The sun rose into the morning sky a full fist, almost another fist again. Sammy became aware of wind brushing against her puckered face, tears having finally run dry. Numb, the weary youth slowly became aware that the glass walls were no more, a few jagged edges jutting from support columns.
Sammy stood and moved to the edge, her legs shaking. She looked out over the land that spread below her in all direction for ever so far. It truly was magnificent. The castle itself stood high on a cliff. Beyond the cliff and to the left, a rivered valley of forests and fields lay in glorious panorama. To the right, hills grew into towering, snowcapped mountains. Behind lay more fields and forests and the road they had been traveling. It all seemed to call to her with a sense of familiar belonging, of deepest welcome and pure, exhilarated excitement.
Movement below attracted her attention. Far below in the courtyard, a number of people stood in a group, some pointing to different areas. Others stood or moved in twos and threes, all peering about, on guard and with weapons drawn. Then she spotted Jenna and Prince Jerome in the largest group.
Sammy glared at Dista and a little snarl vibrated her throat. The girl spun around and dashed to the stairs, stapha surging through her entire body. Racing down the stairwell, she skidded into the room where she had first met Timera. She stopped for a moment, forcing herself to be calm. She did not know who those other people were, so it would be stupid to just rush out and try to punch the stupid prince. She needed a good plan if she was going to land that most deserved of rewards.
She was about to exit the protected part of the room when three men entered. Sammy froze, but then relaxed as they did not seem to notice her. The Count’s barrier still worked just fine apparently. She moved so a pillar was between the threesome and herself anyway. No sense taking chances.
The men did not say anything, searching the room carefully. Still, they walked down the center of the room parallel with the count’s barrier, as if along a solid wall. One of them even tapped the barrier, his fingers rapping solid as if on stone. After thoroughly investigating the room, the three left.
Sammy pursed her lips. Those three were on par with the baron’s personal guard. Better actually. Not as good as Jenna though, Sammy did not think. Three baby Jennas, maybe. Still baby Jennas were nothing to sneeze at. Sammy considered Jenna several leagues above the baron’s best, and those guys were in her same league.
“He called in reinforcements,” she growled. She ran up to the first story of the tower that was above the manse proper. Finding a window, Sammy looked around carefully. No one was looking her way, so she dropped to the roof. Running low and silent, she did her best to hide her presence from any random detection. She figured she was only going to have one chance at this. He was probably already on guard because of the first fist to the face.
Coming to the edge of the roof, she noted the position of the sun and where her shadow would be. It should work, she thought. She spotted the main group and the many smaller groups of investigators around the courtyard. It should still work, she thought.
She jumped from the fourth floor of the castle. She had fallen half the distance to the ground when Jenna grabbed Prince Dista and threw him to the side. A fraction of a second later, several others from the larger group were thrown clear and the remaining guards all had swords drawn at the ready.
Jenna looked up and barked a command. Those with their swords drawn withdrew to stand between those thrown clear and the attacker. Sammy landed on all fours and shot immediately for Prince Jerome, but Jenna intercepted her and used her sheath to knock her away.
Sammy did not rush a second time. Jenna had been serious. She had used her sheath, but Sammy knew beyond any doubt that that had been the only grace exchange Jenna would give her.
“Jenna, why are you protecting that stupid noble royal JERK?” Sammy yelled, though she did not move from where she now crouched. “He so deserves to be punched in the face. I know he wanted to make me some kind of stupid noble thing.”
Jenna relaxed. She had feared the girl had been possessed, but that did not seem to be the case after all. She stood up, relaxing her strong defensive stance. “You are too emotional right now, Sammy,” she said. “I will not allow you to approach Prince Jerome at this time. You could do serious harm to him.”
Sammy stood up and crossed her arms. “I would not. I would just blacken his other eye, maybe give him a swollen lip or something, the jerk.”
“I do not think you are aware of your own strength right now, young noble,” Jenna said, smiling at Sammy.
Sammy let out a wail and ruffled the sides of her hair with clawed fingers. “That’s what I’m freaking talking about, Jenna.” She began to cry in frustration. “It’s all his fault. Everything. I don’t wanna be a stupid noble. This is the worse thing that has ever happened to me.”
Prince Jerome moved up to stand beside Jenna. “Sammy, I did not bring you here to make you a noble.”
“But you were planning to do it later, weren’t you?”
The prince hesitated. “I would not have been opposed to it if it happened. You will make a good noble. That’s some pretty impressive markings you have.”
Sammy glared at him. “If Jenna wasn’t there, I would so deck you, you know that right?”
“Thank you Jenna,” Prince Jerome said, bowing to his guardian. “Your very presence brings me joy, safety and reprieve as always.”
Sammy glanced around then and glowered even more. “And who are these other people? You brought in a flock of baby Jennas for support or something?”
“Baby Jennas?” Prince Jerome said, surprised.
“The ones with their weapons all out and waving threateningly like little kids playing in the streets,” Sammy said. “They’re better than the baron’s guard and all, but only like baby versions of Jenna.” She glanced at a small man standing unarmed next to a man thrown clear earlier. He was actually a little shorter than she and did not look exceptionally muscular. Still. “Except that little guy over there. He’s a second Jenna all the way, maybe even a little older than the real one. That’s kind of scary.”
Dista glanced at the man in question then shot an amused look at his own guardian. “What, have you started using Jenna as the measuring stick for your opponents?”
Sammy glared at the prince, then also glanced at Jenna and her expression softened. “Of course. She’s the first person I’ve ever met I didn’t think I could beat in an unfair fight, thus she is the best of all yardsticks.”
Dista quirked an eyebrow. “There are people more impressive than she is.”
“I know that, you jerk.” Sammy snapped. “I didn’t say she’s the ultimate goal all others should seek to meet. She would be a useless measuring stick then. She’s just the mark for earning my respect, stupid, stupid Dista. You’re way below her, by the way. Some other life form entirely, so you better appreciate her. Eep!”
This last came out rather funny sounding as she darted to the left, bounced off a rock and shot up to crouch on a branch. She then launched to the roof of a low building closer to the outer walls. She spun around and pushed her hands outward from her chest, her finger dancing. A glyph of repulsion formed in the air.
