[31]

At the very moment I swore the oath, I realized that there was a serious problem. Not for me, but for Elaine Highrow. The gods curse those that break a sworn oath in the most vicious of ways at their disposal. Invoking them on oneself is one of the few ways they can interact directly in the mortal world.

Of course, the only problem with that is, I can’t be cursed. For those who suspect there might be leeway for the gods to circumvent Vascora’s bestowal, I knew intrinsically that there was not. Vascora, as a goddess of fate, ensured that neither god, demon, nor titan could curse me and she made sure that I knew it.

All of one guilty second, did I consider telling this to Elaine. I did not fully trust her, and she did not trust me; if Elaine had, she would not make me give the oath after all. That said, whatever she had to say was probably important, and I decided I would do my best to keep the oath, anyway.

“I am an officer of the Royal Reconnaissance Service,” Elaine began, studying my face for emotion.

What she got was my perfect face demonstrating dread. The Royal Reconnaissance Service, or RRS, were the secret police and killers for the Ergentein nobility. Stories about the secret police were many and varied, and none of them were good. Most of what I heard were tales about some poor farmer talking treason one day over a higher tax rate and never being seen again the next.

Once my fear settled, I realized it explained why she fought so well. With her good looks, high station, and excellent reputation among the people, she was a perfect spy for the aristocracy.

Elaine continued, a slight frown of worry on her lips, “I promise, I mean you no harm, Harald. The RRS has a scary reputation to commoners, but most of it isn’t true. My father is the head of the RRS. I’ve grown up knowing its agents, and training to be one my entire life.”

“Why are you telling me this, Elaine?” I said, a slight hitch in my voice.

“Because, I think you can be of help to your kingdom.” She said.

I chuckled.

She frowned.

Living far away from the capital as I had, my feelings of nationalism were not high. Bandits were a constant problem that our liege lord never dealt with, and yet still had no issue taking an absurd levy in taxes. Not all nobles were that bad, just the one I had lived in the shadow of. Still, Baron Basset’s ineptitude and greed inevitably weakened my take on the sentiment.

Elaine took a deep breath, giving me a look that said, this will be more difficult than I thought.

“Okay, you don’t care about the kingdom.” She started again.

“That isn’t fair,” I countered.

“So you do want to help?”

“Maybe. I might have trusted you, Elaine, but I don’t trust the RRS at all. So, spare us both the appeals to my emotions, and just tell me what it is you want.” I said, suddenly feeling angry and not knowing why.

A twinge of her lip was the only reaction I saw. It happened so fast that I might have imagined. Her eyes could not hide her sadness. Either my rebuke really hurt her, or she was a talented actress.

“Fine,” she said, mastering herself. “I came to Ashmere on a mission, not related to my attendance here. Marquis Kestev’s rapid expansion of his territory into the Ruinlands has been a cause for concern. Rumors, but no actionable information, have said that he is a demon cultist, or at least aligned with them. The RRS has sent multiple officers into his territory in the past six months, but none have returned. This is unprecedented.”

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I almost asked what that had to do with Ashmere, but the answer did not take me long. Of course it was because of that idiot Reynold. Motioning for her to continue, I suddenly felt tired.

“Reynold Kestev,” Elaine looked down, “Made it known to certain parties that he wishes to marry me. My being here was a perfect opportunity to get close to someone inside the Marquis’s immediate family. Or it would have been if Reynold had not screwed up so spectacularly.”

I laughed. It was hilarious, and I could already tell where this was going.

Elaine ignored my humor, continuing on, “If you had lost that duel, things would have been well in hand with our, uh, budding relationship. Instead, you embarrassed him in front of me. If I, a duke’s daughter, showed him interest after that, it would blow my cover. Maybe not to Reynold himself, but surely it would raise suspicions with the people that watch over him. So, you stuck me with no good way to pursue my mission.”

“Then the demon came for me,” I said, filling in the blanks for her.

“Yes,” Elaine agreed, looking me in the eye again. “Reynold himself, or someone that wanted me to think Reynold had demons in his pocket, sent a demon for you.”

“It wasn’t him.” I said confidently.

“Oh?” Elaine asked, arching a sculpted brow.

“Administrator Marwin would have discovered it. Reynold went into interrogation with the [Truthseeker] after I did.” I explained.

“There are… ways to get past a [Truthseeker]. Memory wipes, for instance. Some magic items, and even alchemicals.”

“Damn.” I said, deflating. Back to square one.

Elaine gave a closed-mouth smile.

“Your presence near me enrages him, makes him reckless. We think that the assassin last night came from someone in his camp, maybe his sister, in an attempt to curb his behavior.” Elaine said.

I nodded. This was where it had to go; where I expected it to go.

“What I want is for you to begin openly courting me. RRS wants you to draw him out, make him do something worse, so that we will have cause to confirm he is a cultist. And, if Reynold is not behind this, whoever sent the demon to make him look bad will have to try again and we can grab them.” Elaine said in a low voice.

“Why don’t I just publicly mock you instead? I could get away from all this nonsense. No more demons coming for me, no more assassins, Reynold would have a shot again. Why wouldn’t I just do that, instead of courting you? Why should I endanger myself and my family?” I asked, getting angry again.

“If it were that easy Harald, I would ask you to do it, I swear. Reynold will not let this go. Even if you embarrassed me, he has lost too much face for me to consider seriously, and he would still go after you.” Elaine said, eyes sad.

“Okay, so there is no way out for me. Why should I help you? What will I get out of this debacle?”

“Besides the honor of being in my company?” Elaine asked, trying to bring some levity to the conversation.

“You are beautiful, Elaine. I can’t deny that. And maybe if you weren’t an agent of the abyss damned secret police, I might even want that!”

Elaine blushed, then winced all within the seconds it took for me to start and stop speaking. She tried to move the conversation on, “Harald, we will take care of your father, you have my word. Our head office has already dispatched officers to move him to another location. Classed RRS officers will be waiting in Weston to catch whoever comes to hurt your family. We are going to provide you with money, and whatever else you need within reason to make sure you survive this.”

We were silent for a time, eyeing each other up like card game opponents.

“Do I even have a choice?” I asked after a minute. Truth was, I really liked Elaine, and knowing I could not trust her was like a spike of pain in my gut. It was one thing to be wary of someone you did not know, but another thing entirely to know you could not trust them.

“Of course! I told you, the RRS isn’t like you think it is. I don’t want you to get hurt, Harald. I am coming to you for this for your protection as much as the kingdoms!” Elaine pleaded. “We are trying to stop a major incursion of demon cultists. The evidence is already there! Someone had the audacity to summon a demon here in Ashmere! Do you realize what that means? Gozmyr is wreaking havoc across the northern province, bandits are all over the roads, and now we have demon cultists in the one place set to stop them. Not just Ashmere, but the entire kingdom is at risk!” Elaine huffed.

A mental tug alerted me to a message in my soul ledger, signifying the truth of Elaine’s words. Ignoring her, I pulled out my leger and looked.

Quest

Court Lady Elaine Highrow

“Fuck.”