The Chronicles of Rapina
Chapter 23, A Queen Revealed
Thane arrived nearly an hour after midnight two weeks after he had left. After bidding Mortancer Greel and his skeletal horses and bearers goodbye, Thane allowed his face beneath the concealing death mask he wore to take on a less controlled expression. He looked quite pleased with himself. He had accomplished many things. As he walked down the stairs from the Cliff-top graves of the former priests of Mortaebius he idly wondered if he still had apprentices. He moved the ebon slider on his newly made mage light, and the light it put out changed from red to white as the clear crystal was revealed above the red one. He noted that the gardens were well weeded and that the new bean plants Rapina had planted not long before he left were thriving.
As he walked down the stairs in the midst of his skeletal guards and bearers he noted that the stairs were as clean as he had ever seen them, another good sign. When he walked into the grand hall, he could smell the delicious aroma of roast duck. He continued through the hall, stopping at a storage closet in his chambers to deposit his "project." Then he went on to his laboratory with his skeletal guards and bearers to drop off some of the supplies he had brought. He then went down to one of the storage rooms for more skeletons. While passing the storage room Rames used as a gym, Thane heard movement and poked his head in. Rames was stuffing a large canvas bag full of cattail heads.
"Guardian Rames, how good it is to see you..." Thane said.
"Alive?" Rames asked.
"Whatever do you mean," Thane smiled.
"You left me with Captain Red Jack's red-hot wench," Rames said.
"Indeed. Come along, we can walk and talk, I have an enormous pile of supplies to bring down from the gardens above the abode," Thane said.
"And you were counting on my sleeping with her," Rames said.
"I was?" A smile pulled at Thane's lips. "I do believe you're beginning to catch on to the way I think."
"Who me? I had no idea, I'm just a soldier. I do what I'm told. I was in the bath with Rapina the day after you left and she filled me in."
"Oh she did, did she? And what did she say?" Thane asked.
"She said you were the chess master, and you had sent me, your knight, to her square to determine if she was a pawn or a queen. If she was a queen, I was to determine what color she was, black or white. She said you hated not knowing the nature of all the pieces on your chess board."
Thane chuckled, "You know, the longer that girl is with us, the more I like her. I do hope you weren't thinking you could keep her all to yourself."
"I expect she's not a one man woman," Rames said.
"No, not according to Red Jack. He maintained she was... red hot." Thane smiled.
"Gods, that's for sure," Rames said.
"I need to know about her powers. What did you find out?" Thane asked.
"She is no pawn, that's for sure," Rames said. "The day after you left I changed our schedule so that we had arms practice right after the time our magic lesson would normally end. I had picked some blackberries and had Rapina bake pies during some of the time we'd normally have had our lesson, then we went up and I tested her skills at arms."
"How were they?" Thane asked.
"Avengene never turned a recruit out of basic who was any better. There's plenty I can teach her, but she's got the basics more than covered, and she knows a few tricks even I haven't seen. We sparred for hours. She's got real fighting stamina. We both smelled pretty bad after that, and Rapina said we needed a bath, but I didn't want to let the pie get any colder, so Rapina suggested we eat the pie _in_ the bath. What man could refuse that offer?"
Thane raised an eyebrow. By this time the necromancer and his entourage had made it to the cliff-top gardens and Thane gave the many skeletons orders to pick up the supplies he and Mortancer Greel had brought in. "There, go ahead Rames, I am listening."
"Well, we had some pie and one thing led to another. I tell you, I have been with a few women in my day. Soldiers can't afford to be too picky. I've never blasted like that - incredibly long and intense, and when I was done, I didn't loose my lust. I was shaking from fatigue, but I wanted her. I'd have taken her again right then and there soon as I could catch my breath, but she jumped out of the tub and toweled off. While she was toweling, she snapped something about celibacy and apologized to me. She said she had never had a problem controlling herself before, but her control had slipped and I was going to be bushed the next day."
Thane raised an eyebrow. By this time, the entourage had arrived back at the storage room and Thane gave them orders to set things down. Thane waved his finger in a small circle for Rames to continue.
"I chased her, but she had a head start and got to her room and wedged the door with her chair just before I got there. Let me tell you, I was seriously thinking about breaking the door down, but then I realized I was thinking with something other than my head. It took me a few hours of reading to settle down, and then I went to sleep. It wasn't even 12 hours that I had been awake that day with Rapina, but I still overslept past the time I'd normally have gotten up the next day. I woke up about 18 hours after going to sleep, and I was beat to shit the whole day. I got her two days later though, Rames grinned saltily. After that first slip, she's been a lot better. She tires a man out, but no more so than a day's march, and she's a hell of a lot more fun than a day's march." Rames grinned like a pirate.
Thane thrummed his fingers on his lips as he digested what he had just heard. "Well then, it appears Mortaebius has blessed us with a most unusual companion. Was that roast duck I smelled?"
"Yes, I took Rapina duck-hunting earlier today. She thought you might appreciate a good welcome-home meal when you arrived," Rames said.
"That's very considerate of her. How's her archery?" Thane asked.
"She's a fair shot. She has a bit of a strength disadvantage compared to some of the young men I've worked with, but she judges her shots well, and my guess is she could wield a stronger bow than the one she has. She has been using that one since her first day in pirate basic. She brought down one of the two ducks we'll be eating."
"Two ducks? It sounds like quite a feast she has planned. That suits me fine. I am sure you will want to know something about my trip, and though I cannot tell you a great deal, I can tell you something. That and a long meal will give us time to start discussing your readings."
Shortly after Thane and Rames sat down, Rapina and her skeletal servants brought out the meal. Rapina removed her apron, hung it on a skeleton and sat down.
"Good to see you Guardian Thane, how did the trip go?" Rapina said.
"Marvelous, most productive, Rapina. I had quite a time. Each evening we dined with a different distinguished priest of the Order in a different city. Amusingly, if they were of the Shroud, we wore illusion robes and maskes so that we could not recognize one another. Thus if we are ever interrogated, there is no chance of our revealing one another. I learned many things, my faith was deepened and Mortaebius ushered me deeper into the fold. In addition, some of the members of the order were wizards as well and the conversations we had has deepened my grasp of magic.
As of now there are many more places I can go with my graveyard mists spell than Rosehaven or Turnmoor. I was also able to obtain some supplies that pertain to some advanced animations that I have always wanted to try but could never afford. Rames and I will be setting up many of the currently empty laboratory rooms and soon you shall see the fruits of my labors. Thankfully I saved back many of the bodies of the pirates, especially the more notably evil ones, and they shall be perfect for the advanced animation I will be attempting."
Thane smiled within himself. It was true he had dined in many cities. The first night he had worn a shroud with an illusory death mask and had been initiated as a necromancer of Mortaebius, a Mortancer. He was now Mortancer Ashe. At the initiation he had secured many invitations and had visited the temples and homes of several of the Mortancers of Mortaebius. For a group of people who must hide their faces from one anther, and the exact locations of their abodes, they were quite supportive and made him feel most welcome. He had learned who specialized in which of the advanced animations and who might need those that he had chosen for his specialty. He had spent most of his time with Mortancer Ember who had taught him the advanced animation he had settled on as the best one for his current situation. Given what had transpired while he was away, he was now encouraged that his decision had been doubly wise.
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This ends A Queen Revealed, Chapter 23 of The Chronicles of Rapina.
The story continues in, Chapter 24, Southern Comfort.