The two nearly transparent men chasing her lost momentum and fell to hit the side of the building beneath her. Sammy did not wait for them to do something tricky, but bolted along the edge of the roof.
“CEASE AND DESIST,” Prince Dista shouted, his voice amplified to be heard. In a less overpowering voice, he continued. “All guardians return to your assigned positions and stand down.”
Sammy noticed immediately that the other shadows chasing her fell away and she lost track of them. She did not like that. She still had confidence that she could escape even these guys, as long as she knew where they were. And as long as the different Jennas did not get involved, because somehow she thought the number of Jennas in the courtyard had in fact increased.
Sammy, jumped to the side of the castle and quickly scaled it to the roof. She then ran over to the front again and peered over. She did a quick count. It appeared everyone the number of people in the courtyard had increased. She grimaced. Now she didn’t know if someone was hiding or not.
Shouting down at the group, Sammy said, “What are you thinking, you stupid noble royal thing. I could have escaped, you know.”
“Sammy, come down here so we can talk normal.”
“I don’t want to.”
Maryl began to laugh, slapping her knee. “Dista, I love her already.”
“Terrific,” the prince said under his breath. Raising his voice, he said to Sammy, “Sammy, the guardians won’t do anything. You have my word.”
“I don’t trust you,” Sammy said, crossing her arms. “And I certainly don’t trust the guardians. They readily justify their breaking oaths if they don’t like a person or think they are a threat.”
“Sammy, that is not true.”
“Then what about the time they arrested Donovar after guaranteeing his safety? They said he was planning to assassinate the king, but they gave their word. They were totally in the wrong because the freaking gave their word. They guaranteed by oath his safe conduct, but completely ignored it when he trusted them.”
Dista brought a hand to his face. “Sammy, you use the most esoteric arguments. That happened over three hundred years ago.”
Sammy glared down at the prince. “And they have never acknowledged they did wrong. How do I know they won’t decide I’m some kind of threat and put me in jail too? I fully still plan to punch you in the face the first chance I get after all. If they can’t keep their word when breaking it is convenient for them, their word is worthless.”
“Sammy,” Jenna called up. “I will guarantee your safety. I will defend you to the death against any guardian who attempts to break Prince Dista’s oath.”
Sammy shrugged and dropped her defensive stance. “Fine, if you say so Jenna.” She sprang from the roof again and fell the four stories to land lightly on her feet. She still kept over fifteen feet between her and the group of strangers though. “So, who are these people?” she said, eyeing them with open suspicion.
Maryl had tears streaming down her face she was laughing so hard. She had long since guessed that this was her brother’s current project and that Sammy was not any real threat, though she certainly could probably deliver a really good second black eye if allowed the opportunity.
“You really go the long way about this kind of stuff, you know that?” Prince Dista said.
Sammy just glared at him. “Hurry up, stupid noble.”
Dista sighed. Moving to stand next to Maryl, he said, “This lady is my sister, Princess Maryl.”
“Hello Sammy,” the princess said, visibly controlling her laughter.
“She has a lot going against her, being your sister,” Sammy said.
Maryl whole body trembled as she fought valiantly to not burst into laughter again.
Dista moved to stand next to a young boy about Sammy’s age. “This is my youngest brother, Prince Mic. Don’t get any ideas, I won’t let you marry him.”
“What?” Sammy practically snarled. “As if I would ever want to marry a stupid noble, even if he’s a royal, as if that’s any different.”
Prince Dista grinned at Sammy and ruffled his brother’s hair, ignoring the glare from both of them. He indicated a girl standing next to Mic as his brother batted his hand away. “This young lady is Countess Katalynn Dorimor. Both my brother and the countess are trained in dealing with hostile ghost infestations.”
Sammy softened her glare. She could tell that the younger prince was irritated with his brother and that scored him points with her. And the countess did not come across as excessively under the diseased curse. Sammy felt a little confused by that, actually. First of all, how the heck could she tell without knowing more about her? This was crazy.
Sammy frowned and looked away, then snapped around and shot a glare of flaming fireballs at Dista. She then sighed and sadness crossing her face as she said, “There shouldn’t be any ghosts left. Count Iona’s purga composition should have,” she took a shuddering breath before finishing with, “taken care of them all.”
Prince Dista raised an eyebrow at mention of the past count, but ignored it for the moment. He rather wanted to hear Sammy’s comments when he introduced the last two in the group. He stepped over to those two and indicated them. “This is my father, King Morstan Ista. And this is my mother, Queen Linda Ista.”
Sammy stared at the two monarchs for a moment, then muttered,“Dear Lord, I’m being surrounded by the enemy.” She suddenly pointed at Prince Dista. “This is all your fault, you jerk. You were just supposed to pay me quietly and then leave me alone.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dista said, smiling sweetly at her and leaning a little forward. “I never agreed to leave you alone after paying you. And I am certainly not going to change the agreed upon payment at this point. You should have thought of that earlier.”
Sammy blinked, caught off guard. She said in a much less boisterous voice. “I just assumed you would leave me alone. You know I detest the stupid nobility.”
“I am not a noble.”
“A stupid noble persnickety distinction.” Sammy sighed and glanced at the bemused monarchs. She curtsied respectfully, but stood up instantly instead of waiting for permission to rise. “I bid welcome to you, King Morstan Ista and Queen Linda Ista. May God grant you wisdom in your decisions and continue to grant you mitigation from the curse that might be a disease, but probably is a curse even if it is a disease too.”
“And this is the Lady Sammy, apparently the new noble of Iona,” Prince Dista tacked on as if part of Sammy’s strange benediction.
Sammy glared at the prince. “Did you . . .”
“Don’t interrupt for a moment, Sammy,” Prince Dista said, interrupting her. He continued to address his parents. “She is the one who rescued me on the way to the negotiations with Tejil. She is the one who suggested a number of the modifications I presented to them. Really, she is quite a capable character.”
Sammy’s eyes widened and her face turned beat red, but then she began to glower. How dare he call her a ‘character.’
The prince continued. “She has a keen interest in glyph architecture, so I brought her here to whet her appetite. I underestimated her beyond all expectations though, and it appears she has gone and done something irreversible.”
“I know what you did,” Sammy finally managed to sputter out. “You were planning to set me up to become a stupid noble later, right?”
