three men standing so solidly between her and danger. It gave her a piece of mind that let her smile and wrap a supportive arm around Alexandra’s shoulders. “It’s fine,” she soothed. “I might be wrong. It’s just a hunch that something is out there.”

“Oh, they be out there,” Rialt assured her, voice still unnaturally calm.

“How can you see anything in this fog?” Sarvell grumbled. “It’s almost thick enough to slice and serve on a piece of bread!”

“Pay attention to the shadows,” Chizeld counseled, sounding eerily like Rialt for a moment. “There are shadows that do not belong here.”

Alexandra had an iron grip on Jewel’s hand, but she apparently did not allow fear to freeze her. She turned slightly and spoke to the two armsmen behind her. “Stiles, Trexler, do you see anything?”

“No,” both men responded near simultaneously.

“But do not doubt someone is there,” Stiles added. “Axheimer, think this is assassins?”

“It crossed my mind. The two of you focus on the back and sides. We will watch from the front and bide a bit.”

“Shouldn’t we make a break for a building?” Sarvell asked.

“Eh, I would, if no for this fog. We have no way of knowing if we be running to or away from trouble.” Rialt blew out a breath. “Curse their hides for such good timing.”

Several tense moments passed. Jewel had her ears strained to their limit, trying to hear what the men had trouble seeing. But that brief sound of footsteps didn’t reoccur. She started to lose all feeling in her hand from Alexandra’s tight grip but didn’t say anything to her. She could remember all too well what the first encounter of Daath assassins felt like.