Prince Dista looked at her for a moment and then said with a tiny, mocking smile. “This again. If you know, why do I need to confirm it any more? I brought you here for the reason I said. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Sammy crossed her arms and glanced around. The guardians were all behaving, so she did not have an excuse to run. Stupid guardians. Being around so many nobles, even if some of them were royals, was setting her on edge more and more.
She finally muttered, “The fact you’re avoiding the answer is confirmation enough, you jerk.”
“You are entitled to believe as you will. Now, do you mind telling us what happened since last I saw you.” The prince noted the thunderstorm in Sammy’s face and glanced at Jenna, quirking his eyebrow in petition.
Jenna rolled her eyes, but complied with the silent request. “Sammy, please? I would really like to know.”
Sammy glanced at Jenna and then back at Prince Dista. “I see you doing that, you stupid noble. Quit using Jenna to get me to do what you want. I don’t want to tell you right now. I’m hungry.”
Princess Maryl smiled at Sammy warmly. She really did like this strange aberration, as Dista called her ever so accurately. “Sammy,” she said as she stood from her rock.
Sammy cleared twenty additional feet away from the group and glared at the Princess. “What do you want?”
Princess Maryl stopped, surprised. The child could really move fast. “Um, I was just going to take you outside to our camp. There’s some food prepared there.”
Sammy considered the princess, and then licked her lips a little. “Okay. Go ahead. I’ll follow.”
“Come on, Maryl,” Prince Dista said, shaking his head. “She’s just a little jumpy around everyone in the whole world, except maybe Jenna.” He led the way toward the gate, which stood wide open.
Sammy waited until all of the guardians left the castle’s courtyard. She glanced around, almost hoping a certain ghost would make one last appearance, but then padded silently through the gate. Ready for an ambush, she sighed her disappointment. How was she supposed to know if her evaluation of the baby Jennas was right if they kept being honest?
Sammy moved cautiously up to the camp fire where the princess and prince stood. Maryl held a bowl of stew that smelled really good to Sammy. She smiled at her and offered the bowl to her. Sammy moved cautiously close enough to accept the bowl, her eyes spearing her nemesis. As soon as she had the bowl, she shifted a little and managed to cover several yards without seeming to move at all.
Sniffing the bowl, she could not detect any weird stuff, which made her very nervous. She tasted the stew and nodded. It was very tasty. “I can tell you didn’t cook this,” she said to Prince Dista.
Dista just shook his head. “I’m surprised you didn’t take the opportunity and punch me again.”
Sammy shrugged. “I told Jenna I wouldn’t until she gave the okay. You deserve to get socked, but I don’t want to kill you, um, well, just maybe almost.” Sammy glanced at the others sitting around. “Why aren’t they saying anything? It’s not normal.”
King Ista leaned forward and looked at Sammy intently. Sammy fidgeted. “We are looking at your noble markings. They are interesting and it is quite difficult to place you.”
“Oh.” Sammy shifted a little, trying to cover any exposed flesh. “Count Iona mentioned that Dista, um, or you I guess, would be able to say what kind of stupid noble I turned out to be. He said that even though I inherited his connection to the land, that I would probably start as a baron or something, since my bloodline’s new.”
“So you actually spoke with the Count?” Queen Ista asked, her voice soft as velvet though not sultry. In fact, it was very pleasant to hear.
Sammy nodded. “His g, ghost. But I met Timera first. I probably would have run as fast as I could otherwise. He’s kind of intimidating. I liked him a lot though. He had mitigate the curse quite noticeably.”
Prince Dista caught his mother’s sparkling eyes. “Mother, I will explain what she means by that later.”
“You would probably skew it,” Sammy accused.
Dista shrugged while smirking at her. “You can listen and make corrections. That way you will know if I understand it at least intellectually.”
Sammy hesitated. That actually sounded reasonable. “Stop pretending to be smart.”
“Enough,” Jenna said, heading off the conversation before it could continue down its preordained path. “Sammy, please continue. I really am curious as to what happened in the castle. I cannot fathom you accepting the mark of nobility. So, the first one you met was this Timera, correct?”
Sammy shook her head. “Nope. I met a super crazy ghost first. General Fleming.” Her eyes got really big, and she looked behind her to make sure nothing was sneaking up on her. “It was horrible,” she said in a low voice. “He was just waking up, but he so wanted to eat me. I could tell.” She shivered, but then said with obvious smugness, “But I managed to escape. Found a whole area the angry jerk couldn’t go. The Count sealed off a large area from everything before he gave up. Jerk face poisoned the whole freaking castle, the fanatic. He was probably a noble of some type, I’m betting. Anyway, he somehow managed to kill off the Count’s entire bloodline before that. That’s what Count Iona said, anyway. He was such a freak, he even poisoned himself to ensure he got everyone.
“So then I met Timera and then Dad, and then his wife and a couple of others. The Count asked me to change the tempa composition he made.” Sammy stopped and looked over at Prince Dista, “Why didn’t you tell me about compositions? Stop keeping important information to yourself. What kind of teacher are you?”
She did not wait for Dista to answer, but continued with her tale. “So, after that crazy count jerk did some stuff he totally should have warned me about, he told me that in order to even get to the tempa composition, I had to freaking become the Count of Iona, but later he told me I would just be a something of Iona, because he chose me to inherit it from him.” Sammy glared back at Prince Dista. “I can’t believe you planned to make me a stupid noble, you stupid noble royal thing.”
Sammy took a deep breath. “Anyway, Timera asked me to set her free and it was the only way. So, I agreed, because it would have been evil to refuse to help them in a situation like that, even if it meant I would be cursed and doomed for life.” Sammy slumped in dejection. “I abdicated to the enemy and joined their ranks.” She then threw her hands into the air and yelled, “The whole universe sucks!.” Dropping her arms, she shrugged in dejected acceptance. “But I guess I have, and the rest of the world is going to have to get used to it.”
“I think it’s the world that has the greater adjustment to make,” Prince Dista said dryly.
Sammy nodded, still looking dejected. “Probably. The world’s a lot larger than I am, but I pack a good right hook.”
Dista reached up to his blackened eye and said, “Indeed.”
Sammy perked up and grinned at the prince. “So, I let Dad do the rite. It was kind of anticlimactic, at least until I noticed the noble markings. Those are kind of cool. I can’t wait to map them.” She held up her hand to look at the glowing pattern.
“Anyway, so we changed the tempa-rhapsody to a purga-requiem and activated it at sunrise.” Sammy fell silent for a moment, still looking at her hand. She said in a soft voice, “They didn’t tell me that it would affect them too. Stupid ghosts. Letting me like them and then going away like that.” She looked over at the prince, tears in her eyes. “That wasn’t very nice of them, mean old ghosts. Ghosts are mean, just like I always suspected.”
Prince Dista carefully moved closer to Sammy and put his hand on her head. Sammy looked away and sniffed. She wiped her nose with her sleeve.
“Anyway, then I saw you all down here and tried to punch the stupid jerk who caused all this in the face, but Jenna stopped me. I so would have succeeded if she hadn’t interfered. Even the other Jenna didn’t notice me until Jenna warned everyone.”
Suddenly Sammy cleared twenty feet. “What the heck do you think you’re doing, stupid jerk,” she gasped, a hand covering her head, the other pointing at Dista. “You. Stay away from me. I did not say you could get near me, so just stay away.”
Prince Dista rolled his eyes and returned to his place beside Jenna. “So, now you’re a stupid noble. I feel vindicated that the world is fair after all.”
Sammy let out a little squawk, “You are a jerk. Jenna, please?”
“No Sammy,” Jenna said with a firm voice, then asked quickly with the hope of distracting the girl. “Did the Count tell you anything else?”
Sammy glared at Dista. “It’s not fair you’re protecting him when he’s totally begging for it. And, naw, except that the requiem would purge the evil spirits set free by the evil general throughout the whole county. And, of course, to find out if I really have to be a baron or some other stupid noble from . . .” Sammy turned to look at Prince Dista, but then turned to his parents, “the queen.”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Queen Ista smiled at Sammy warmly. “I am honored, young Sammy.”
Sammy hesitated, not sure how to handle such a nice sounding lady. “O, okay. Um, so what do you have to do to figure it out? Another rite again? The composition Dad used was really interesting.”
“Not another rite,” the queen said. Sammy looked disappointed. Then the queen added, “Exactly.”
Sammy perked up like a puppy suddenly excited.
The queen kept a bland face, though Sammy thought she looked . . . entertained? The queen then said, “We will need to go into a tent though, since I will need to see the whole pattern.”
Sammy blinked and then looked down her shirt, her face going crimson. She shot a look at Prince Dista and said in a deadpan voice, “You pervert.”
Prince Jerome sighed and leaned with his hands planted on the boulder behind him. “You are the one who mentioned I check. Personally, I don’t think you have much to worry about.”
Sammy paused, then flames practically shot out of her eyes and smoke out of her ears. She crouched, ready for action and took a deep breath. “Jenna, I need to punch him.”
“No.”
“Please?”
“No.”
Sammy harrumphed and turned her back on the Prince. “Linda, your son is a jerk.”
A startled look crossed the queen’s face, but then she smiled again. “Just like any other man, dear.”
Sammy shook her head once, “No, I think he is much worse than normal.”
The queen considered Sammy for a long moment, but then said, “He can also be nice.”
Sammy crossed her arms. The queen’s voice was just to nice. She felt a bit off balance just listening to it. She decided to drop the banter. “So, where?”
The queen easily adjusted and said, “Well, if you do not mind, I would like my daughter, Jenna and Countess Dorimor to come as witnesses.”
Sammy glanced at Princess Maryl and then at the Countess. “Why do I have to have a stupid noble witness?”
The queen’s face darkened in disapproval.
“Mother,” Prince Dista said, “Sammy’s parents were among eleven daring killed in a spat between Baron Jens and Baron Kormag around six years ago. They decided to limit the affair to a battle between daring. I plan to investigate further as they seem to have miss-handled the aftermath quite badly. As a consequence, young Sammy has developed quite the interesting theory concerning what she calls the disease of stupidity that afflicts all nobles, and probably us royals as well to some extent. She considers all nobles to be afflicted by this most heinous affliction. Which is why both Jenna and I are quite astounded that she allowed good Count Iona to perform the rite of nobility.”
Queen Ista’s face softened, but the disapproval did not leave entirely. “Sammy, it is not good to go around calling others stupid, even if they are. Perhaps especially if they really are, though I will point out that Countess Dorimor is not by anyone’s measure.” She paused and then added, “And, won’t you be falling into the same trap that caused that deplorable event that killed your parents if you keep randomly insulting those you meet? They will surely declare war on you, now that you are a noble as well.”
“Never,” Sammy said. “If any stupid noble has a problem with me, we can duke it out between the two of us. I won’t allow somebody’s parents to die so easily.”
“But there are those who will not give you that opportunity,” the queen said with a firm tone. “They will hide behind an army of parents.”
“If they don’t have any honor, I’ll just sneak behind the lines and kill them anyway.”
“Sammy . . .”
Sammy tempered her expression, looking down at the ground. “I would give them the chance to stop being stupid though.” She looked up then and straightened her back. “Anyway, are you going to check or not? I don’t have all day here.”
“You actually do have all day,” Dista called out.
“Shut up,” Sammy said, glaring at the prince.
“I’m just saying,” Dista said, giving an elegant shrug.
“. . .” Sammy glared at him and actually growled low in her throat like an angry wolf.
“Will you allow the Countess, Sammy?” Jenna asked. “I would recommend it. Princess Maryl as well.”
Sammy hesitated, but then shrugged. “ Katelynn seems nice enough.” She glanced at Princess Maryl and then away and shrugged. “Maryl too, I suppose.” She threw her hands into the air. “Whatever, just no guys.”
“Of course not,” Queen Ista said kindly. She rose gracefully from her boulder and indicated a large tent set off the road under a large oak tree. “That tent will do just fine.” She led the way and the rest followed, Sammy waiting pointedly until the others all moved ahead of her.
The ultra cautious girl noted she could still place all the guardians, so approached the tent. She did not like this whole situation at all though, even beyond the obvious, since it effectively cornered her. Unfortunately, she could not see a way around it at the moment. She stopped several yards from the tent. The countess was holding the tent flap open for the others.
“I can hold my own door open,” Sammy said to Countess Katelynn.
Katalynn quirked an eye at her. “I am just being polite, Lady Sammy.”
Sammy frowned. “I’ll open it on my own. You can go inside first.”
Katalynn continued to stand holding the tent flap. “Oh? You trust me enough to let me go in and get ready for you?”
Sammy smiled suddenly. “I think I can handle anything you try.”
The countess appeared amused. “Really?”
Sammy nodded. “I would peg you at about the same level as one of the Baron’s better Myst Guards. You’re not shabby, but as long as I’m careful I can beat you.”
Katalynn looked surprised for a moment, but then smiled. “Well then, I will go first.”
Sammy hesitated in front of the tent flap. She waited for several long moments. “I’m not coming in when your standing that close to the entrance,” she called out, though she did relax some. The countess was playing the game and Sammy knew how to play the game. In fact, that the girl was playing actually made the street wise girl more at ease.
Entering the tent, the young girl closed the tent and tied the flaps. She wanted to know which ties needed to be undone if she needed to escape quickly. Plus, she wanted to be sure none of the guys could get in easily.
The inside of the tent had a comfortable looking pile of blankets in the middle of the floor and several chests along one wall. A few small stool-like seats and a small collapsible table stood to the right of the center blankets. While none of it was gaudy, all of it was high class. Sammy didn’t think she could even sell it at the normal places if she found it in the trash for some reason.
Jenna was in the process of moving the blankets from the center of the floor. Sammy moved to the side of the entrance and watched. The countess stood on the far side of the tent next to the Queen. She smiled her amusement at Sammy, who fidgeted, not sure what that smile was all about.
The queen said, “Lady Sammy, I will draw a form that will analyze your marking. If it is permissible, we will both determine your rank and the full extent of your lands. This will help you understand your current situation better.”
Sammy shrugged. “Okay.” But then she did a double take. “Wait, I think I understand what you mean, but you might be talking stupid noble persnickety. Jenna, would you explain what she means? In different words if possible, please.”
The queen flicked a look at Jenna, then gave Sammy a deeper look. “You are very careful.”
“The guards haven’t caught me yet, or the Camp, military, the baron’s Myst guards, Constables, or guilds.”
“Oh dear, are all those people after you?” Countess Katalynn said, a voice a bit sing-songish.
Sammy shrugged and admitted, “Not directly at the moment. The baron gave me a writ of amnesty, so that got rid of a lot of them”
“How interesting,” the countess murmured.
“Jenna, please?” Sammy prodded..
Jenna hesitated, but queen Ista waved her on. “Go ahead, Lady Jenna.”
Jenna nodded, glad the queen was accepting Sammy’s idiosyncrasies in good grace. “What Queen Ista means by your lands is those lands that have entered the contract of nobility with you.”
Sammy grimaced and said, “Count Iona said something about that, that it’s a bloodline’s connection to the land that creates the nobility.”
“Exactly,” Jenna nodded in confirmation. “Both the extent of the land that has contracted with you and the depth of that contract determines your rank among the nobility. Someone with extensive land, but a superficial connection with it might be a baron, the lowest of the landed nobility, while someone with very little land, but a fathomless connection might be a duke, the highest rank just below royalty.”
Sammy hesitated. She had done a lot of research to understand her enemy, but her resources had been limited due to trying to stay away from the social goons. “What makes up the royalty?”
“It’s taught in normal schooling,” Countess Dorimor objected.
Sammy glanced at the noble girl and shrugged. “I haven’t been to school since I was seven or eight, just after my parents were killed. I’ve just picked stuff up along the way.”
“A rather impressive smattering of education,” Jenna said. “Sammy is a study in contrasts as far as being exceedingly advanced and deficient in the same disciplines.”
Sammy shrugged, at ease with herself. “It is as it is. So, what makes up the royalty? Dista’s a stupid jerk, but he doesn’t seem to be as afflicted by the curse as what I thought nobles would be.”
“Maybe you don’t know as much as you think,” the countess said with a sardonic, slightly condescending smile.
Sammy regarded the noble. “I am not infallible.” She returned her focus to Jenna and the queen, shifting so she could keep better track of Princess Maryl who was staying quiet and had stepped off to the side.
Jenna answered, “Both royalty and nobility are similar in that they are determined by their connection to the land, but the contract between a royal bloodline and the contract of a noble overlap. Sammy, how much do you know about land contracts?”
“Nothing,” Sammy declared.
Jenna nodded. “I am surprised, and yet not. You are once again knowledgeable and ignorant on the same general topic.”
“I studied some,” Sammy explained, “but I had to be careful going to libraries and such. I got a hold of some histories and stuff, but nothing that explains this kind of stuff.”
“Yes, I suppose,” Jenna acknowledged. “Well there are actually four distinct kinds of land contracts, called classes. They are the commons, the daring, the nobility and the royalty. There is no overlapping of land within each group. In fact, the lack of overlap is what defines the classes, with exceptions. For instance, a baron’s land will never overlap with a duke’s as they are both nobility, but both may overlap with a common contract, or a daring one, or a royal one. There are quasi-classes that are harder to define. They overlap one class or other that one would not expect, or don’t overlap as the case may be. For instance, my bloodline is connected to the land through a daring contract, but it is a special one called guardian.” She grinned at Sammy. “Because of other distinctions that make up the nobility apart from the land contract, I am actually considered a quasi-noble. Sorry if that distresses you, Sammy.”
Sammy shook her head. “You don’t seem to be afflicted at all, so its fine.”
“Thank you,” Jenna said, inclining her head. “In any case, that should explain one of the distinctions between the nobility and the royalty. You can wait to learn the rest once you start going to regular school again.”
Sammy’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to try and turn me over to the social goons, are you? I am so outa here if that’s your intention.”
“Nothing like that is likely to happen now, Sammy,” the queen said. “They no longer have any authority over you.”
Sammy shot the queen a suspicious look. “No stupid noble distinctions either, like for instance calling it ‘the regency’ or something.”
The queen actually laughed. It was a super nice sound, again throwing Sammy off. She said, “Understood.”
Sammy’s suspicions grew and she accused, “You were thinking that, weren’t you?”
Jenna ignored the budding conversation and continued, overriding Sammy and the queen both. “So Queen Ista is going to evaluate both the extent of your landing, its depth, its bredth, its height, and a rough estimation of your noble rank. Keep in mind it is just a label that helps others know something about how they relate to you. One’s ranking does not always fully indicate your personal capabilities or influence.”
“Whatever,” Sammy said. She could tell when someone was evading a question. “Well, what do we need to do?”
Queen Ista stepped toward the center of the tent. She crouched down and began drawing a pattern on the floor with a large chalk-stick she pulled from a pouch built into her gown.
Sammy blinked and tried to tell where she had pulled it from, but couldn’t see any signs of a pocket anywhere. She suddenly really wanted to get a closer look at it, since she liked doing stuff like sewing and fixing things up.
“This symphony will answer many of our questions.” As the queen moved her chalk, more lines appeared than the movement could possibly produce. The queen finished drawing the complex pattern in mere minutes instead of the hours Sammy would have expected. Standing up, Queen Ista turned to face Sammy. “I have finished the standard structure, but I will need to see the rest of your pattern to complete it properly.”
Sammy hesitated. She thought she knew what was needed, but that was way too embarrassing to get it wrong. Better to confirm. “What do I need to do?”
The queen smiled at her kindly. “You will need to remove your garments. I know it will be a embarrassing, but it will make it so we will not to have a more accurate reading done later. I assume you will not want to go through this too many times.”
Sammy shuddered and nodded. She carefully removed her clothes, folding each as she complied. Removing her undergarments and standing naked, she blushed as the queen moved closer, but held her ground. “Doe, don’t get too close.”
The queen stayed several feet away as she paced around Sammy. “Please raise your arms and stand with your feet further apart,” she said firmly, though her voice sound distant, analytical.
Sammy obeyed.
Nearly an hour later, the queen withdrew and sighed. “Sammy, please put your clothing back on.” As Sammy complied, the queen moved back to the form on the floor and made some modifications to it.
“Stand in this circle and we will begin,” the queen said indicating a simple circle drawn outside the main pattern.
Sammy hesitated. She did not know anything about what the queen had drawn, Count Iona’s knowledge having ended without her even being aware. She could not tell if this was some kind of trap or not. She did not like doing dangerous stuff without knowing what was going on.
Jenna sighed and said, “Sammy, it is just as Queen Ista has indicated. The form will just evaluate your connection to the land and analyze your rank within the nobility. That is its only purpose.”
Sammy still hesitated. She did trust Jenna some, but that did not mean that this stupid royal queen could not pull a fast one on even Jenna. In fact, Sammy felt quite sure the queen could get something dangerous past Jenna. Ultimately, she stepped to the indicated place anyway, though she really wasn’t sure why.
The moment she stepped fully into the pattern, it shown bright and remained illuminated for several minutes. When it dimmed, a three-dimensional globe formed over the main pattern. The map covering the globe was a uniform brown for land and white for what appeared to be water. Then an area of the globe rippled, filling with color. That large region started well within one of the oceans and passed through a thick mountain range that appeared to be several ranges deep and then spilled over into a region of plains beyond those mountains. It appeared to be only a little thinner than it was wide, but far too irregular to be called geometric. The coloring extended deep into the depths of the globe at all points. The space above the map sparkled with color further than it sank downward.
Then the whole globe pulsed black, solidifying with the colored section bright, but the rest remaining black. The globe shrank and then replicate itself into two tiny spheres. One of the spheres flew and hovered in front of Sammy. It shimmered and settled into the back of her left hand. The other hovered in the center of the form and solidified.
The queen’s compostion melted into the tent floor, though the solidified sphere continued to hover a couple feet off the ground
“Sammy, take the Record,” the queen said.
Sammy hesitated, not sure.
“The globe floating there,” Jenna said, clearing her throat.
Sammy reached out as far as she could, sure she would have to step where the pattern itself had been to retrieve this strange record thing. She did not want to, since that was a prime location for a trap. The Record drifted to her hand and she pulled it to her chest.
“O, okay. Got it.” As she spoke, the circle she stood in disintegrated. She cleared the space between her and the entrance in the blink of an eye. She looked around the tent suspiciously, but no one had moved.
The queen regarded her for a moment and then snorted a laugh. Sammy thought it very incongruous for the velvety voiced queen to snort like that. “Sammy, you are quite interesting. I can fully appreciate my son’s interest in you.”
Sammy’s eyes narrowed.
“So, I have placed you and you yourself saw the extent of your land contract.”
Sammy blinked. “I don’t understand.”
“The colored portion of the globe.”
Sammy stared at her. “I still don’t understand. Why was my land on a sphere?”
The queen blinked, taken aback. “You are aware that this world of ours, everything there is that we stand upon and travel through, is a giant sphere floating in the greater void, right?”
Sammy looked at the queen blankly. “I have never heard anything like that.” She swallowed nervously and glanced at Jenna. “We live on a giant sphere? Can a sphere be that big?”
“The moon is another such sphere,” the queen said, recovering. “It is a couple hundred thousand miles away from our world. There are other planets revolving around the sun, and others revolving around many of the stars you see at night. Sammy, you really must go to proper schooling. This is common knowledge that we expect six and seven year old children to know. I am really surprised you don’t know it.”
Sammy shifted and glanced down at the ground. “I don’t know what I don’t know. I, I think I might have heard something about this, but it’s not something I needed to survive.”
“I see,” the queen said with a firm voice, the matter dropped for the moment. “In any case, you must begin proper schooling no matter what. Since you have come to my attention, I will not allow you to continue living in ignorance, even if you were not what you are now.”
Sammy fidgeted, drawing a circle with her toe. She asked in a small voice, “What am I then?”
“It’s hard to say,” the queen said with a bit of a smirk.
Sammy looked up, startled. “What the heck does that mean, you stupid royal noble thing like Dista.”
The queen laughed. “You are so much fun for me Sammy. Really, there is probably nobody else in the whole world who would speak that way to me.”
“You only like it cause it’s a novelty,” Sammy said, crossing her arms. Still she looked somewhat pleased. “Just wait until the novelty wears off and see if you still say that.”
“I look forward to it,” the queen said, smiling her warm smile. “Well, to answer the question, I suppose you are the third Arch Ducal bloodline in history. It is one of those quasi-classes Jenna mentioned. Basically, you are classified as both nobility and royalty, or perhaps neither.”
Sammy cocked her head to the side. “Huh?”
The queen sighed. “Your land contract does not overlap any other noble’s, nor does it overlap any of the eleven royal contracts. In fact, the contracted boundaries of several nobles and royals alike have been pushed around by yours. You will need to decide how you will relate to the rest of the world.” The queen fell silent as if considering something, though it was clear she still had more to say.
Sammy frowned, but in a pleased kind of way. It was a weird look. “The Count said I would probably have to give an oath to a royal bloodline. Does this change that?”
“That is for you to decide. The Count’s land has long been part of the Ista bloodline through oath and contract both, but your contract has severed our connections here. You may still swear an oath to our bloodline, but it would be more on the level of an alliance between royals. It would not be a relationship of a royal bloodline to a vassal noble, where the noble actually has a contractual relationship with the same land as his sovereign.”
Sammy shook her head to clear it. She crossed her arms. “I totally don’t understand. Still, even though the Count says I should do it, the only oath I will ever swear to a noble or royal or whatever is to punch them in the face and tell them when they’re being a stupid noble, or royal.”
The queen grew serious. “I see. That actually could be quite useful, Arch Duchess.”
“Don’t ever call me that again,” Sammy growled and hugged herself tightly. “Damn it, I can feel the foul diseased curse hovering at the edges of my mind.”
The queen sighed and glanced at Jenna. Jenna pointedly pretended to be looking somewhere else. She glanced at her daughter and the Countess, but both were looking at their fingernails. The queen shook her head, disgusted with the lack of support she was receiving. She finally decided to punt. “Sammy, don’t curse.”
“Oh,” Sammy said, her eyes widening. “Shoot. That’s another coin in the curse jar. I have a jar that I put money in whenever I curse. I’m pretty sure my mom would have done something like that, so I instituted it under her authority.”
The queen paused, caught off balance again by the child’s random swings. “Back to the discussion Sammy, I think such an oath would be acceptable. It would be a two way street, of course. We would require the same privilege to,” she paused, but then smiled as if amused, “punch you in the face and tell you you’re being stupid, when appropriate.”
Sammy’s eyes glistened suddenly. She took a step closer to the queen and clasped her hands in front of her. “You would do that for me? Really? I dread nothing more greatly than becoming a stupid noble in the total thrall of the diseased curse of noble stupidity. It’s scarier than ghosts.”
The queen allowed a sardonic smile to grow. “I would, and I am sure my husband would agree as well.”
Sammy nodded. “Just to be clear, punching in the face is just an expression. I mean we would do what is necessary to get our attention. I would reserve the right to challenge you to full contact knife to the death duels if that’s necessary, or just tell you that your being stupid without punching you or anything, if that’s all that’s required.” Sammy shot a look at Jenna. “Dista totally needs to be punched right now.”
“No,” Jenna said
The queen inclined her head and said, “A most intelligent clarification.”
Sammy dropped her hands from under her chin. “You are being very reasonable about this. Have you found out how to mitigate the curse too? The Count seems to have done it, and now you and I think your husband too. Perhaps the curse is not as all powerful as I thought it was.”
The queen again inclined her head. “Let us hope.”
Sammy frowned again and then asked, “So, would I be part of your kingdom?”
“Hmm, that will take a little bit of negotiating to clarify, but I would recommend a fairly close relationship at least to start. A large portion of your land has been under the curse that General Fleming laid over the Count’s land. Plus, you will not understand a lot of the interweaving of noble and royal societies, nor I think what is involved in ruling a country.”
“Ha,” Sammy said suddenly. “If I made that kind of oath agreement with the other royal bloodlines, I could punch them all in the faces several times a year.”
The queen cleared her throat. “That is an interesting idea. In any case, we should retire outside. My husband will want a full report of this. I am sure my son will be quite interested too.”
Sammy grimaced. “Great.” She then undid the tent flap faster than could be seen and bolted.
“Jenna, how ever did you find her?” The queen asked as they moved at a more dignified speed.
Jenna spoke softly, “She appeared at the time Prince Dista was about to release my restraints, my lady.”
Queen Ista glanced sharply at Countess Dorimor and then at Jenna. “That serious?”
“It is possible the attempt might have succeeded. They knew our movements and secret preparations. It appears she was a wild card not accounted for.”
“I see. Countess?”
“I understand, Queen Ista.” The girl did not need the queen to verbally tell her these matters need not be discussed either in the open or behind sealed doors.
The queen gave her a nod. “Thank you.”
Sammy stood a good fifteen feet from the men, but not in the same place as before she went into the tent. The guardians had changed up where they stood in the interim and Sammy did not like the feel of her previous place at all.
Jenna looked at Sammy and shook her head. She glanced around the area noting the changes in the positioning. She could tell the royal guardians were not overly pleased with Sammy’s new choice. She moved to stand next to her prince.
The queen moved to her husband’s side. The countess to stand beside the young Prince Mic. Princess Maryl to stand next to Jenna opposite Dista.
“So, what’s the verdict?” Prince Dista said, still sitting on his boulder while leaning back on his hands.
“It’s worse than I originally feared,” Sammy said, dejectedly. “Still, it might have some up turns in the long run.”
Prince Dista sat up straight and looked at Sammy, then at his mother. “I am most curious.”
“I’ll bet,” Princess Maryl said softly. Her brother ignored her.
“Your attention please,” the queen said, drawing all eyes to her. “It is my great honor to introduce to you the newest bloodline in land contract, Arch Duchess Sammy Micaels.”
Prince Dista allowed a smile to touch his lips. He stood and bowed formally to Sammy. “I bid greetings to a most unique noble and royal rank. A most fitting status for our beloved Sammy, Arch Duchess Micaels.”
Sammy glared at her grand-ultimate nemesis, as she just decided to label the prince.
Jenna bowed to Sammy as well. “Greetings Sammy. I know you will have victory over the curse.”
Sammy nodded. She loved Jenna.
The others greeted her formally, but Sammy tried to tune them out. She didn’t really understand the feelings in her right then, but dreaded that they were related to the curse after all.
The queen spoke again once the round of greetings to the new bloodline concluded. “Sammy, there is one more repercussion the events which have occurred this day have caused.”
“What?” Sammy felt a little lightheaded with everything that was happening.
The queen asked, “Do you know what the contract flame is?”
Sammy nodded. “The baron has one. It burns somewhere in his castle, at least from what I heard. I’ve never seen it. Isn’t it supposed to indicate his right to rule or something?”
“Or something. Being land contracted determines right to rule. The flames are merely the symbol of that contract, and a kind of focus for channeling the land’s power. A bloodline’s ability to benefit from their land is greatly affected by the flame’s condition, and the flame’s condition is directly affected by the noble’s relationship with the land and the people who live there.”
Sammy nodded. “I think I heard something about that in the Camp. They used to say ‘Today’s a bad day to liberate the henhouse, ‘cause the Baron’s flame’s shining strong,’ and stuff. I never really understood and always thought they were just being superstitious, but now it kinda makes sense.”
The queen paused. “You seem to have grown up in quite the intriguing environment. You really must tell me about it sometime in detail. For now though, let’s keep on track. Anytime there’s a change in a bloodline’s land contract obviously there would be a significant affect upon their Flame.” The queen sighed, but then continued, “In this case, with the passing of the Count’s ghost, a major line has finally ceased to be. The ripples from this cannot be discounted. However, it is far more severe even than that, as your bloodline was born at the same moment, a line that has directly and somewhat forcefully changed both noble and royal contract boundaries.”
Sammy nodded, then shook her head, then bit her finger.
“I will be blunt for you Arch Duchess,” the Queen said, gracefully ignoring Sammy’s glare. “Your contract ripped part of the contracted land away from the Ista bloodline, that is from our land contract. This extinguished our flame and we will have to go through the ritual to relight it, of reaffirming our newly modified Land Contract. Also, you probably don’t know this, but while the Count’s domain was completely a part of our kingdom, his lands shared boarders with three other royal lines and a number of nobles that owe allegiance to them. Just looking at the map we created earlier, I can tell the boundaries of your lands have pushed those other boarders back some.”
Sammy blinked. “I thought you said I didn’t share land with any stupid nobles or royals.”
“You don’t,’ the Queen said without smiling. “Just as you severed the Ista contract with these lands, you also broke the contracts those other bloodlines had with that land. I assure you, young Arch Duchess Micaels, there are a number of distressed people scampering around right now trying to figure out why their Flames have gone out.”
Sammy swallowed, casting a glance at Jenna. The number and quality of people out to get her might have just noticeably increased.
“Additionally,” the Queen continued.
“There’s more,” Sammy squeaked.
The Queen smiled at the young girl. “Indeed. In addition to pushing around boundaries of noble contracts and royals alike, your contract extends into the sea further than anyone in history, at least to my knowledge.”
“Real, really?”
“Yes. . . . Additionally.”
“You’re just having fun at my expense now,” Sammy accused.
“Additionally, a vast amount of your contract extends into the mountain ranges, covering a great deal of unexplored territory, though not necessarily uninhabited. How that will play out, I am quite interested in seeing.” The queen smiled sweetly at the fourteen year old child. “But all that to the side Sammy, let me ask you a question.”
Sammy bit her lip and looked away from the queen, suddenly nervous. “Wh, what?”
“Which is the worst kind of noble, or if you will, the stupidest? The one who makes stupid decisions, but tries to rule their lands well despite their cursed and diseased condition, or the one who refuses to rule, refuses to take up their contracted responsibilities and thus allows lawlessness, chaos and humanity’s natural bent to be selfish to run rampant?”
Sammy stared at the Queen for a long moment, the gears fair visibly grinding and churning in her wide eyes. Her eyes narrowed, her expression scary dangerous.
However, before she could respond, the queen said, “That is something for you to think through very carefully, Arch Duchess Sammy Micaels. For now, we have other things to discuss.” She looked over at her husband the king.
“Arch Duchess,” the king said.
“You guys hate me,” Sammy growled.
“Enough of that,” the queen snapped. “It is your proper title.”
“Sammy,” the King said, smiling at her. “We cannot stay here for long, however there are several things we need to deal with before returning to our own lands.”
Sammy’s glare faltered a little. “What?”
“As the queen mentioned, this land is no longer a part of our domain any longer. Since the curse came into being seventy years ago, the crown has supplied both the military and police force in these regions. This will no longer be the case now.”
Sammy stared at the King hard, gears turning and churning with a nigh audible racket now. “Wouldn’t that make things really nasty? I like taunting and playing with them, but the police serve a very important part in the function of the city, even the Camp says that.”
The king nodded. “I am glad you understand. Now it will take some time for you to establish rule over your lands. You will need to start collecting taxes to build up your treasuries so you can hire your own police force and military, as well as to build up the infrastructures that have deteriorated, such as roads and trade routes. There is also the damage the curse has done to the people as a whole. A generation has grown up without any Flame, for even the royal sentry flames have remained extinguished here. Many schools have closed. You need to re-establish the common flames in your cities and in your rural areas. You will need to develop the daring to serve you. You must not neglect the other kingdoms that boarder your land. Also, the port city of Trisk and the Ionan range of sea lights is extremely important. Once you relight them, it will open the old trade routes through the Terron Channel.”
Sammy continued to stare at the King, her mouth open ever so slightly, her eyes glazing over. She suddenly shook her head and glanced around, taking note of everyone’s positions.
“I cannot see you becoming viable to yourself within a year’s time at the barest minimum, so I shall maintain the status quo for one year at the least, unless you object. At that time, we will set up a schedule for pulling our troops and turning over the management of your land to you.”
Sammy nodded. “Thank you, I think.” Sammy bent her knees as if crouching and then vanished.
“She’s running,” Dista said. “Jenna.”
Jenna took a step forward, but then stopped, turning to look at her prince. “What?”
“Catch her,” the prince said, somewhat bewildered that she had to ask.
Jenna shook her head. “And how would I do that, my Prince? It is unlikely I would have caught her even if I had anticipated her break. I believe your parents have adequately laid out the things she needs to think about. For now, just let her be.”